Overactive bladder, or urinary urgency, can be disruptive to your life, even if you’ve found ways to live with it. NAFC encourages you to make an appointment with your doctor so you can get on a path to treatment.
These 6 steps will help prepare you for a discussion with your doctor about OAB:
Fill out the Overactive Bladder Awareness Tool and NAFC’s bladder diary to take with you to your appointment. Download the Overactive Bladder – Validated 8-question Awareness Tool PDF, answer the questions, and give it to your doctor at the first appointment. Additionally, you can download and fill out NAFC’s bladder diary for about 2 days before your appointment in order to record your symptoms.
Make a list of all of your doctors and medical conditions.Take a list of all your doctors, medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, sleep disorders, heart conditions, etc.) to your appointment.
Complete a list of any operations or medical procedures you have had in your lifetime. Women should list their number of pregnancies, number of deliveries, weight of their babies, and whether they were delivered vaginally or by Caesarean section.
Provide the doctor with all your medications. Include all prescription medicines you are taking that have been prescribed or refilled during the last 30 days. Also include all the prescriptions that you keep in the house but that you don’t take regularly. As well as, all the over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and other supplements that you take.
Be prepared to describe how incontinence affects your daily life. Make a list of the most bothersome aspects related to your incontinence.
Be prepared for your appointment. On the day of your appointment, expect to be asked for a urine specimen. Talk with the doctor’s receptionist when you make the appointment and when you arrive to see if there are tests, or preparations for tests, that you should know about (eg. fasting after midnight).
- Do your homework ahead of time. There are lots of options to treat OAB these days. Lifestyle changes like diet and exercises and managing fluid can often be very effective. Other options include medication, neuromodulation (in-office, implantable, or even external neuromodulation devices), sacral neuromodulation, and even Botox injections are all approved to treat urge incontinence and overactive bladder. Learn about these options before your appointment so you can be prepared to discuss them with your doctor and ask questions. Learn more about specific treatment options for oab here.
