# Can incontinent riders compete at the Olympics?



## L123 (26 June 2016)

Hi, I'm a 19 year old Showjumper, and currently I'm jumping 1.10. I struggle with urinal incontinece and I can't control my pee, but Riding and competing is something that I didn't have to give up. I've always wondered, can riders who can't control their pee still compete in the normal Olympics?


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## ycbm (26 June 2016)

You've only just got a diagnosis. There are treatments available. You're 19 (and I notice from your intro male but that's irrelevant)  And to be honest if you are only jumping 1m 10  you're worrying prematurely about the Olympics. Meanwhile, wear pads like we oldies with an unstable bladder do, and seek whatever medical attention you have available to you in Australia. 

I've got an unstable bladder. It's not fun, but I haven't given up anything. What have you had to give up?

Is there a reason why you chose a British forum to join to talk about incontinence  ??


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## FfionWinnie (26 June 2016)

You've "always wondered this"?  You insinuate you have a long term issue yet in your other post you say you have no idea why this [one off] incident occurred?

Have you sought medical help?  There is no way you've gone through all the possible medications in this short time and indeed a one off incident is hardly an incontinence problem. 

I'm starting to think the issue is of urine extraction.


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## ycbm (26 June 2016)

ffionwinnie said:



			i'm starting to think the issue is of urine extraction.
		
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pmsl


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## star (26 June 2016)

ycbm said:



			pmsl



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Rofl. I reiterate what I said in the last post on this subject and can't believe anyone actually answered him seriously! Troll!


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (26 June 2016)

Please please peeps, do not be insensitive here.

We have someone who has obviously just come onto the forum; and incontinence is a very real issue which isn't easy to own up to.

I don't suffer from it myself, but can fully appreciate what a disabling and difficult condition it would be to manage and still somehow go on riding and competing.

So please don't be so insensitive! I cannot believe people's unkindness TBH. This isn't something to poke fun at or be unkind about. 

HHO's, you should be ashamed.


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## NZJenny (26 June 2016)

Being geographically closer to Australia, and perhaps more familiar with Oz humour - we would call this "taking the pi**".


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## spacefaer (26 June 2016)

I think if you are hoping to compete at Olympic level, you'll have to be jumping at a much higher level than 1.10m, and that may well exacerbate your problem.

It may be a little early in your career to be considering the Olympics.......


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## Mooseontheloose (27 June 2016)

On a serious note, Lucy Weigersma has been very brave about how she has been left with stress incontinence after a difficult birth. We don't talk about these things, but actually it does affect a lot of people. 
He may or may not be taking the p but actually it's a perfectly legit subject, especially for some riders who may be genuinely struggling and too shy to ask for help.


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## ycbm (27 June 2016)

I do talk about it and have written about it on this forum. I'm a sufferer and have been since I was less than thirty. I'm not sure we can say it's hidden away any more, there are adverts everywhere these days.

 This young man, if it's true, has had one bladder release caused by emotional stress. It's not uncommon in young people, and he is not 'incontinent'. It will probably never happen again, if it ever happened once. The wording of his initial post suggesting this is something that he has suffered with for a long time and has has to give up doing things because of  is very peculiar, and potentially offensive to genuine sufferers.


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## MiJodsR2BlinkinTite (27 June 2016)

Mooseontheloose said:



			On a serious note, Lucy Weigersma has been very brave about how she has been left with stress incontinence after a difficult birth. We don't talk about these things, but actually it does affect a lot of people. 
He may or may not be taking the p but actually it's a perfectly legit subject, especially for some riders who may be genuinely struggling and too shy to ask for help.
		
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^^^^ This. Agree that this might just be a troll-thread; and that the person concerned is perhaps jumping the gun as they have obviously got a long long way to go before even considering the Olympics!!! But still think that even if badly phrased, then the OP is raising an issue which may well affect any one of us at some point and riding being what it is, it is a bleddi difficult thing to have to manage. Personally I seriously wonder exactly how Endurance riders manage!! I know I couldn't hop on a horse and spend the time in the saddle that they do without having to pop behind a hedge/tree somewhere for a waz


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## Fellewell (27 June 2016)

Well as long as you've ruled out a urinary tract infection you could always try a conveen and if we still wore batwing jodhs you'd have somewhere clever to put the bag.


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## L123 (7 July 2016)

Thank you all for replying. I think it's time I tell the truth. I worded this whole thing wrong, but I was embarrassed to tell it straight. I actually can't control my bladder.  
 Being 19 it's really really hard to talk about this. I've suffered from this since I was about 5. I've been to doctor after doctor, and nothing works. It's just a fact of life. And I can understand why you all think this is a troll post, but it's not. I can't tell my friends who compete alongside me and ride with me because they would just laugh and they wouldn't understand. Riding and competing is the only thing I have left where I feel happy. Yes, it's too early to be thinking about the Olympics. But, I was genuinely interested to see if even thinking about trying to achieve that goal was possible. Before a ride or a class I don't drink any water, just in case. It worked for a while. And then I started wetting my breeches when I was riding and competing. And then I had my fall. My friends and everybody else just thinks it's a "one off" but really it happens all the time to me.


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## ycbm (7 July 2016)

L123 said:



			Thank you all for replying. I think it's time I tell the truth. I worded this whole thing wrong, but I was embarrassed to tell it straight. I actually can't control my bladder.  
 Being 19 it's really really hard to talk about this. I've suffered from this since I was about 5. I've been to doctor after doctor, and nothing works. It's just a fact of life. And I can understand why you all think this is a troll post, but it's not. I can't tell my friends who compete alongside me and ride with me because they would just laugh and they wouldn't understand. Riding and competing is the only thing I have left where I feel happy. Yes, it's too early to be thinking about the Olympics. But, I was genuinely interested to see if even thinking about trying to achieve that goal was possible. Before a ride or a class I don't drink any water, just in case. It worked for a while. And then I started wetting my breeches when I was riding and competing. And then I had my fall. My friends and everybody else just thinks it's a "one off" but really it happens all the time to me.
		
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I'm sorry you've got this so young but you'll just have to wear pads like the rest of us,  Your first post mentioned how you like to wear figure hugging breeches (your first thread). Don't. Give them up. I think pleated front ones look much nicer on men anyway, and everyone will just think you are well endowed. Wear a pad. Job done.

What surgical options have been considered and rejected by your doctors? There are several. Assuming you have already tried the drug options and they have failed?


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## millikins (7 July 2016)

Rather than stopping drinking which only means more concentrated, irritant urine is produced, you could ask your continence adviser to teach you to self catheterise so that you know your bladder is empty before your class.


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## WandaMare (7 July 2016)

What treatments has your doctor suggested for this so far?


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## L123 (7 July 2016)

ycbm said:



			I'm sorry you've got this so young but you'll just have to wear pads like the rest of us,  Your first post mentioned how you like to wear figure hugging breeches (your first thread). Don't. Give them up. I think pleated front ones look much nicer on men anyway, and everyone will just think you are well endowed. Wear a pad. Job done.

What surgical options have been considered and rejected by your doctors? There are several. Assuming you have already tried the drug options and they have failed?
		
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I can't remember about Surgical Options, I'm going to really go and see my Doctor and ask. It will be worth it, and as you said there are several. As for my Figure Hugging Breeches, I ditched them today. Pleated breeches to look much much better. I bought a new pair for causal riding until I find out if this can be fixed or not. A pad sounds like a good idea, but how do you think a pair of Depends would go under a pair of breeches? I don't want to embarrass myself


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## ester (7 July 2016)

If you've had this issues since you were 5 why wouldn't you be wearing pads all the time anyway? What do you do when not riding?


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## L123 (7 July 2016)

I wear Depends, basically Adult Pull Ups (almost all the time) except when I was riding. I never used to wet myself when I was riding or competing. I don't know why. And then I had my fall and I started to. I've never worn one of them underneath my Breeches.


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## ycbm (7 July 2016)

L123 said:



			I can't remember about Surgical Options, I'm going to really go and see my Doctor and ask. It will be worth it, and as you said there are several. As for my Figure Hugging Breeches, I ditched them today. Pleated breeches to look much much better. I bought a new pair for causal riding until I find out if this can be fixed or not. A pad sounds like a good idea, but how do you think a pair of Depends would go under a pair of breeches? I don't want to embarrass myself
		
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If you are going to live with this for the rest of your life with this, you need to stop worrying about embarrassing yourself. My whole hunt and all my friends and acquaintances know about my problem because I tell them. Then when I get off for a pee by the side of the road, they aren't surprised and I'm not embarrassed. It just is, I inherited it from my Dad. My favourite was once in the traffic queue for Great Yorkshire Show. There was no option, the traffic had moved fifty yards in an hour. Everyone in that queue knew what I was doing. People smiled and beeped and thumbs upped and a dozen grateful people followed me into the bushes!

My advice to you is tell people, get it over with. But then I'm not a 19 year old boy so I don't know if that's possible.

What is the issue with wearing padded pants if you wear pleat front breeches? I don't understand your question. It's easier for you than it is for me - I have to sit on what I wear. You've got a front mounted fitting


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## sarcasm_queen (7 July 2016)

Incontinence isn't a disability, so of course you can compete at the 'normal' Olympics.


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## Rollin (7 July 2016)

millikins said:



			Rather than stopping drinking which only means more concentrated, irritant urine is produced, you could ask your continence adviser to teach you to self catheterise so that you know your bladder is empty before your class.
		
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Ditto this.  You say you have seen many doctors but does this include a Urologist and or specialist continence nurse, I am sure you have them in Australia.  Have you undergone neurological assessment?  

A sudden urge to urinate can be caused by instability in the detrusor muscle of the bladder - drugs are available to help this condition.  A urodynamic clinic could help with bladder training.

I hope you find a helpful solution.


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## L123 (7 July 2016)

Thanks for the advice. I really do need to stop worrying about what other people think of me. I can't change my problem, and I can't keep hiding it. I had an early morning ride today with one of my friends, and I wore my new breeches, and even she said they look better on me than the figure hugging ones! I also built up the courage to tell her about my issue. She giggled at first, and when I said I had to wear depends all the time she was really supportive and understanding, and said it's not the end of the world, and was surprised that I could keep riding. She's one of my best friends, so I'm not going to go around telling everyone &#128522; But it's good that she knows now


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## ycbm (7 July 2016)

L123 said:



			Thanks for the advice. I really do need to stop worrying about what other people think of me. I can't change my problem, and I can't keep hiding it. I had an early morning ride today with one of my friends, and I wore my new breeches, and even she said they look better on me than the figure hugging ones! I also built up the courage to tell her about my issue. She giggled at first, and when I said I had to wear depends all the time she was really supportive and understanding, and said it's not the end of the world, and was surprised that I could keep riding. She's one of my best friends, so I'm not going to go around telling everyone &#55357;&#56842; But it's good that she knows now
		
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That's a fantastic start. I think you'll find most people accepting of your issue, and those who aren't are the losers.   I do think at your age you should have a surgical option available. There is an artificial sphincter that you can choose to close and open yourself, nerve deadening treatments, plus various bladder sling options that can be effective. Do go back to your doctor and ask for some help.


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## L123 (10 August 2016)

Well. Good News. I had surgery, and it worked. Thank you to everyone who has been super supportive on this forum, I really appreciate it. I don't wet myself anymore, which is fantastic for riding. I feel like I'm a whole new person. I can even wear figure hugging breeches again.


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## ycbm (10 August 2016)

L123 said:



			Well. Good News. I had surgery, and it worked. Thank you to everyone who has been super supportive on this forum, I really appreciate it. I don't wet myself anymore, which is fantastic for riding. I feel like I'm a whole new person. I can even wear figure hugging breeches again.
		
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Fantastic. I am very, very happy for you.. I still prefer to see men in pleat front breeches!


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