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This leaflet provides information about training yourself to hold your bladder before radiotherapy to the pelvis. If you would like further information, or have any worries, please do not hesitate to ask your doctor or a member of the radiotherapy team.
In all cases, a doctor will explain your radiotherapy treatment to you and answer any questions you may have.
What is bladder training?
If you need to urinate (pee) more often than usual, or sometimes leak urine before reaching the toilet, then bladder training might help you. It can help you control when you urinate, and help you hold your pee for longer.
How is bladder training done?
Bladder training is done by gradually holding larger volumes of water for longer periods of time, training your bladder and pelvic muscles to hold water more easily.
Drinks to avoid
Certain drinks can irritate your bladder, causing the need to pee more often and with increased urgency. Drinks to avoid include:
- caffeinated drinks (such as tea and coffee).
- carbonated (fizzy) drinks.
- alcohol.
It is advised that you reduce or eliminate these drinks before starting your treatment. Reducing your intake of these drinks may also assist in your bladder training.
Before starting bladder training
It is important to work out how long you can hold your bladder for. To do this, drink 350ml (just over half a pint) of water over 10 to 15 minutes. Use a measuring jug to pour out the correct amount of water or drink from a bottle of water.
Time how long you can comfortably hold this amount. If you can only hold this amount of water for 45 minutes, start again and reduce the amount of fluid by 100ml.
Note down how much liquid this is and how long you can hold it for.
Bladder training
It is important to start with an achievable goal based upon your initial diary. The end goal is to be able to drink 350ml and then hold this amount of water for between one and one and a half hours before needing to pee. This is the ideal preparation for your radiotherapy treatment.
A bladder training routine is outlined in the table below. You should start the training based upon how long you can already hold your bladder, as established in the ‘Before starting bladder training’ section above.
This table is for guidance only and you should work through it at your own pace. If you move to the next step and find yourself unable to manage it, go back to the previous step for a few more days. You may also find that you need to adjust this to your individual requirements and add in additional smaller steps.
| Amount to drink | Time to hold | Number of days |
|---|---|---|
| 100ml | 20 minutes | 5 |
| 100ml | 30 minutes | 5 |
| 150ml | 30 minutes | 5 |
| 200ml | 30 minutes | 5 |
| 200ml | 40 minutes | 5 |
| 250ml | 40 minutes | 5 |
| 300ml | 40 minutes | 5 |
| 300ml | 50 minutes | 5 |
| 350ml | 50 minutes | 5 |
It is advised that you only practice one to two times a day with at least three hours between attempts to avoid over-hydration (drinking too much).
If you reach the end of the training before coming for your radiotherapy planning, it is important to maintain your training level until your treatment starts. To do this carry out the final step of the training every one to two days.
If you are not able to hold your bladder for at least 60 minutes by the time you are contacted to organise your radiotherapy planning appointment, please let a member of the radiotherapy team know. We will discuss your progress and any concerns you may have, so that a suitable plan can be put in place.