"Even though I recently became a grandfather for the second time, I’ve never felt old for my age. Then, reality came crashing down one evening when I realised I had urine loss.
It was a real pain, but I didn’t admit it at first, even to myself. ‘Just a temporary problem with the waterworks’, I thought, or ‘must be the cold weather.’ But it didn’t go away, even when the weather got warmer.
Was this my body’s way of telling me I was getting old? My pride was hurt and I felt less of a man, somehow.
I even started using my wife’s sanitary towels, but they didn’t really work – and the odour persisted. I hadn’t even confided in my wife, but she must have had her suspicions. I kept declining social invitations, and I was always running for the bathroom.
Soon I began to feel uneasy stepping out of the house. Perhaps it would have helped to speak to somebody, but who? And how could I raise such an issue?
Eventually, I decided I’d had enough and I became determined to regain control of my life. I did some internet research and was surprised at how common the condition is. It felt good to know I wasn’t alone.
Next I visited my GP. He reassured me that I could still lead a normal life. He recommended an odour controlled pad, made a few diet suggestions, and told me about pelvic floor exercises.
I took his advice and am now starting to see results. I was such a fool to bottle it all up. One thing I learned from all this it’s that there’s really no need for incontinence to take over your life".