“This True Story of the Time I Could Not Find a Bathroom is real. However, I am being compensated by Astellas Pharma US, Inc. for this post. Tthe opinions expressed here are my own.** #StopStallingOAB #Ad
Years and years ago, when this blog was in its babydom, I wrote a post about the time that the kids and life had me so busy and so distracted that I peed on myself. Yep. I wrote it and I posted it. It was overwhelmingly well received because almost every woman I know has had the same type of experience.
Unfortunately, as women, we know that our bodies like to act up and cause problems when we least expect them to. As we age we get to deal with changes in our menstrual cycles, leaking and overactive bladder (OAB). Also, unfortunately, we like to keep these little problems to ourselves. Whether it be out of embarrassment or just because, “ladies don’t talk about these things!”, many of us do not even consult a doctor when we notice a change. We chalk it up to age and just “deal.” As a 44, almost 45-year-old woman, I can tell you that I have experience with them all. So much so that I have recently consulted my doctor
about the problem. Well, truth be told, it started as a conversation about a possible urinary tract infection, but still. We got into the OAB topic and I learned a lot. Now I am done being coy about it and want to encourage other women to STOP STALLING on your bladder health!
How will I encourage you to talk to your doctor? I will tell you A True Story of the Time I Could Not Find a Bathroom. Yes, I am digging deep into the embarrassment files to help you feel less embarrassed about talking to your doctor about OAB.
Channeling my best Sophia here…
Picture it…Texas, 2017. It was dark and I was on my way home from a business meeting. It was late and I was in a hurry to get back to my kids and relieve the sitter. Then I hit traffic. Not just delayed traffic, but full on, stopped on the freeway, traffic. Of course, this is the time that I feel the urge to use the bathroom. Oh, and I had JUST GONE before getting in the car.
Because that is how it goes, isn’t it ladies?
When you have OAB, that urge is not a quiet tap on the shoulder telling you it’s coming. It’s a pop in the jaw alerting you to the need to find a bathroom NOW. Sitting on the freeway, I started to calculate, searching for the next exit should I even be able to move again.
Whipping the car into the moving lane to the exit, I willed my bladder to just hold on for 5 more minutes. Not an easy task when you are dealing with a tense urgency to go.
Luckily, I spotted a place right away. I pulled into the driveway of what looked to be a small BBQ place and ran to the door. It was closed. Locked. No entry.
My OAB was not amused.
Hopping back in the car I headed to the next place. It looked like an old gas station that was barely hanging on. I parked, said a little prayer that I could walk in without leaking and headed to the door. It was closed. Locked. No entry.
I may have cried a little.
I painfully hobbled back to the car – because when the urge and the need are as bad as OAB can produce, walking is hard – and searched for the next place. A few miles down was what looked like another family restaurant type place. I took a deep breath, parked and walked – err -ran to the door. It was closed. Locked. No Entry.
I gave up. My body made me. I ran back to the car, grabbed the wipes I always have with me and, using my car door as a shield, had to finally relieve myself. It was embarrassing. It was humiliating. It was a wake-up call.
No 44-year-old woman should be forced to have that incident happen at any time.
It was time to talk to my doctor. I should have been able to feel the sensation coming on more gently and should have been able to control the urge a little better and probably could if I just was honest with my doctor. I will be that sad little number of about 1 in 8 women who actually seek help for bladder issues!1
If you are like one of half of 2,854 women surveyed in the “Peehavior” survey conducted by Astellas who have used the men’s bathroom because the line for the ladies was too long, or are one of 86 percent who have had to go somewhere other than a bathroom at some point2, or one who really wished she still had her kid’s potty training toilet still in the car, it is time to STOP STALLING!
Seek help now and talk with your doctor about the sudden urges and the frequency. OAB is a medically diagnosed condition and doctors can help!3
I am working on mine and I am so glad I am. I don’t want to ever be in that position again. You should never have to be in that position either!
Check out more facts at StopStalling.com, a website that provides credible information and resources to help people understand what OAB is and what management options are available.
I shared my story to help you! Now help yourself and get the facts and get to the doctor. You will be so glad that you did!
References:
- Milsom I, Kaplan SA, Coyne KS, Sexton CC, Kopp ZS. Effect of bothersome overactive bladder symptoms on health-related quality of life, anxiety, depression, and treatment seeking in the United States: results from EpiLUTS. Urology 2012;80(1):90-6.
- Astellas and Ipsos Public Affairs. Data on File.
- Gormley EA, Lightner DJ, Burgio KL, et al. Diagnosis and treatment of overactive bladder (non-neurogenic) in adults: AUA/SUFU guideline. American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc. 2014.
I am being compensated by Astellas Pharma US, Inc. for this post; however, the opinions expressed here are my own.
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