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Incontinence diaries

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USING A BLADDER DIARY OR BOWEL DIARY

Keeping track of your bathroom habits may seem a little strange at first, but it is a great way for you to see trends over time and learn what types of foods and drinks trigger your incontinence. Especially if you are newly diagnosed, using a bladder or bowel diary can be invaluable. Not only will you gain insight into your condition, but it will also aid your doctor in knowing what type of incontinence you suffer from and help him or her develop a more customized treatment plan for you.

If you have bladder incontinence: Click here to download the NAFC Bladder Diary

If you have fecal incontinence: Click here to download the NAFC Bowel Diary

If you suffer from adult bedwetting: Click here to download the NAFC Bedwetting Diary

If you’re suffering from frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom: Click here to download the NAFC Nocturia Symptom Tracker

Record your habits for at least four days, but ideally a week to really get a complete view of what is happening with your body. Once you’ve learned some of your own triggers, it may help you to better manage your incontinence on your own. If not, be sure to bring your diary to your doctors office so you can have an open discussion about your incontinence and develop a solution together.

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Is Bladder Leakage a Normal Part of Aging?

There is a quiet, widespread belief among women that at a certain age, after children, after menopause, and after “a lot of living,” bladder leaks just happen. You carry a pad. You know which restrooms are the cleanest. You skip the trampoline park with the grandkids. You don’t say anything to your doctor because, honestly, what would they even say? This is just…aging.

Using appropriate absorbent products and a gentle skin-care routine may help support skin integrity.
The medical community is clear: urinary incontinence is common, but it is not a normal or inevitable part of aging. The Mayo Clinic Health System states it directly that “although urine incontinence is common, it’s not normal.” The condition has causes, those causes have treatments, and those treatments, for many women, work remarkably well.