Bladder Matters
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Assessment


  • Your GP or nurse will ask you about your bladder problem. They will also discuss any significant medical conditions you might have now, or have had in the past and any medication you are taking which might be contributing to your problem. Assessment should also consider the severity of the problems and impact of any inconvenience/embarrassment or distress caused.

  • The first simple test that can be done is checking a sample of urine for glucose, blood or infection. This can be easily arranged by your GP or Practice Nurse.

  • Keeping a chart of fluid intake, toilet visits and episodes of leaking is really important and simple charts are available:
    » Download a Frequency and Volume Chart (PDF 115,49 kB)
  • For some people, specialised tests known as Urodynamics are carried out, usually at a hospital. Urodynamics involve measuring the pressure inside the bladder while the bladder is being filled, assessing how much fluid the bladder can hold, and when the desire to pass urine is reached. This is carried out as an out-patient procedure and can give very useful information about the type of bladder problem.

  • In most cases, a physical examination will be carried out but more specifically, a physiotherapist or continence nurse may need to assess the strength of the pelvic floor muscles and can measure the strength of contractions. This can be helpful in advising on correct techniques for carrying out pelvic floor exercises.
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