Prostate cancer: Incontinence bins call in male toilets

Prostate crab patients person described the "horrendous" acquisition of urinary incontinence arsenic a effect of surgery.

Raymond Starr, 68, described being "like a moving tap" and feeling "agitated and embarrassed".

It comes arsenic foundation Prostate Cancer UK calls for authorities to guarantee sanitary bins are disposable successful each antheral toilets.

The Welsh authorities said it had already introduced authorities to amended toilet facilities.

Mr Starr, a retired nationalist servant from Abergele, Conwy county, was diagnosed successful 2017 aft a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test offered to over-55s identified abnormal levels.

He opted for a extremist prostatectomy, aft which patients are fitted with a catheter which is aboriginal removed, commonly followed by urinary incontinence.

"You're alert of it, but I don't deliberation you truly instrumentality connected committee what's apt to happen," said Mr Starr.

"I was virtually similar a moving tap. It was horrendous."

Prostate Cancer UK said aboriginal stages of the illness often had nary symptoms, truthful the broadside effects of treatments had the biggest impact connected people's prime of life.

The foundation said 1 successful 8 men got prostate crab successful their beingness - 1 successful 4 for achromatic men - and stressed the value of knowing the risks.

The incontinence was truthful atrocious that Mr Starr said helium "couldn't spot a mode out".

"I thought, 'if I'm going to beryllium similar this for the remainder of my life, I privation I'd ne'er gone up with this'.

"I got rather agitated astir it, I felt embarrassed. Every clip I'd get up from a seat determination would beryllium leakage. If I tried to spell upstairs to the toilet, by the clip I got to the apical I was bedewed through."

Nigel Rowland from Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire, had a akin acquisition past year, erstwhile helium was diagnosed with prostate crab and opted for country successful September.

The 65-year-old tow vessel skipper said: "I was alert that incontinence could good beryllium a broadside effect, arsenic good arsenic erectile dysfunction, but I thought 'I privation it retired and that's it, I don't privation to beryllium playing around'."

Mr Rowland said the incontinence was "sort of OK" astatine home, but problematic erstwhile helium was acceptable to get retired again.

"Whenever we went retired for a walk, oregon adjacent erstwhile I went with my mates for a drink, I had to instrumentality a backpack with me.

"Basically you enactment the soaking bedewed nappy into the integrative bag. At the commencement it mightiness adjacent beryllium two. You'd person to locomotion astir and find a bin somewhere, oregon instrumentality it location with you."

Mr Rowland recalled 1 juncture erstwhile helium visited a National Trust tract with his household and ended up rushing to the toilet portion his daughter's spouse went to retrieve his container from the car.

"By the clip I got to the toilets, it was truthful bedewed it was pouring down the wrong of my shorts. I felt truthful embarrassed, uncomfortable," helium said.

"To enactment it bluntly, I'd drastically bedewed myself and it's not a bully feeling."

Prostate Cancer UK's Boys Need Bins run hopes to punctual authorities to mandate sanitary disposal bins successful each men's toilets.

Mr Rowland continued: "It's intelligence arsenic well, you don't privation to beryllium walking astir with what's conscionable happened wrong your bag."

Mr Starr added that the "unpleasantness of it all" enactment him disconnected leaving his location and the NHS-supplied pads were "quite a big, bulky thing".

"Where bash you dispose of that? It's impossible. It takes a toll connected intelligence wellness and it limits the state of really moving from home."

Mr Rowland added: "I made a spot of a gag astir it with my friends, due to the fact that that's the mode I dealt with it, eventually.

"I tried to subordinate it to cars doing truthful galore miles per gallon, truthful erstwhile I was retired with my mates it was however galore pints per pad."

Both men person had palmy outcomes from their surgeries and nary longer endure from regular incontinence, but anticipation that speaking retired volition rise consciousness astir the request for bins.

Mr Starr added: "It's up to the Senedd to beryllium 1 of the leaders connected this. I anticipation Wales could beryllium the archetypal to rotation it out."

Nick Ridgman of Prostate Cancer UK said determination were hundreds of thousands of men with urinary incontinence and it was "deeply unfair" that galore men felt anxious astir leaving the house.

He added: "It's frustrating, it creates interest and it doesn't let those men oregon their families to spell astir their time with dignity."

In May, antheral incontinence was debated successful the Senedd, with Labour's Carolyn Thomas admitting that she had been "naïve" to the contented earlier a "chance meeting" with a prostate crab diligent connected a bid who explained his woman often had to enactment his utilized pads successful her handbag until they recovered a bin.

The Welsh authorities said: "In Wales, section authorities are legally required to nutrient section toilet strategies and, successful doing so, they should instrumentality each accidental to speech to the nationalist and typical groups astir the challenges they look successful accessing section toilet facilities, listening to their concerns and delivering imaginable solutions.

"We person issued guidance to section authorities and this highlights that accessible toilets are much important for those with conditions specified arsenic incontinence, urgency and prostate problems."