Overactive Bladder practical tips

Overactive Bladder practical tips

Your Overactive Bladder (OAB) is with you wherever you go and can be particularly problematic when you are travelling. Here is some advice on how to manage your symptoms, whatever your circumstances. 

With help and a little planning, you can successfully manage your OAB symptoms at home or away. Here are a few tips to help you cope with some of the day-to-day challenges:

Ground travel

  • If you’re planning a shopping trip or going to a restaurant, limit your liquid intake a few hours beforehand and check bathroom locations as soon as you arrive.
 
  • Eating out? It may be a clever idea to cut back on the wine/beer as alcohol can aggravate your OAB symptoms
Ground travel
  • If you are attending a concert or sporting event, purchase seats close to the restrooms and, once there, take a bathroom break before lines get long.

Air travel

Air travel
  • Try to book an aisle seat near a toilet. Where possible, check in online or print off your boarding pass at home to avoid long check in queues. Long queues at the airport security control can be daunting try scheduling flights on off-peak hours (4-7 am and 3-6 pm) or booking express security where available. Bring any medication you are likely to need during the flight and waiting periods in carry-on luggage. Be especially careful not to overdo bladder irritants such as coffee, tea, alcohol, and soft drinks.
Bladder Control Questionnaire

Bladder Control Questionnaire

If you think you may be experiencing a bladder control problem, try the questionnaire.

 

Holiday checklist

  • Make sure you have enough of any medication you may be taking with you for the duration of your trip away. When you travel, stay on the medication schedule you are used to at home, even though your routine while away may be very different. Remember to bring absorbent pads with you, both for convenience and in case you can't find them at your destination.


Holiday checklist
  • Bring a small plastic bag in which you can put any soiled clothing or discarded pads. Spare, clean underwear tucked into your backpack is also a good idea. Check what facilities are available at your holiday accommodation before you book e.g., an en-suite bathroom. If nocturia is a problem for you, ask if bed protection can be supplied or take a waterproof sheet.
  • Plan ahead to locate public restrooms. For example, there are applications for your smartphone available that use your current location to find the nearest publicly accessible bathrooms. Depending on your country of travel, public toilets may be few and far between. It can be easier to find a toilet in a hotel, bar, restaurant, or in a shopping centre.
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  • Some countries operate a scheme whereby people with bladder problems can apply for a special ‘key’ which gives them access to many thousands of locked toilets for disabled people (e.g. the RADAR key in the UK and the European Disabled Toilet Key in many cities in Germany, in Austria, Switzerland and already in some other European countries), check if there are any such schemes in your destination country and if you qualify to get one.
  • The universal word for bathroom is usually “toilet,” but not everywhere. Before your trip, learn the right word from an online language translator, so you can ask for it in the local language. Write it on your phone and flash it when needed. 

OAB at work

  • Put your work routine to beneficial use by incorporating your bladder-training regimen into your work schedule. Avoid caffeinated drinks during your work breaks; they can irritate your bladder. Try herbal tea instead.  Talk with your boss about locating your workstation closer to the bathroom.  Take a bathroom break before you start work and before meetings. If you're worried about a wetting accident, keep fresh clothes available at work. While you are sitting in a meeting, make use of this time by doing your pelvic floor exercises. No one will notice.
Portrait of white haired senior man instructing diverse group of people during briefing meeting in office

OAB in the bedroom

Appealing wife. Beaming appealing wife feeling lovely looking at her husband lying in bed together
  • In general, you should not reduce how much you drink as this can concentrate the urine, which is a bladder irritant, however, it may help to cut down on drinking for a few hours before bedtime (or sex). If you’re worried about leakages during the night, there are some highly effective absorbent bed sheets or protective pads that you can use.

 

  • Drinking alcohol can worsen OAB symptoms, which can interrupt your sleep. Discussing OAB with your partner is not simple, but it may offer a big boost to your relationship.

Getting the problem into the open can lead to greater affection and trust. Before sex, empty your bladder. This is particularly important if you have ‘wet OAB’ or urge incontinent because it will reduce the risk of having an accident.

Available Support Aids

  • Incontinence pads are available for both men and women and come in a variety of sizes and absorbencies for light, moderate and severe urinary incontinence. Some fit discreetly into your own underwear to ensure total confidence and protection. Others are larger and may be worn inside special incontinence stretch pants. Most ranges have an odour control facility for total piece of mind.
  • Incontinence stretch pants are specifically designed to hold large incontinence pads in place. They are figure-hugging, to ensure a secure fit and reduce the risk of leakage.  
A senior woman buying toliet paper in supermarket.