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Ladies loo problem
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I would wear those lovely sports briefs that Nike do if only they made them in real peoples sizes!
BTW, you can always use a big tree when you're desperate -- put your back against it and squat down like when doing leg squats.
I am now a mother of two and, with a very long hard labour with my first and an extremely big second baby, leaking when I run has become a very real and distressing problem.
I have had lots of physio,do pelvic floor ex's religiously, have been told my muscles are as strong as they can be, yet i still have the problem.
Having spoken to many doctors and physios who specialise in this area, and got nowhere, I managed to find a simple device, which I inserted like a tampon before running and it helped support my bladder.
IT WORKED!!!!!!
However my relief was short lived as when I tried to re-order I was told the product had been discontinued as there wasn't the market for it.
The company aimed their product at patients with neurological problems and for them it may not have been enough. I strongly beleive that if such items were advertised in running magazines the uptake would be huge.I would love to hear the views of others with problems such as mine, do you think theres a market out there or has anyone else found a solution?
In the meantime I continue to run wearing black shorts or tights, I pray races aren't
the week before my period (as I'm always worse then),I put off having surgery and hope somebody will come up with a solution.
The g-strings (£6 a pop) they do are fantastically comfortably, and don't have any seams.
Hope this helps
One thing no-one's mentioned that really helped me was cutting out caffeine completely for a while. I do now have some caffeinated drinks and so far the weeing problem hasn't returned - thank goodness.
Also, I think sex can sometimes exacerbate things - but I guess most of us wouldn't want to cut out sex!
One thing I found was that doing stomach crunches made things a lot worse and I read somewhere (women's mag I think, so may not be true!) that if you strengthen your tummy muscles without working on your pelvic floor this can imbalance the muscles in the bladder area.
Go for the shorts which don't show it, or else tip my water bottle all over, or "I haven't noticed so why should you" approach depending on time and temper. Avoid close quarters until I've showered or at least changed.
My sister in law declined to start running for fear she would disgrace (?) herself, but I guess I'm just not very sensitive in that regard.
None of us are going to snigger at any rate.
Run happy.
I went for my usual tuesday morning run this week and for the past 3 days my legs have been incredibly achy. It doesn't feel like a muscular thing as it aches all the time - and is waking me up at night. I didn't do anything different - ran my usual distance. yes it was hot but it was hot last week and no probs. I drank half a litre of water during the run although I think i got dehydrated that evening and th next day. However yesterday I drank loads and completed rehydrated but the legs are still really aching. I've never had aching like it! It's ridiculous - I only go out once or twice a week so I'm not exactly overdoing it!!!! Can anyone shed some light? I am on a bet to give up tea and coffee this week - not sure if that is linked?!
I am determined to do everything I can to continue running and I will be paying my GP another visit this week in my quest for a dry run. Knowing I am not alone has given me the encouragement I needed to carry on running!! Running through the showers in the Great North Run is a good camoflage too! But not on a cold and windy day!!!
I'd always had leaks coughing and sneezing, couldn't do aerobics or anything that involved jumps/quick movements for years. Then I started running. At first it wasn't too bad, kept under wraps with panty liner. Then as time went on the leakage got worse and I had to use sanitary towels and after a couple of years had passed, I had got to the stage where I was using the thickest incontinence pads and they would be soaked through and I'd be wet to the knees before an hour had passed. It was greatly distressing and by the time my operation came around, I had got to the stage where I couldn't face running any more.
My problem was caused my weak abdominal muscles that had let the bladder slip slightly from its normal position and other bits and pieces were pressing on it. I had an operation called a colpo-suspension, whereby the bladder is sown onto the uterus to keep it in the correct position. It was major surgery and the recovery was the same as for a hysterectomy, usual "don't lift" etc. It took a few weeks for the bladder to "settle down" after surgery, first off I had the opposite problem, I was having trouble weeing enough, but it soon was Ok and I took up running again after 6 weeks and have never had a leak since.
My point here is that, I had been to GP, incontincence clinic etc. and done all the excercises, followed all the advice and none of it worked for me ad there was another problem. Once this was addressed the problem has gone.
I also had urge incontinence, which has more or less been cured by retraining myself when to go. That is a different thing to the above.
If you have been doing what the doctors advise and there is no improvement, go back and ask to be refered to a urologist (I think thats right). It could be a problem which needs a surgical procedure to sort it out.
Although the operation took some getting over, I have not regretted having it done for one minute. It has completely changed my quality of life as far as excercising is concerned and at other times too.
be positive, there is hope and sometimes you don't just have to put up with the problem.
Thanks for giving me hope.
Don't know the answer the this one. Didn't have prolapse.
I hope you find someone who can help you decide what to do.
I don't know the answer to your question either (sorry) but I do think you have every right to expect your GP to be able to give you sensible advice regardless of whether or not he/she runs. I'd suggest you go back to your GP and ask to be referred to someone who can advise you properly. It's not really a running specific query you have. You just want to know whether load bearing exercise such as running and walking will exacerbate the problem. I can't believe a GP wouldn't know or be able to find the answer to that. Also, it might be worth finding out how complicated a repair will be if your prolapse does get worse. That might help you to decide whether it's worth the risk.
I'll be interested to hear how you get on.
GPs were useless,the physio, although beneficial did not 'cure' the problem. She explained that my muscles were as strong as they could be' but the damage to the surroundig tissues( caused by childbirth) meant that as they softened proir to my period, the muscle didn't have much to pull on and so i leaked. we discussed surgery but i don't want this quite yet.
By chance i came across a leaflet at work describing a small device which is inserted a bit like a tampon and helps support the pelvic floor. IT WORKED!!!
I had several dry months of running until i tried to re order. I was told that there wasn't the market for it and, as a result it had been discontinued.I suggested that although it may not be perfect for the patients it was developed for they should advertise in running mags. Anyway it fell on deaf ears.
I have since found another device which works in a similar way and although not as effective as the first certainly helps.
Has anyone else found any products that may be useful?
Also, if anyone knows of any sports medicine outfit which can give sound advice on these matters I'd love to hear of it. Went for a run on Sunday in spite of everything. Realised how much I had been missing - it was great even if slow.
I must admit I am relieved that it's not just me...I was telling my friend about it and she said she didn't have a problem..(like I really believe her..) so it kinda makes you think "oh it must be me then."
Then my other friend told me about this egg shaped device you get from Boots, there's two egg shaped thingies in a box with some weights which you put into one of the eggs. One is wider than the other and you use the smaller one when you can hold up the fatter egg and all the weights. You pop it up and use your pelvic floor muscles to hold it in for ten to twenty mins depending on what size weight you use. Problem was, I know you're not supposed to hold your breath, so I would end up walking like I'd just got off a horse going blue in the face! It has a nylon thread so you can pull it out. If it's too heavy it starts to slip out and you can feel yourself going...no..no..stay in.... Anyway, I'm going to have another go at it and I'll let you know if it's worked for me. If not then a visit to the old GP could be in order, or stock up on the old Tena Lady!
Was having a float about the threads last night and found this-good to know I am not alone. (It took me sleeping on it to decide whether I would post or not).
I haven't had kids but go through the same as most of you on here. When I sneeze, cough, laugh too hard and whilst running I spring a leak. Currently trying the pelvic floor exercises and like Karen have good old Tena Lady.
I fully understand what V-rap said about it not being an 'older woman' problem, I am not yet in my late 20s.
Just re-assuring and great to gain advice.
Thanks x
Don't let it get the better of you. If you want to e-mail me, do so. I understand being a twentysomething and springing leaks.
It's frustrating knowing it hasn't been caused by pregnancy etc.
Princess x