How often do you go to the toilet in an average day?

[NotanotherboxofFrogs]

I'm not a toilet troll I swear. I have been around here since 2015, this is my second username (I only changed the first cos I felt I revealed something that might identify me).

OK I have been diagnosed with various conditions from the bowel side of things - IBS, from the urology side of things - Overactive bladder, urge incontinence, interstitial cystitis.

My bladder retains some even after passing, I am on Solifenican which isn't helping but urologist wants to get another ultrasound before changing the med, its prescribed to try and get the bladder not to constantly release. I have had long term antibiotics in the past. I don't have full sensation in my saddle area either so don't always get the signal when I need to go. Sometimes when I get the feeling I need to go and the time before I actually go could be less than 5 seconds.

I'm taking at least one dose of laxatives a day as due to other medications (mostly painkillers) I get blocked up from a bowel point of view and end up impacting with overflow so try to avoid that as much as possible.

I drink over 2 litres of water with some dilute per day, plus usually some hot chocolate or cup a soup. Sometimes a can or 2 of coke which is my addiction but I am trying to cut it out slowly. Fruit juice in the morning also. I restrict my drinking after 5pm and allow about 200ml in the evening.

I use incontinence pads and over the past few weeks things have been getting worse bladder wise, so I have started tracking how many times I go per day. I don't have an infection

At night, I use 2 Kylie sheets in the bed at night with pads and dependant on if I move in the bed, sometimes the surrounding bed is soaked needing a full change. My mattress is well protected by 3 layers of protection.

I have tried drinking less and the only way was reduce completely to stop it which took me under 200ml a day which caused many other problems. If I drink less than minimum 2 litres, it tends to trigger a migraine attack.

Today I didn't waken till after 11am and since then I have changed pads 14 times and have been on the toilet 29 times, passing each time but only 3 times of that was the runs, so 26 times passing urine.

So could people tell me roughly how often you go on an average day as I know this is not normal and I want to get a general overview.I will be consulting the GP again this week.

Have you seen a pelvic health physio about bladder control? One of the things they taught me was techniques so that I didn't run to the toilet every time I felt the urge to go and it really did make a difference.

I take tolterodine which works well for me, the first medicine was useless.

Ditch the fizzy drinks and fruit juice, they are terrible for overactive bladders. I don't know what type of diluting juice you have but I was told blackcurrant juice was the worst for irritating your bladder. I virtually never drink fizzy any more but every so often I will forget and then pay for it later.

I think you already know 26 times in a day is extremely abnormal,

Thanks for replying

Did kegals for several years before I saw the pelvic physio who did biofeedback, I would start off each session string but repeating the exercises more than 4 times and I would lose all tone. After 6 months, while I was ahead of my baseline which was expected but after max 4 rounds of exercises, (was lucky if got through two)I was almost 50% below the baseline so getting worse rather than any better.

This was affecting different body systems and often flooring me between sessions. I couldn't react to the electro signals and the therapy in itself was causing me psychological distress.

There was medication that I was tried on before Solifenican but I can't remember the name at the moment.

I'm working on ditching the fizzy, I used to be a lot worse with them, its a process. The fruit juice is a small glass in the morning as I take a shed load of meds in the morning and the juice helps me get them all down.

Dilute juice is a variety of apple, Orange, strawberry, lime, lemon, ginger, barley water usually a different flavour for each new jug.

I have bowel movements at least 7 times a day with ibs and badder really is about 8 to 12 times not been to docs about it though been like this for 6 years have to run to the loo all the time its a nightmare

@Hamm87 it is a nightmare, it's the amount of time spent in the bathroom. Pain, trying to keep skin from breaking down, changing pads / clothes. The constant washing and drying cycle, being sensitive to if there might be any smell. The constant trips, the passing but not enough, washing hands after each bathroom trip on top of all the extra handwashing due to covid19.

I hope you get some help from your GP when you phone, it sounds utterly exhausting what you are dealing with.

Yes that's a lot, poor you OP

A generic guide -
Average would be 1-2 bowel opens a day. Some people open their bowels every 3 days, some more often. More than 3x a day is unusual, as is less than once every 3 days.

Urinating- average would be 4- 8 times a day, more so for someone who drank a lot of fluids- but over 10-12 times a day is rather a lot as it shows your bladder is irritable or failing, and unable to tolerate or hold much urine in it. 29 times is incredibly frequent urination and must be exhausting.
Ps. Not passing any urine at all in 12 -24 hours would suggest someone is in urine retention or dehydrated- both medical emergencies

I wee a lot but I also drink a lot - typically 3 litres of water a day plus big mugs of tea & coffee. Sometimes get up in the night for a wee but not always. I don’t tend to drink much after 7pm though.
I also have IBS and typically have at least 2 bowel movements before / after breakfast and sometimes later in the day too, more on a bad day. I never have a day when I don’t go!

@Sparticuscaticus I've been in retention in the past, it was absolute agony. It was heading for 32 hours and when they put the Cath in the sighs of relief was massive and I drained almost 1.5 litres in the very first time I had retention, it was caused in that instance by a New medication. Which was promptly stopped.

I've had cystoscopy, urodynamics and have been shown how to self Cath in an emergency, urology recommended BOTOX injections but now is not keen due to an abnormal reaction that I had when I had BOTOX for chronic migraine so not keen to chance what might happen if we try it due to my previous experience. a

Today I am now on my 8th change of bottoms (in day clothes), I had 3 changes of nightie/pjs overnight, 6 Kylie sheets are in the wash, the sofa throw is waiting to go in and I've had 19 pads.

I have a large bin in the bathroom but I fill a 50ltr bin in less than 2 days with pads, wipes, nappy bags. I do have a separate bin from the local council due to pads which is picked up weekly or else I would be overrun.

It's costing me a fortune at the moment in pads as while I get a supply from the local Continence service, the max they allow for is 4 changes per day and I'm at the highest absorbent they give.

I honestly don't hold out much hope for the GP, as will probably try to speak to urologist who won't do anything until I get the bladder ultrasound but they aren't currently doing that cos of the pandemic.

It's really getting me down at the moment.

I have no medical issues. Open bowels usually once a day, and urinate maybe 4-6x a day, depending how much I've drunk.

Could you buy bulk pads from amazon? Not sure if they are cheaper? I've often seen them in charity shops too. Hopefully you get some results from your scans, but keep pushing for a solution.

I poo once each morning and occasionally a second time. I wee about 10 times each day and take water tablet as bad swelling in left ankle. I always have to see in the night once or twice. I do drink a lot of decaf tea and water. Never drink fizzy drinks or fruit juice.

My ankles are rock solid and have been painful for months.

GP told me to lose weight (cos that will resolve some problems...allegedly....) but when I lost a couple of stones, health wise many things got worse. I am still working on this slowly.(weight loss not many things getting worse)

The solid ankles were helped last year when I was started on Indapimide for blood pressure, which has also a diuretic effect. I've suggested that we add/ change to a similar medication earlier this year on a phone call with the GP.

Nope, the swollen hard painful ankles are back flow from my weight and my circulatory system. The Indapimide isn't having an effect on this current episodes as I did stop it for a week to see if it might make any difference and things were still the same but my Blood pressure was heading up into the numbers where it would be "ambulance time" again.

I'm on a combo of 3 carefully chosen BP meds so it is not easy to just switch and trial, as one thing can so easily affect something else. My twice daily readings (as recommended by Drs) are telling me that we possibly need to look at another medication but I know there is nowhere to go with my current.

We know why my BP is so high but it's not "emergency" surgery to deal with it and it needs planning, coming off various meds and starting others, pre up admission, surgery and definitely can't be done until they know that there is an ICU bed waiting for coming from surgery, this all changes if I start having x, y or z problems. This was a plan pre covid but unless it changes acute , it's all on hold (which I can understand as there is a pandemic going on)

I know that high BP can and will play it's part in the frequency aspect.

Its actually very useful to be able to put my thoughts together in one spot to and to explain it "as if you have no inkling of what I mean"