Ex-TV correspondent and producer, Lucy Griffiths, talks to us about how her life changed after becoming incontinent and how she copes as a busy mother running a successful business.
Lucy Griffiths
There’s nothing more embarrassing than walking down a hill and realising that you’re about to pee your pants. Not a small damp patch, I mean a cascade of wee.
It started a few months before the birth of my son. I was 6 months pregnant, and my gorgeous baby boy was very tall and skinny. It meant that he was pushing down on my pelvic floor and bladder. I was diagnosed with asthma but because I was pregnant, the doctor was limited in the medication that he could give me. As a result, my cough got worse and worse. I found myself being sick in the street from coughing. Every time I coughed, I pee-ed my pants. I wet myself at work, in the car, in the street. I started wearing Tena granny pants, and I wet myself while wearing these too.
I was still working at the time as a journalist, so I had to bring changes of pants and tights to the office to handle any such issues. I was petrified of smelling of wee when going to interview people or wetting myself on location.
A few months later my gorgeous boy was born, and we both had some complications at birth. I tore in several places, and it meant I now had anal and urinal incontinence.
I stood up the morning after giving birth and my pelvic floor had no control whatsoever. I just wee-ed my pants as soon as I stood up. I had a new-born baby, and very little support and help, so just had to get on with it. I wore Tena pants and did the best I could.
Whenever I had an urge to wee, I had to race to the toilet before I had an accident. Also, when I needed a poo, I had to go immediately, as I had no mechanism to stop myself.
Sometimes I could make it to the bathroom, and other days I couldn’t. I carried spare clothes, and would plan for toilet stops. I’ve lost count of the number of shoes that had to be thrown out from my toilet moments. Contemplating going for a jog or doing any intensive sport was just not possible. Instead, I went to baby yoga and pilates to work on my pelvic floor.
After a few months of being on maternity leave, I knew I had to start thinking about going back to work but I dreaded the thought of being in the office and having an accident.
Pre-incontinence, I was a journalist and worked in conflict zones reporting from places such as Iraq and Ukraine. It was imperative that I could go out on stories and work in difficult environments. Talking with Russian rebels in a ditch in a conflict zone while on a story wasn’t really the place to be when you were bursting for the toilet.
I knew that my bladder and my career were no longer compatible. I had to find something different to do.
Once I made the decision to quit my job, I was definitely very lost and didn’t know what to do next. I felt really unemployable, and that can really affect your mental health.
After a few months of feeling stuck, I set up my coaching business and it has grown from there. I can have my meetings at home, and manage my business around my health. If I wet myself – no one knows.
My consultant at the hospital recommended that I try a course of Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation (PTNS). It involves using acupuncture and sitting with an electric current running up the tibial nerve to stimulate the pelvic floor. My hospital, UCLH in London has a 60 percent success rate, but unfortunately it didn’t’ work for me.
I had surgery for my bladder last year, and there’s been a massive improvement – most of the time. I still have bad days when I need to wear incontinence pants especially in the winter when I have a cough, but most of the time I’m much better. I’ve not quite plucked up the courage to run again, but at least I feel secure knowing that if I walk down a hill, I’m probably not going to wet myself. And that, is a huge relief.
Lucy Griffiths
www.lucygriffiths.com
Tagged in Health