ONE DAY TO GO

To take my mind off the panic I am feeling at this moment, I thought I would tell you a funny story.

A few years ago when I went on my first riding holiday in Jordan, I found myself suffering from acute bladder weakness. I had only just arrived and had spent the day doing touristy things in the capitol Amman. I had suffered all day with this and it was getting so bad that I thought I was in for a full session of cystitis which as any woman knows is horrid beyond words and even worse in a foreign country. I was back at the hotel and the next morning I would be travelling down the country to start the riding trip. Across the road from the hotel was a small parade of shops including a pharmacy. I went inside and an Arab man was sitting behind the counter. I looked at the shelves desparately looking for Cystapurin or something similar but I couldn't see anything so I asked the Arab pharmacist. He didn't speak English and why should he? So after shouting cystitis several times with no effect, I then pointed down to my nether regions,pulled a face of pain and made agonising sound effects. He watched me in disbelief. I did this several times and then my friend Gill came into the shop and helped my in my charade. This time we had a result.

The pharmacist looked very excited and pulled from a drawer under the counter..a d.i.y colonic irrigation kit.

We went back to the hotel disheartened and Vicky who was on our trip was in reception. I told her about my problem and she said that she also was a pharmacist and would go over the road and get me some antibiotics. As the three of us crossed the road to the shop, we suddenly saw the small Arab man running out of the door and down an alleyway. When we got to the door, it had a CLOSED sign on it. Poor man, he must have been terrified of the thought of three women standing in his shop all pointing downwards and screeching in pain!

Funnily enough as soon as I started riding, the problem went away which makes me think it must be stress related.

I am mentioning this incident because I now know that this is a common problem and there is a company who offers advice on how to deal with bladder incontinence and produces several products which will help. This company is called TENA and sell pads and pants which can help avoid embarrassment and discomfit. I had a mail shot from Tena last year and discovered that they offer bursaries for people who want to achieve a lifetime's ambition. I applied for a bursary but was not successful. However they have sent me some of their products to take along on this trip so hopefully if I have any embarrassing moments, I will be well catered for.