Travel preparations

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Hello Everyone,
I have been following the posts on this board for over four months. I think I am ready to share and ask for advice. Last November, I underwent a TURP surgery to shrink my prostate. Thankfully, it was only BPH without any cancer. The recovery was not easy, but compared to some cases posted on this forum, it wasn't too bad from the time perspective. However, I landed in a hospital for a couple of days due to severe blood clots four weeks after the surgery. They completely disappeared after two months. The surgery left my bladder irritated, and a walk longer than one hour and a half without going to the bathroom is a challenge. The doctor told me I must be patient; it might take a year to two years to heal; sometimes, it will never be the same. In October, I have to take a six-hour flight to see my relatives, and I need to prepare myself in case I cannot find a restroom or the plane restroom is occupied. Do you have any recommendations for diapers holding a single incident or additional strategies?
Thank you.

 

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When traveling through airports I use pads. Bathrooms are almost always nearby. I learned to wait till after tsa screening if I'm feeling confident that day to insert into my underwear. They have patted me down before because I was wearing pad. If not pad I would wear a tabbed brief because you can change without removing clothing.

 

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Hi - I had a TURP procedure for BPH almost 3 years ago that revealed early stage prostate cancer that has since been addressed by a robotic prostatectomy with resulting incontinence. In the 11 months since my surgery I have gone from flooding to moderate incontinence to my current condition of occasional drips and spurts. I have used incontinence pull-ups with additonal maxi pads, condom catheters, penile clamps, and my current approach, light pads with normal underwear. All worked well given what my incontinence needs were at the time (heavy, moderate, and now light).

It sounds like you are experiencing light to moderate urge incontinence? I would suggest using a condom catheter and/or penile clamp, especially for moderate output. Condom catheters work well for longer term needs where you may not have immediate access to a bathroom (think a long drive or large public event). Penile clamps work well for shorter periods like going to a restaurant or social gathering. Both are very effective and easy to use!

In my experience, incontinence is incovenient but fairly easy to manage if you stay positive. You just need to figure it out. Good luck!

 

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I am 65 and incontinent 24/7 for many years. I also travel, by plane, and car. I won’t say it’s easy all the time but it’s doable. I wear Tranquility All-through-the night briefs (diapers). I know that description bothers some, so call them what you want. I’ve never had any problems and I carry them in a military style backpack as a carry-on. Nobody has ever questioned about them. I highly recommend wearing protection while flying. Not only for protection but peace of mind. Enjoy your travels without stress. And don’t be afraid to let people know, they’ll understand and be discreet.

 

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Hi Fin2023. I've had an overactive bladder since my RP last year and since then I've managed a couple of flights of 5 plus hours and additional tight connections. I understand the fear but I managed, although it can be tricky. I do have some holding capacity, but not alot.

I always get an isle seat near the back (close to the bathrooms)so it is accessible. However, as you mentioned - it is possible that the bathroom will be occupied (some people take ages in there!), or the food/drink cart is blocking the way, or the "fasten seat belt" light is on, of my anxiety increases the frequency/urgency, or....

I wear a night pull-up to handle a full blowout, and bring an extra large pad with wipes and a plastic bag just in case. I'm mindful of opportunities to go during the flight and take advantage of them. Just before boarding, just after the plane has reached cruising altitude, just after cart is clear of the aisle, just before landing. Finally, I've started up with an Physical Therapist again to help with my overactive bladder - and I see some improvement.

I'll be on a long haul flight (10 hours) in a month - I'm confident that all will be well (but prepared just in case).

Hope this helps, and enjoy your travels.

 

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Yes, if I were you I would use the external catheter. Although at home or going to church, the shops etc I can manage my incontinence with light pads on a full day away especially if it's particularly active the external catheter and leg bag has been a life saver

 

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I wear a condom catheter when I have to be away from a bathroom for an extended period like a long car trip or even 18 holes of golf. You may get confused TSA agents during screening but there are likely published guidelines for this somewhere on the internet.

 

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I had taken a 14 hour nonstop flight (Ottawa-Doha) two months after prostate surgery (at age 75) when I was having severe incontinence issues. I was quite nervous, of course about availability of bathroom facilities and as you have mentioned, getting to the washroom in the plane is always tricky. I also chose an isle seat pretty close to a washroom. Glad to say I managed the flight (and return a month later on same route) without any disasters, LOL. I wore a 'diaper' just in case but was happy to note that it was used minimally. I was lucky that by the time my return flight (3 months after surgery), I only had occasional drips and stress incontinence. Exercises helped me to recover pretty quickly and am happy to report that after 7 months I am almost completely normal.

 

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@Bobsyeruncle If you don't me asking, what type of therapy do you do with your physical therapy?
I am able to do light yoga exercises, and sometimes I feel good afterward, and my bladder is quiet; however, it depends on the day.

 

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@bcarr Yes, depending on the day, I experience light to moderate incontinence.

 

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Wow, thank you, everyone, for sharing.
Your kind words give me hope that it is possible to function with incontinence. Sometimes, I get frustrated since one day, I feel great, and I do not have to use the restroom very often (2-3 hours standing behind my desk); the next day, I have periods of going to the bathroom every hour or less within four hours.
What online stores do you use to purchase your supplies?
Any particular brand.
@rnair; your story is pretty encouraging.

 

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Hi-

I use Hollister urinary leg bags (Medium) in combination with Hollister "In View Extra" catheter Condoms. The catheter condoms have a light adhesive which helps keep them on but not difficult to remove. the catheters come in different sizes and the Hollister webiste gives good directions on how to size them.

Regarding penile clamps, I use the Bard Cunningham Incontinence Clamp. First impression is that they will be uncomfortable but I have found them to be not bad. Again, refer to the Bard webiste or healthcare professional for sizing and use.

My supplies were obtained through and paid by my healthcare provider.

Good luck!

 

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Hi Fin2023. To answer your question, initially my Physical Therapy (PT) focused on getting me continent. This was mostly doing Kegels (doing them properly, and there are different ways to asses this) but also learning to relax the pelvic floor muscles. I was continent about 3 months after surgery, but after that I've struggled with overactive bladder.

I too have experienced different frequencies - sometimes 1 hour, sometimes 3 hours but always urgent. For me it has to do with when and how much fluid intake (a lot of fluid means more frequency, but too little also can mean more frequency as concentrated urine is an irritant), whether you drank or ate something that is a bladder irritant (like carbonated beverages), or your activity level (sitting at a computer is not good), or something weird like the phases of the moon...

I recently went back to a PT to deal with my overactive bladder, and we focused on how to relax my pelvic floor muscles (they are too tight and that squeezes the bladder), bladder relaxation, bladder training and urgency suppression. I am doing some simple exercises for each of these. It's been a month now and there has been some improvement for both frequency and urgency but I'll have to be patient. If you go on Youtube and search on these topics there are a lot of techniques you can check into. However, I would suggest going to a PT who specializes in pelvic floor health and they can start you on a program.

I also think that bladder gets a bit beat up in the surgical process of removing the prostate, and so it gets jumpy and needs time to settle down. That is my uneducated guess.

Hope this helps.

 

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@Bobsyeruncle Thank you.
It is a good information. I will check it to see if I can find a PT in my area.

 

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Hello Fin,

I suffer from severe incontinence due to a spinal problem and also travel a lot by plane. From experience I can tell you that it is usually not a major problem if you keep a few things in mind:

- as mentioned before - restrooms are not a problem at the airport and usually also not in the airplane if you can hold it somehow for the time of departure and landing. Keep in mind, however, that the restrooms are often occupied by others just before they close for final approach.

- TSA is usually not a problem - especially if you use PreCheck. I did almost always get patted down because the scanner is sensitive to liquids, but it was never a problem and ultimately the agents were always very polite to me. I would guess that they see this every day - so it's not a big deal to them.

- The airplane restrooms are pretty small and the trash cans often only have a small slot as well. So it might be a good idea to use pads or at least a light diaper if pads don't work, because otherwise you might have trouble disposing of the used aid in the trash can.

- Take enough aids in your carry-on luggage. You may have to stay in the plane much longer than expected. Also, your luggage may be misdirected or lost. In this case, you need enough aids until you can buy something new. Having had this problem before, I now take protective pants with me. In the worst case, I can use them with paper towels or with baby diapers, if there is no store nearby where I can quickly buy something new.

- When it comes to the product to use, I would highly recommend testing it beforehand. Many products have trouble absorbing large amounts of liquid while sitting. So it's a good idea to try this out at home first to avoid any unexpected surprises later. Choose the product as light as possible and as absorbent as necessary. There are many companies that send free samples.

 

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Thank you, Michael, beneficial information. Having the entire thread put me in a much better spirit.
I will start researching online suppliers of pads and other accessories. All I can say is that members of this forum are very supportive.

 

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fin2023 - Responding to some of the suggestions made by Michael, which were all very good suggestions, I want to again promote the use of the external (condom) catheter for long trips, either flying or driving. It really removes many of the issues you could encounter flying. When wearing the external catheter, you urinate whenever it happens with everything going into the leg bag which has sufficent capacity for longer periods (unless you are drinking a lot of beverages). Wait lines at the aircraft restroom become a non issue! And all you need to do is periodically empty the leg bag in the restroom toilet when getting full. It has a small valve which makes it easy and quick to do. Finally, no pad disposal challenges that Michael describes. For your needs and anyone else reading this, I would seriously consider the external catheter for long (even short) trips!

 

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@bcarr Thank you.
I went to Hollister website. I Will order one and test it.
It is good to have options.

 

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Hi bcarr,

your right - condom catheters are often a pretty good solution especially when you suffer from severe incontinence - if you and can handle theses beasts in a right way and this can be tricky if you use them for a first time. There are good chances to make several mistakes while putting them on or while wearing them. I also tried them some time before I also got fecal incontinence problems and had some horrible leak’s. If they fail it is like you wear no protection at all… One time the hose gets of from the condom while sitting down and I didn’t noticed it (the hose was stretched over my knee…) an other time the condom itself gets of while an episode.

I think at last the “disconnecting” problems would have been avoidable by better knowledge and training. So I don’t won’t to start a discussion about pro/con here - I just want to say that this is something that needs some time to get use to. This is the reason why I wouldn’t suggest them for a journey if you had never used them before for and have a certain amount of experience how to solve the problems that may occur.

If you can get use to them they are really great not just because there’s nothing nasty between you legs but also because they need no room in your luggage and this make them perfect choice for traveling.