What is a Bladder Diary?
A bladder diary is an assessment tool you and your healthcare provider use to understand your bladder symptoms better. It helps you track a number of things: when and how much fluid you drink, when and how much you pass urine, how often you have that “gotta go” urgency feeling, and when and how much urine you may leak. Having a Bladder Diary during your first visit can be helpful because it describes your daily habits, your urinary symptoms and how they may be affecting your life. Your doctor will use this information to help treat you.
Using the Bladder Diary?
- Take notes throughout the day, and continue until you complete 24 hours. For example, if you wake up at 7 a.m. on the first day, take notes until 7 a.m. the next day.
- Write down what you drink (i.e, water, juice, coffee, wine) and how much. If you are unable to measure your drinks, take a good guess about the number of ounces every time you drink something. Most containers will list the number of ounces.
- During both the day and night, write down when and how much urine you pass. We provide a collection device to use. If you are keeping the diary before your fist visit, you may want to collect your urine in a cup from home, such as a kitchen measuring cup. Rinse the collection device with water after each use. Keep the device close to your toilet until you’ve finished your diary.
- It’s best to keep a diary for at least three days. Any three days (not necessarily consecutive) you chose will be fine, as long as they represent “typical days” for you.
- Print this PDF document and note your entries. You can the bring the paper in with you to your next appointment or submit your entry in the form below.