When I think of bladder leakage, two things automatically come to mind.

First, I think it only happens to the elderly.  And secondly, I think of Amy’s character on “Everybody Loves Raymond” when it is leaked (no pun intended) that she pees when she laughs.  And even though Amy’s character isn’t old, I still think it’s something that only older people have to deal with.  I was wrong.

Let’s back up about 5 years ago, when I got my yearly dose of bronchitis.  I get bronchitis every year between Halloween and Thanksgiving.  I could probably even mark it on my calender,  “will get bronchitis”.   I hate it.  It starts out with a really sore throat that feels like strep, and a few days later, I’m hacking my lungs out.  And when I get bronchitis, it seems to last forever and a day.  One year I even had it for 3 months straight.  Talk about pure misery.

So about 5 years ago, I had one of the worst cases of bronchitis ever.  The coughing was non-stop.  You know the cough where it’s so deep it feels like your chest is rattling inside your body, and your brains are rattling around inside your head?  That’s what I had.  And then it happened.  I coughed so hard, I experienced bladder leakage for the first time. I thought it was a fluke at first.  I thought maybe it was because I coughed too hard (even though it’s the only way I was able to cough at the time).  I didn’t think much of it… until it happened again.  Next thing I knew, I had to grab a pad because I had absolutely no control over my bladder leaking when I coughed.

I remember telling my doctor about my symptoms and told her I was experiencing some urinary incontinence when I coughed.  She did not prescribe me anything for this (I didn’t even know if there was anything you could be prescribed for this – I just knew that if there was, I wanted it), and she acted like it was not an issue.  On the bright side, she did hook me up with some pretty heavy duty drugs to kick this bronchitis.   And I noticed that as I stopped coughing, my bladder leakage stopped occurring.

Fast forward through spring and summer, and back to the fall season the following year.  Once again, and right on schedule – I might add, I came down with bronchitis again.  You know what else tagged along?  My bladder leakage.  Well, hello there, friend (not really – I hate you – please die already).  But to make it as comfortable as possible, at least I’ve discovered there are products out there on the market to help you deal with something like this.

You do not want period pads for bladder leakage.  Trust me on this.  Period pads are not made for bladder leakage.  Period.  (Ok, pun intended).

But seriously.  Depend makes a product made specifically for bladder leakage!  Why would you use anything else?  Would you use a Kleenex to clean up a gallon of milk spill?  Of course not.  You’d use something that’s made for it, like heavy duty paper towels, hand towels, or if you’re like me who has 6 dogs in the house, you might let them lick it up!  (You think I’m kidding…)  But my point is, you want to use something that’s appropriate for the spill.  So you would also want to use something that’s appropriate for bladder leakage.

So if you’re like me, you’re thinking “no way am I wearing a diaper”.  I haven’t worn a diaper since I was a baby, and I’m not EVEN old enough to be wearing an diaper now. I’m still in my early 30’s 40’s for crying out loud.

This is why I love these new Depend Silhouette Active Fit briefs!  They have a lower rise for an underwear-like look, fit and feel.  So you don’t need to wear “mom jeans” from the 80’s, you can still wear your trendy jeans and no one would even know any better!  Depends is actually the first in this market to make these in black and beige colors as well.  They have a very thin design with a moderate-absorbancy.  They look and feel like regular underwear, NOT like a diaper!

And check out these stats!

• More people with bladder leakage are in their 20’s than in their 80’s!
• The average age of someone with bladder leakage is only 52!
• More people with bladder leakage are 50 or younger than 60 or older!

Depend is entering year two of Underwareness, a social movement and charitable cause to break down the bladder leakage stigma. As part of Underwareness, the Depend brand is encouraging people to show their support for women with bladder leakage. For every photo and video shared using #Underwareness and featuring Depend products, the Depend brand will donate $1, up to $3 million, through 2016 to fund charities that advance the research and education of bladder leakage.

How cool is that?  Come on now, we are in a serious era of social media, let’s get those #hashtags going for #Underwareness!  And make sure you visit www.Underwareness.com to support the cause and request free samples of Depend Silhouette Active Fit for yourself!

Many thanks to Depend for sponsoring today’s story and spread #underwareness cause!

Poise has brand new thin-shape pads, make for Light Bladder Leakage!  LBL, also known as Light Bladder Leakage, affects one in three women, and are little leaks that can be triggered by everyday occurrences like coughing, sneezing, laughing and exercise.

WHAT CAUSES LBL?
Just as no two women are alike, there’s no single reason that LBL happens. Some of the most common things that lead to uninvited leaks include:
•    Physical changes from childbirth, pregnancy, hysterectomy or menopause
•    Being overweight
•    Complications from surgery, stroke, or chronic diseases like diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS) or Parkinson’s disease
•    Bladder or urinary tract infections
•    Bladder irritants (certain foods and beverages)

HOW CAN I BEST MANAGE MY LBL?
Women deserve the best options for managing LBL. Whether you leak a little when you laugh, or sometimes have a sudden urge to go, Poise gives you one less thing to worry about any time of day or night. Our pads and liners are specifically designed for LBL, which makes them an easy choice for the 1 in 3 women with light bladder leaks.

FIND YOUR PERFECT PRODUCT
Stay fresh and confident with Poise® pads and liners. They’re designed specifically for Light Bladder Leakage (LBL), which make them an easy choice for the 1 in 3 women who experiences LBL.

POISE THIN SHAPE PADS
Designed to move with your body, new Poise Thin-Shape pads feature Super Absorbent Material (SAM) and a Thin-Flex design for extraordinary protection that’s still 3x drier than period pads† to help you take care of leaks with confidence.

Check out how thin these new Poise Thin-Shaped pads are!

Would you like to try a free sample?  Click here to get yours now!

Now that Poise offers these thin pads for LBL, you can get rid of your period pads you were using for LBL!

Here’s a little DIY project for you!  Make yourself some slippers with your old period pads!

You’ll need 3 pads.

When you are done, voila!  Instant slippers.  Who couldn’t use an extra pair of disposable slippers?