International Travel

User

Posted 03 Jan 2022 at 11:48

Hi this is my first post. I've read a lot of the conversations and they are all interesting and go from encouraging to scary but I haven't seen anything that deals with something I have to try to do soon.

I'm 67 and had a robotic prostatectomy on 1 Nov and my catheter removed on 11th. I'm fairly dry overnight now and if I'm being optimistic things are improving very slightly during the day. The main problem is when I'm moving about a lot and particularly when walking and this seems normal from the posts I've read. I have seen posts where people seem to be wearing pads but are giving figures for the amount of leakage. I don't understand how it's possible to do this but possibly I'm misunderstanding. I learnt about the Squeezy app on here and it's far more help than I thought so try it if you haven't already.

I'm married to a Thai woman who lives there. Before Covid I switched between Thailand and the UK on a roughly 3 month basis although I tended to spend slightly more time in the UK partly due to work which has now ended. I haven't been back since late September last year due to restrictions either here or there which change all the time. My plan until October last year was to spend Christmas with family here and then fly out before new year, probably on the 28th or 29th with no quarantine although the rules there changed anyway so the quarantine would have been back on.

Now things are obviously more complicated and I'm wondering if anyone else on here has had to fly whilst having incontinence problems. I've search on the internet and found some answers but they don't necessarily fit my situation. My next plan is to fly in February. I could just wait a bit but accommodation is getting complicated here now. I would fly with Gulf Air as I prefer a break and Middle East stopovers are about half way and I'm a Gold member on their frequent flyer programme. I think I also have enough miles to upgrade to business class on at least the second sector and possibly both so that will be more comfortable. I could use pads but they are a bit big to carry many particularly used ones and I'm not sure how big the bins are in aircraft toilets. I was wondering if sheaths might be an option and they might also be useful if I'm out for longer periods when I'm back there. I'm managing pretty well with pads at the moment but if I'm out for a long time away from a toilet then it's more of an issue.

I've got an appointment at the hospital on Wednesday which might give me a bit more information so I can tackle the travel insurance which I've read so much about on here.

Sorry that was so long.

User

Posted 03 Jan 2022 at 12:50

Have you tried Tena Men shields ? My husband had his op in July and disposing of them in a nappy bag was no more complicated than grandchild’s nappy .

User

Posted 03 Jan 2022 at 13:38

Kim, to measure leakage in a pad, weigh a dry pad and make a note of the weight, put the wet pad in disposal bag and weigh it. Deduct the weight of the dry pad from the wet pad. 100 grams equals 100mls. It was once pointed that urine may not weigh the same as water, but i think it is close enough. You will probably need to use kitchen scales hence the reason for putting the wet pad in a bag.

I have used sheaths on numerous occasions, from my experience they were not 100 percent leak proof. If you don't get the size right the sheath can stick together and the urine comes out of the opening at some force. I do find it difficult trying to urinate sat in a chair.

Thanks Chris

User

Posted 03 Jan 2022 at 14:25

I'm annoyed now that I didn't think of that. It's the sort of thing that I would work out and be pleased that I'd achieved. I must be losing it. 😀

I have heard getting the right size can be a problem and given how the size can change even without an erection I can see why.

Edited by member 03 Jan 2022 at 14:27 | Reason: Not specified

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User

Posted 03 Jan 2022 at 12:50

Have you tried Tena Men shields ? My husband had his op in July and disposing of them in a nappy bag was no more complicated than grandchild’s nappy .

User

Posted 03 Jan 2022 at 13:38

Thanks Chris

User

Posted 03 Jan 2022 at 14:23

The ones I'm using at the moment are these from ID Form

https://www.id-direct.com/ukb2c/en/product/iD-Form/iD-Form-discreet-%2853cm%29-Normal_5310155280.html

It's what they use in the hospital although the nurse did say a lot of men cut then in half. They might seem a bit over the top but the advantage is if there is a lot of leakage if say I'm out for a walk then it avoids the problem which occurs if I've cut one in half of the fluid running down and soaking the pad and then seeping out the back. In its original size it tends to absorb further round. Normally if I'm not moving round much I can either cut one in half or use a full one and then cut the dry back half and carry on using it. One problem I have found is that if you cut them little bits of the filling can come out and you find it on the floor but if you keep it tight it's ok.

I've used Tena before when I was getting a small amount of leakage before the op and after when I had the catheter. They would be easier to dispose of although the ID ones will pack down fairly small. I'm just thinking that there's a bit more leeway on capacity with the bigger pad. I'm probably worrying too much as airports have loads of toilets. It's more on the plane I'm thinking of and wondering if anyone else had had to do this.

Many Thanks

User

Posted 03 Jan 2022 at 14:25

I'm annoyed now that I didn't think of that. It's the sort of thing that I would work out and be pleased that I'd achieved. I must be losing it. 😀

I have heard getting the right size can be a problem and given how the size can change even without an erection I can see why.

Edited by member 03 Jan 2022 at 14:27 | Reason: Not specified

User

Posted 13 Jun 2022 at 06:56

I just thought I'd give an update on flying and using pads.

I returned to Thailand on 9th March in economy. I made sure I had an aisle seat next to the toilet so it was easy to use. I put on one of the large pads and a Tena level 3 plus spares and disposal bags. Fortunately nobody asked to check in my bag as that would have been a fun conversation. As it turned out I changed the Tena in Bahrain and I had no problem. Before I left my main issue was when walking but that also seemed to have improved and walking round Bangkok wasn't a problem either with just a small amount of leakage.

Finding pads was a problem as the only provision for men is very large pads with an elasticated section making them into pants. I ended up cutting the pad out and into 2 and then taping the end. I'm now just using women's pads during the day and very thin ones at night which my wife tells me are for periods. I'm very nearly dry at night. The only problem with the cut up pads and to a lesser extent with the female pads is the sweat. I often feel as if I've leaked a lot but it's just sweat so although I can probably make do with one pad during the day I often change midday. The women's pads are not ideal for the more mobile nature of a man's equipment either.

Temperature up in the northeast of Thailand are in the mid to high 30s but with a 'feels like' temperature about 6 or 7 degrees higher. It's the rainy season as well so it's quit humid. Pads are a problem when you get caught in a rainstorm as well.

I do seem to have managed to get to a fairly satisfactory position on pads now after my op on November 1st.

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