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Have Incontinence, Will Travel
Take the Worry out of Traveling
By Amy Carey-Bowman
"I cut back on what I drink after 7 p.m., and the first thing I do at a store is find out where the washrooms are," says Gerry* of New Brunswick, Canada. If she'll be away from home overnight, Gerry also minimizes her intake of salty foods. That way, she says, "I can sleep a little better. I may only have to get up once a night. And that is better than eight times a night."
Like Gerry, Ken* of Detroit, Mich., also watches his diet and fluid consumption when he'll be out and about. Muller agrees that this is an effective strategy, adding that avoiding alcohol and caffeine, eating more fiber and hydrating evenly throughout the day can all help keep incontinence manageable on day trips and longer outings, too.
Besides keeping tabs on what you eat and drink away from home, preparing a stash of incontinence supplies is another way Ken makes sure he enjoys himself while traveling. "In my car, I carry a gym bag with three to six absorbent undergarments, plastic bags with twist ties for disposal [and] hand wipes ... and I frequently carry a clean pair of pants," Ken says. If he is spending the night in a hotel or on a cruise ship, Ken promptly tours the property to locate convenient restroom facilities.