Anne Talks about Bladder Control Issues

“After six Olympics, 15 knee surgeries, cancer and a major head injury, I still live life with my ‘why not’ mentality. When faced with something everyone faces – age – I realized that I could still use that same mentality. Just because our bodies and minds mature, that doesn’t mean we should stop doing what we love. I began luging when I was at the age every other luger retired, why would I start hiding in my house because I was dealing with an extremely common condition?

I’ve dealt with bladder control issues for a number of years, but never knew how to talk about it! As a woman who has never been considered ‘the shy type,’ I couldn’t explain why I was so hesitant to open up about this one issue… or why I was too embarrassed to seek the solutions I needed to manage it. I was using bulky period pads to try and manage my condition. Little did I know that there are pads designed specifically for bladder control issues that are much thinner and more comfortable. I recently tried TENA's new Ultra Thins at the Vancouver 2010 Olympics and was impressed by how comfortable and secure they were.

We Laughed So Hard…

I had been letting my bladder control me, instead of controlling my bladder! So I decided to ask my friends at the Red Hat Society, www.redhatsociety.com, a national group of women 50+ who get together for the sake of being social, what they thought about bladder control issues. If I couldn’t talk about it with them, then I wasn’t going to help anyone to break the taboo. They shared with me a bit of insight that only comes when you realize that these kinds of issues can be treated with laughter, friendship, and the right products.

I asked ‘Linda, what do you think the Red Hatters would say about the condition?’ Linda said, “You know what, Anne, Red Hatters are different than the other boomers because when we have a condition we aren’t afraid to talk about it. And when we all get together and we start laughing, we get to laughing so hard tears are rolling down our legs.” 

Remember ... 

Be Tenacious aims to help women open up about a condition that affects more than 1 in 4 women over the age of 40 – issues with bladder control – so that it doesn’t hold you back from your active lifestyle. 

You don’t have to scream it from the rooftops, but why not be Tenacious and ask your best friend? Ask your sister. I bet they know what you’re talking about when you mention the condition. And when you do, you both will be relieved to know that you aren’t alone.