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Patient Perspective: The Shame Of Incontinence Is Real

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When you hear about incontinence in the news, you always hear about the physical hardships – the leaking, needing to bring an extra change of clothes everywhere, and keeping things clean. But unless you live with this condition, the one thing you don’t truly know about is the shame that accompanies it. Sure, everyone knows that it’s embarrassing to pee your pants as an adult, especially in public. But until you’ve actually been in that horror-stricken moment, you really have no idea.

Those of us who know this know that incontinence is more than just the occasional wet pants. It’s hiding from your spouse so they don’t see that you wet yourself again. It’s avoiding every social situation where you don’t know for sure a bathroom will be nearby. It’s feeling bad about yourself because you have this problem that you can’t control, even though it feels like you should be able to. It’s feeling like you’re the only adult with this problem. It’s all of that, plus the physical part too.

The truth is the emotional challenges of dealing with incontinence can be worse than the actual physical parts of the condition. But learning to manage it successfully can go a long way in easing the pain and embarrassment of the problem. NAFC is a great resource to those of us who live with incontinence. Take the time to explore the site and the many tools and tips they have to offer – it’s helped me a great deal and if you look hard enough you may just find the one tip or trick that takes you from embarrassment to freedom.

Bradley M., Nashville, TN

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