When is it time to see a doctor for urinary incontinence?

Before you don your hat and coat and trot on over to your primary health care physician’s office, consider the following list of things you can try to help yourself:

• Don’t rush to get off the potty! Take your time. Void, take a rest,
  stand up, and then try again to make sure that you’ve completely
  emptied your bladder. You may even try to push on your bladder with
  your fingers to make sure you’ve gotten as much out as possible.

• Wipe from front to back to avoid a urinary tract infection.

• Skip the sexy bubble bath, which might allow germs to travel from
  your anus to your bladder and cause an infection. Take showers
  instead.

• Drink enough fluids per day: half your weight in ounces of water
  should do the trick. Cut down drastically on caffeine, alcohol, and diet
  beverages that contain artificial sweeteners.

• Avoid foods and medications containing caffeine.

• Avoid medications that aggravate the bladder.

• Maintain a healthy weight.

• Exercise regularly.

• Do your Kegels!

If you’ve tried all these things and are still miserable, it’s time to pay a visit to your family doctor so that your symptoms can be evaluated and treated. Before assuming that incontinence is actually the culprit, make sure that your doctor checks to see if you are suffering from a bladder or urinary tract infection (UTI) since these may give you similar symptoms. If you are experiencing urgency and/or frequent urination, pain in the area above your pubic bone or in your back, and/or fever, see your physician sooner rather than later, since you may actually have a UTI.

Find out more about this book: Mind Over Bladder: I Never Met a Bathroom I Didn't Like!

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