By Carol Chapman
Yes, I heard this story from a friend.
And like so many women who suffer with stress incontinence issues, my friend is not ready to step up and tell this story herself. So I’m going to tell you, because some of you may relate to this and, in time, more women will decide to step up and tell their stories.
My friend was travelling recently with her husband, staying at a nice hotel on the west coast. She uses her Uresta when she needs to (not every day, like some women), mainly when she skips rope. Packing her Uresta for this trip didn’t seem necessary.
I’ve been fighting a cough lately, but nothing like the 5 week respiratory bug that hit my friendwhile out west. That bug kept her in bed for three days and even when horizontal, uncontrollable coughing fits caused you know what. (Yes, bladder leakage can be a problem with a really bad cough.)
With her Uresta more than 5,000 kilometers away, my friend knew she needed an interim solution. Her husband happily offered to pick up a package of the top selling brand of adult diapers for her and headed out to search.
It was embarrassing enough to carry the package through the store to the checkout (even the small package was large). Things only got worse when the store didn’t have a bag big enough to hold the large package. Yes, my friend’s husband had to walk all the way back to the hotel, through the bustling lobby and up the crowed elevator to their room, trying to be nonchalant while carrying what seemed like a truckload of adult diapers.
When my friend saw the size of the package, she couldn’t help but think of the waste this would cause. They are bulky to store, to pack, to wear and to dispose of – it’s a real diaper! She was totally distressed that this is all going into landfill.
She envisioned mountains of adult diapers in landfill with a half life of who knows how many years to “decompose”. She couldn’t even imagine having to pack these for a trip. (There goes the baggage allowance!) And she is now totally sold on the convenience, efficacy and environmental benefits of Uresta.
She had to manage a situation she’d never managed before and here she was, wearing diapers. If she had tucked her Uresta into her suitcase, this whole scenario could have been avoided, along with the waste.
Yes, this story is true. And I’m sure there are so many more embarrassing “oops, I just leaked ” stories out there. Of course, I would love to hear your story, if you’d like to share. Tell me your story here.
Find out more about Light bladder leakage (LBL), the causes and the impact it can have on your life. (and you take our Quiz to see if you have LBL).