Believe me…it definitely took years for me to get over the shock & pure embarrassment whenever bladder & bowel oopsies would happen without warning – especially whenever I was in the car or away from home. It took even longer before I could openly share my experiences & allowed the giggles to replace feelings of shame.
It happens, ya know? I’ve had to say “bye bye” to favorite undies tossed in restroom trash bins of various gas stations & other “odiferous” establishments. Nowadays, I try to be prepared (try to keep wet wipes & spare garments in the car), yet if I’m a passenger in someone else’s car, er…um… who knows – it’s often a luck of the draw. In the meantime, I’ve become quite savvy about public restrooms! I know which ones are easily accessible, usually unoccupied, don’t require hazmat suits, nose plugs, etc.
I should probably write some Yelp reviews regarding best public restrooms for MSers & our oopsies!
Giggles shared AND censored a bit to avoid being too graphic here for you readers!
Hey Mary- I think a Yelp review section specific to folks with chronic illness sounds like an awesome idea! Especially when you talk about “odiferous” ones and hazmat suits. I would definitely subscribe. In addition to my own bladder issues I’m a total germ-a-phobe which just adds to the crazy and the difficulty!
There are web sites where people with disabilities can review business establishments for accessibility. Here’s one of them:
http://www.axsmap.com/
It even has a specific bathroom rating system. Unfortunately, they rely on people like you and me to populate it and it’s mostly empty now.
Just had this happen last weekend- I know that outside had station bathrooms are known for grossness….. but had to go immediately…. like barely got I there! Then it was a matter of balancing to not touch anything, and literally puking it was SO awful! Lol. I’m glad i carry sanitizer! I had this look as I was trying to get to the car, couldn’t get out of that place fast enough lol my hubby thought I was being chased! I’d really rather go on side of the road ( Yes that happened off the turnpike in jersey once ) than ever go into a bathroom like that ever again!
Gas station bathrooms.. dumb autocorrect lol
I have had “accidents” happen so often that I bought one of those purse inserts. You know the kind you can pick up and switch it out to a different purse without unpacking. It now holds seat covers for those gross public toilets, wipes, fresh urinary pads, toilet paper (less the cardboard tube to flatten), clean undies, clean socks in case it happens to all go south, leggings, travel size air freshener and a plastic bag to throw soiled clothing in. The only problem is that I’ve had to give away all of my cute small purses and switch to tote sized purses. Either that or leave my wallet, keys and sunglasses behind! 🙂
Didn’t know they made those Glenda!! Thank you for the info. May need to look into it, especially seat covers, wipes and tp as I’m a total germ-a-phobe.