Curbing your diet

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Staff member
I was just wondering how many of you actually curb your diets to try to reduce incontinence episodes and if you found success. Almost any website on incontinence states that we should stay away from caffeine, alcohol, acidic foods, etc. I have OAB/urgency incontinence and I find that even if I stay away from those items, I still can't control my urges enough to make it to the bathroom in time. The only difference I notice is that if I do have a few alcoholic beverages, I wet more (since it is a diuretic and the extra fluid intake) and I might need an extra diaper for the day. Otherwise, there is really no impact on my issue.
 
Early on in my journey in incontinence and bladder issues, I eliminated things one by one to give a clear picture of what, if anything was exacerbating my issues. I found that caffeine, citrus, and stress were major triggers for me. Traveling is difficult because it is stressful and makes my issues worse. I tried a bunch of the OAB meds with very little success. The urologists (5 of them) were perplexed and the only thing they could offer me after multiple weeks of no sleep were to go to the ER and have a Foley catheter placed. I did, and got my first full nights sleep in weeks. Two days later I was given a prescription for foley supplies. That was 4 years ago now. My wife is an ER nurse and does the catheterizations at home. Our routine is pretty good considering I’ve had only 3 UTI’s in 4 years.
 
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