Staying Dry

Staying Dry: A Practical Guide to Bladder Control is a medical book by Kathryn Burgio, Dr. Angelo Lucco, and Dr. K. Lynette Pearce. First published in 1989, the book gives advice to adults dealing with urinary incontinence, aiming to put sufferers back in charge of their bladder. The authors based the book on a program developed at the National Institute on Aging in association with the John Hopkins School of Medicine. Dr. Lucco is a Pennsylvanian-based geriatrician; Burgio is a behavioral psychologist who served as the Director of the UAB Continence Program; Dr. Pearce specializes in urology and geriatric medicine.

The authors wrote Staying Dry because they know that most adults find it hard to discuss incontinence with anyone. They often feel alone and ostracized. The tragedy, the authors say, is that adult incontinence is often easily treated, if only people discussed their problem with their doctor. Since so many adults conceal their problem and try to deal with it on their own, they need a handbook. Staying Dry offers the step-by-step, practical advice that these sufferers need. Although Staying Dry empowers readers to find their own solutions to incontinence, the authors still encourage sufferers to approach their doctor for appropriate testing.

The tests and the possible treatments on offer are discussed at the end of the book. Although Staying Dry was first published in 1989, it is still relevant for modern readers; the authors recommend the same tips to their sufferers to this day. Staying Dry is ultimately less about medical jargon and more about offering hope to embarrassed adult readers who feel there is no solution to their problem.



Chapter 1, “Getting a Handle on Your Problem,” introduces readers to the first step of any incontinence treatment, which is the bladder diary. A bladder diary is the first step in taking back control of urination. It shows sufferers how many accidents they experience in the average day, and what, if anything triggers an episode.

The authors emphasize the need for accuracy and how important it is to record every single accident and trigger. This is the only way for a doctor to devise an appropriate treatment plan. Sufferers should record everything they drink, whether movement such as sitting or sneezing causes the incontinence, and whether they leak during the night.

The second chapter, “What Your First-Week Bladder Diary Means,” helps sufferers understand what the diary tells them. Often, there is a clear trigger for the incontinence that no one notices until they write it down. For example, women may notice that they wet themselves if they laugh or sneeze.



The authors break down what the different parts of the bladder diary mean. For example, there is a column for “urinating in toilet” that sufferers should fill out each time they visit the bathroom. They should also make a note of whether they desperately needed the toilet or whether they went as a precaution, because when we visit the toilet too frequently and when we force ourselves to urinate when we don’t need to, we are weakening our bladder control.

Other columns include “size of accident” and “reason for accident.” For example, sufferers should note down if they wet themselves or if they felt slightly damp. They should also write down if the urge to urinate came on so suddenly that they couldn’t make it to the toilet or if they simply waited too long to go. This information is designed to show sufferers what is normal for them. It is most useful when used in conjunction with the advice in Chapter 3, “Your Trip to the Doctor.”

The authors encourage sufferers to visit their care provider and to take their diary along with them. This diary saves them from having to explain their symptoms aloud, and it gives the doctor a clear view of what the problem may be. From this diary alone, clinicians can often suggest treatment options that might give sufferers quick relief.



Chapter 4, “Taking Control,” talks sufferers through how to implement the advice they receive from their doctor. Much of the advice in this section is psychological. Sufferers must believe they can overcome incontinence or else they will never take back control of their urination habits. The final chapter, “A New Beginning,” looks at how sufferers are leading happy, fulfilled lives again after confronting their incontinence.

“Appendix A” and “Appendix B” review the treatments doctors may propose. Some of this information may now be outdated, but it is still useful in reassuring sufferers that solutions to their incontinence do exist. The authors hope that, after reading Staying Dry, sufferers won’t feel ashamed of their incontinence anymore and will let their care providers help them find a solution.