Hi, I have bladder weakness and am going away for the weekend, can anyone recommend anything I can take with me in the car and on my travels just in case I can’t find a loo.
I do wear tena lady pants but only just in case of an accident.
Thanks x
I get pads delivered at home on prescription as I was previously spending over £100 a month on Tena lady extra nightime.
The pads on NHS are a lot wider, so always have some tena pads handy for when I go out dressed up, so need to be more discreet.
I also take a hand towel on longer journeys to put on my seat, (usually with my son) so he understands Mum’s problem and is happy that I think about his beloved car.
Also having my Blue Badge is more tan welcome, as it is easier to park near a loo, if needed.
Hi Munchito,
Always a worry travel and toilets.
Get a radar key , either online or my local shop mobility place sells them. Gives you access to disabled loos all over the country.
If you have a smart phone download an app called Flush , it’s free and tells you where all the public toilets are , very useful.
And the pads.
Be prepared and have a great weekend!
Jen x
Thanks so much for that Jen. It’s made me realise that I should absolutely get a radar key which I’d never thought about before.Going to do it now! It would make my life easier on the occasions when I might need to use it (i.e. public loos when there’s a big queue.) I know every loo everywhere I go regularly and am so happy and feel so fortunate that we have a downstairs loo at home. The house came with it when we moved in in 1985 but I never realised how useful it would be!
What’s the deal with disabled loos as so many of them seem to be available to the general public and don’t require a key? I was at the theatre a few weeks ago with my husband and the ground floor ladies’ loo was out of order so everyone (including me) was queuing for the disabled loo. An elderly lady appeared with a stick and really had a go at everyone in the queue, saying crossly to them ‘none of you have any right to be here; you aren’t disabled’. I thought that she probably had a point but then I suppose I could have said that I have MS so was entitled to use the disabled loo. However I would feel embarrassed to say this in front of a load of strangers, as I don’t have an obvious disability.
Louise
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You shouldn’t be embarrassed, lots of people need to use disabled toilets with not easily visible symptoms. Linda Bellingham( the oxo lady ) encountered similar problems and tried to raise awareness about such issues, she had problems with her cancer. If you don’t know anyone then take the view it won’t matter, I doubt if they will remember you but they would if you had an accident whilst waiting. Most people are only pleased to think they have done something useful.
Chris
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Hi, I have a radar key & disabled badge but really just wondered if anyone had ever used any of those portable travel loo’s?
I have the MS society card that you can show someone discreetly to get access to a loo - maybe a staff loo where there are no public ones. Haven’t used it but useful to have. Also if you’re having new probs, check with GP that its not a UTI and get antibiotics before you go. I always ask for an emergency supply to take away with me as I’m prone to them.
I bought a little gizmo for moments such as that… if necessary, I can duck behind a hedge or behind the car parked up in a lay-by. Needs a bit of thought and practice beforehand, but quite useful to know about!
And just to add; I gave up all caffeine some time ago - coffee, tea, coke etc - my unreliable bladder can’t take it. Symptoms have decreased markedly since I swapped to de-caf everything - also including all coffee flavoured sweets!. Not worrying about the loo all the time is strange, but only because I seem to have been doing it all my life…
And don’t forget the app called Wheelmate. If you have a tablet with GPS it will show the disabled loos near wherever you are.
Geoff
I use NHS pads (Hartmann), I find they are much more likely to leak sitting down, but this may be a male thing. On long car journeys I protect the seat with a disposable bed pad.
Hi
Something I keep in the boot is a Bog in a Bag. It’s a 3-legged stool, with a cover over a hole in the seat, like a commode, and you do your business into a disposable bag. I saw it on Dragons Den a few years ago, and the woman behind it had invented it for use at music festivals. But I thought that it would be a useful thing to have for absolute emergencies on motorway journeys, if I ever needed a number 2 and the next services were too far away. I’ve not used it for that yet, but it’s reassuring to know it’s there. It does, however, also conveniently make for an easily portable seat you can perch on - no one would have a clue what it’s actually for : )
Dan
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There’s a much better solution for us gents than that - a sheath & leg bag. The sheath’s like a condom but with a hole in the end that you can attach to a leg bag (or a much larger night bag for when you kip). When I discovered that it made such a huge difference to my life. No more rushing to the loo, no more being caught short, no more needing to stop at every motorway service station. Now I could go in the car for hours without needing to stop, or sleep through the night without needing to get up. Ask to be referred to a continence nurse to find out more.
Dan
Hi all…favourite topic lovely…has anybody found anything/collection device that you can use sitting down in a car (female). Discrete etc or is it good old pads as above?