Bag Searches

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I've booked to go to some sport and music events from August and was wondering how people deal with bag searches. Has anyone ever had any awkwardness? Quite anxious about bringing a rucksack with spare nappies and all the changing stuff but it's sod's law that if I don't I'll have an accident.

The football stadium I'm going to has a good disability group so may email them to find out where the disabled toilets are and so on.

 

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Very smart the disability group should be able to help with bag search information too.


I just learned I am being taken to a music concert and seating is in awkward middle of row and those things always have a line at the ladies room in intermission
Im terrified of climbing over seated people s knees in a mezzanine and sit for 2 plus hours with no toilet access.
Really not grateful some one did not consult me about wanting to go to this!

 

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@maymay you could always just develop ‘symptoms of something’ a few days prior, graciously fall on the sword to avoid potentially infecting others and look like the good gal in all of this.

 

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Hi,
I understand how you all feel. I have been struck in hat:| middle rows a few times and then in the bathroom line as well. I always try to get up rights before intermission so I don't No one has ever said anything by hte extra pads I bring on the plane with me.

 

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As far as bag searches go, I guarantee that they are not paying attention to incontinence products and are looking for weapons and other nefarious objects. Your products will not even register. They will move stuff around and look underneath but it is not what they are searching for.

 

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Thanks for the replies guys. Even though I'm mainly going to places I've been to before it feels like going there for the first time. Plus, given that bags are actively discouraged due to terrorism, it's a bit awkward having to bring a bulky bag with changing supplies. It's why I've put off going to anything but think it's probably better for me if I try and go to some things I enjoy. It's not entirely uncharted waters for me but back when it was mainly just the after dribble I could get away with just wearing one product when I was going to events and travelling light.

I've sent an email to the disability officer at the football stadium re bags/spare pads and the locations of disabled toilets relative to my seat. I'll probably not have any major accidents now I've done that but my bladder (and bowels when I have a flare up) can be so unpredictable I don't want to risk it.

I'm in a bit of a limbo at the moment when it comes to standing music concerts (booked a couple prior to all this kicking off for me) as they require proof of disability to access the seated areas and as Long Covid isn't yet classed as a formal disability it's a bit awkward. I've asked my GP to write a 'To Whom it May Concern' stating I require a seat due to mobility issues caused by muscle weakness, access to a disabled toilet due to incontinence and need to be able to bring a bag with spare supplies. Hopefully he'll play ball. Considering that it's coming up to a year since the Long Covid kicked off I think it's becoming pretty obvious I won't just wake up and be jumping around anytime soon.

 

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You are definitely wise to scout out the stadium (and other places) before you go there re: seat in relation to restroom as well as anticipating issues with bringing a bag of supplies in. So that is good planning on your part!! That shows you've taken ownership of the situation and that you aren't going to let it get the best of you! I hope the disability officer (never knew there is such a thing!) at the stadium replies with a good answer and helps you feel less apprehensive about the situation.
But it is good that you are looking to getting back to doing things you enjoy and that you are prepared for all possible possibilities!!
And best wishes for a great time when you do go to the stadium and that you enjoy it to the hilt!!!!

 

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@billliveshere Thanks! Going to a small pre-season event there next week which should be a good way to get to used to the travel route and get acquainted with the facilities. It's funny, pre Long Covid I never thought I'd go to football matches but I've really enjoyed live sport in lockdown and it's been a great distraction and my interest in music has really decreased since I've been unable to play guitar or sing due to Long Covid issues. Too painful to think about for me really. Plus, football matches tend to finish earlier than concerts so no anxiety about missing the train due to not being able to hobble fast enough!

Felt a bit self conscious emailing someone to say I needed to bring supplies due to bladder/bowel issues but hey, time to own it I think.

 

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And I think you're doing an admirable job owning it!! That's smart to go to the pre-season event just to get used to finding the way to get there and getting acquainted with the facilities. As for what the disability officer may think, people with all sorts of disabilities are getting out more and more these days and that's a good thing!!! So that officer should expect many more similar inquiries; all part of world that's changing its perceptions of disabilities and how people can adapt and still do things they enjoy.
It's interesting how the lockdowns have let you get interested in live sports to the extent you want to go there in person. As for the music, there's always the hope that may come back to you in time and you may think of a way to get back in practice. The human spirit is a very strong thing and it's part of our makeup to overcome adversity, often in many imaginative ways.
I hope you have a great time next week and may that be the beginning of many more like it!!!

 

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@billliveshere Thanks! To be fair I've always been a massive motorsport fan and in order to watch the F1 over here you have to subscribe to Sky Sports/Now TV and having paid the monthly fee I decided to check out the football as well and quickly became hooked having been quite dismissive about it in my younger days. I think also not having any live entertainment, watching live sports on TV was the next best thing. Also, living away from my home area, I felt a bit homesick and isolated so watching the London club's matches gave me a connection to London. Don't know anyone back home anymore and so I'm hoping that going to football matches at Charlton will offer something of a social life via their supporter clubs. Mobility wise it's easy - direct train and right next to the station.

Hoping the music does come back. I have tried playing guitar on numerous occasions and it never ends well and I just end up getting depressed. It's really after the second bout of Covid that things have gotten a lot worse. I haven't booked to go to any shows other than the ones that were rearranged from before the Covid era. Have been tempted by certain events but the idea of purely being able to go and see music rather than also being able to do it myself is too depressing. It's not just the muscle weakness, the brain fog has robbed me of all creativity. Very happy to just watch sport though as I've never harboured any real sporting ambitions, just enjoyed running for fun.

I think decent changing facilities are also making me apprehensive about doing stuff. Before my issues worsened I got really adept at changing standing up in disabled toilets but since the Long Covid, due to my muscle/mobility issues I really struggle to change standing up. I went to see some friends last Autumn in a city I wasn't familiar with and the lack of good disabled toilets was a real issue in some places. I've been pleased to see that there are a lot of Changing Places toilets cropping up in the UK and there's an organisation called 'Level Playing Field' who are pushing to get more of them in sports stadiums.

I've actually been amazed at how many Changing Places facilities there are now in and around places I'd go to before lockdown. It does seem incontinence isn't one of the main Long Covid symptoms that get reported (and I did have milder issues beforehand)but I've seen quite a few sufferers of Long Covid talk about bladder and bowel issues I wonder if incontinence will be more out there in terms of visibility considering how many people have caught Covid.

 

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Great talk. Thank you. Cheered me up. Workmen comp has got me in a corner. I need someone who does admin law. Blessings-good luck an your endeavers.

 

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I just started ignoring the search issue long ago. My experiences are mostly TSA related. My carry on bag has been searched many times with my supplies inside.
I did stop wearing my pin on cloth when going through security after having to reveal my diaper pins once. The guy searching was apologetic after landing out what was setting off the metal detector so I decided only disposables from now on going to planes. As far as bag searches, I really don’t care

 

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Hi, MayMay! Did you know that in some states, the building codes have changed so they have to have more stalls for women's rooms than in men's rooms? For new construction, anyway.
Now, let's see. Women were invented in whatever B.C, during the Garden of Eden tour. Toilets come from about the 18th century, during the Industrialization tour. Codes began to change in the 1980s or so. So, how long did it take architecs to figure it out?
Ann Reed has a hilarious story about that - it might be on her "Telling Stories" album, or on one of her Minnisota-State-Fair songs.
Hey! You take your humor where you can find it!
Sci_Fi_Fan: you've been through a lot. I have little brief for the deniers. Music's always been a lifeline, for me, and I don't even play. Does the UK med-system offer Physical or Occupational Therapy?
TV is finally giving real football the respect it deserves. The old one-camera-black-and-and-white with not even decent zoom or commentary? The World Cup being a prime example, a couple of years ago. To see that brilliance in SloMo was stunning, I thought.
Now, it's time the bathrooms caught up.

 

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Hi @donny4, I think it would be just plain good policy that if you're flying somewhere to always use disposables if at all possible. There is the issue of pins setting off the alarms and then being invited to a further TSA pat-down search. You were lucky you had an understanding and professional TSA guy.
But looking at it from a practical view, disposables have the advantage of being.....well, disposable!!! And that's a big convenience when traveling. After all you won't have to lug around a bunch of wet things and then have to find a place to wash them. And disposables are good if your flight is delayed enroute of it you're stranded at a strange airport for a long time. So travelers, might be a good idea to think disposables!!!!