28 Sep Box Jumps Make Me Pee, and how I fixed that…. kinda
Before I even start on this thread – WARNING: I am about to discuss intimate details about my body and its functions! Turn away if your sensibilities are easily offended or you would rather not talk about incontinence. It’s okay, I get it. We’re not supposed to take about it. It’s “private” – which is why we don’t realize that it HAPPENS TO EVERYONE! And if it hasn’t happened to you, lucky you. Talk to me after your given birth or lived past 35.
It all started about 27 years ago for me. My daughter was a LARGE baby. Not big, LARGE. She weighed in at 9 pounds and too many ounces. I gave birth vaginally. Theres a reason she is an only child. So peeing my pants was inevitable, but it didn’t become a real issue until I had a hysterectomy. It was a slow downhill slide – maybe a little when I sneezed. Maybe a teeny weeny bit if I did a sit up. But mostly, I could just prepare myself – squeeze my thighs together, engage my kegel muscles – and I’d be okay. Then I wasn’t.
During a travel layover from Canada – in SEATAC (Seattle Airport), browsing clothing in a terminal store, I sneezed. And I peed. Like peed peed. A lot. Left a puddle. I. was. mortified. dead. What. in. the. hell. is. wrong. with. me.
I had had enough. I discussed the situation with my gynecologist and after some testing, I was diagnosed with stress incontinence (wow) – which can be FIXED surgically – the doctor implants a bladder sling. I envision this as like a little hammock for my bladder. Its anchored into the tissue lining my pelvis and it just holds my bladder up a little higher so every abdominal contraction doesn’t cause me to pee. It was amazing. Then it wasn’t.
Gravity is a wicked evil thing. Once again, it started out slow. A sneeze every so often if I really had to pee. Then I started to pee at sporting events (even when I didn’t have to pee). *side note: I am an avid hockey fan and i get INTO the games* Then all the time. So back to the gynecologist. And I hit up a urologist too, for good measure. The urologist actually suggested a nonsurgical i office procedure using Juvaderm as a filler for my urethra. Frankly, I’d rather pay to have it injected into my lips, but I also want to not pee my pants at hockey games… decision decisions. So I scheduled it, and lo and behold it worked. They inject the urethra to “bulk” it up, making it smaller and therefore harder for the urine to pass involuntarily. For 5 days, I did box jumps like it was my JOB. Jump rope? yes please. Is that a trampoline? ALL IN! My body absorbed that Juvaderm after 5 days – so my jumping freedom was short lived.
At my follow up visit the Urologist recommended a product called Impressa by Poise. If you still have periods, and use tampons, you might notice less incontinence when wearing a tampon. Thats because the pressure the tampon puts on the urethra helps stop the urine from leaking out! Impressa does the same thing, but isn’t absorbent so you can keep them in longer (up to 10 hours)! Heres what they look like:
They come in 3 sizes, and a assortment box is available with all three sizes, so you can find the fit that best suits you and is comfortable. I can’t recommend that you do that first!
It looks just like a tampon applicator, but a little bigger.
This is what it looks like outside of the applicator. Theres a mesh fabric that covers a flexible rubber scaffolding.
In case you wanted to know what was under the fabric…. Its comprised of a very soft silicone scaffolding.
I can have a revision surgery to my previously installed bladder sling, makes it a little tighter or higher or something. But there are only so many revisions surgeries they can do, I’m going to try to stave it off as long as I possibly can.
I also trip over my feet when I box jump, so I still don’t like them. But thats another blog post…..
So to recap: if you pee when you box jump, or jump rope, or squat jump, or laugh, or yell, or sneeze….. you have solutions!! Surgical, non surgical, and over the counter. And just know that almost every woman who is jumping, laughing and yelling next to you probably just peed in her pants too and ITS OKAY! You are normal. We are all normal. And we can talk about it.
*I am not paid for this endorsement of any of the solutions I have shared with you today! but I am also not opposed to paid endorsements…. hint hint*
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