Sheraton Salt Lake City

Thank you so much to the reader who shared this review. I can’t be everywhere, and from the looks of this review, I don’t think I would have wanted to stay here, so please do send along you experiences. Remember, you don’t need to suffer from nocturnal enuresis or other continence-related issues to share a review; when you next travel, just ask your hotel if they can accommodate bedwetters.

Type: hotel

City: Salt Lake City

Address: 150 West 500 South, Salt Lake City, UT, 84101, United States

Website: http://www.sheratonsaltlakecityhotel.com

Date visited: March 2017

General rating:

Trip Advisor: 4/5

Expedia: 4.1/5

Booking.com: 8.6

Enuresis friendly rating: 1

Detail of stay:

I was in salt lake for business and I knew I was staying at the Sheraton a month beforehand. I tried calling the front desk, cut right to the chase, and if they had mattress protectors because I wet the bed and they said no and guests are expected to bring their own and I would be charged for damages if the mattress got wet. I brought a waterproof mattress underpad. I am usually a very heavy wetter even if I’m not traveling and the jet lag made it much worse so I did leak through my diaper and the mattress pad couldn’t contain my flood so the sheets did get wet but thankfully not through the chux pad I put underneath the sheets.

I did not discover I was wet until the following morning and as I was leaving my room with the intention of telling the front desk so housekeeping could change my sheets. I was vague just saying I spilt soda on the bed and needed more sheets. I returned later in the day to retrieve a forgotten item and the housekeeping is making rounds in the hallways. The lady loudly blurts out, “the guest in room ___ has wet he bed, I need new sheets.” There were people walking by (thankfully no one I knew but still). Very unprofessional, she could have just said she needed sheets and left it at that.

Fantastic Bedwetting YouTuber!

In my previous post, I wrote about some of the online resources that are available for adult bedwetters, and I mentioned that one resource, namely the YouTube videos of Olivia Robbin, are worthy of their own post.

The content creator has over 44 videos, most of which discuss her experience with bedwetting and having an overactive bladder (OAB). I applaud her work, as she is endeavouring to break the stigma of adult incontinence. Her videos are charming, informative and personal. She has all sorts of videos, some of which cover events in her own life, such as her experience with surgery and doctors visits. Others posts provide information about such things are famous people who wet the bed, product reviews of diapers (1 and 2), and lots of other helpful tips.

The video that led me to discover this contributor was her post offering 10 helpful tips for those travelling with overactive bladder and bedwetting. I highly recommend that you check out her video (all of her videos in fact), as it is very informative.

Looking over her 10 travel tips, I noticed a lot of similarities with recommendations I’ve made in previous posts. Her list is perhaps a little different as it does offer advice for people who also suffer from OAB. I thought it would be worth sharing her list here (found in the comment section of her video), and provide some additional comments of my own (my comments in Italics):

1. Start a voiding journal a week or two before leaving on a long trip. Gives more insight into voiding habits. Definitely a good idea, I travel enough that I know the impacts that it will have on my bedwetting. For example, I know that the first night I spend in a new place, particularly after long travel, I’m almost certainly going to wet the bed. I also know that jet lag increases my likelihood of wetting. Knowing your bodies habits gives you more confidence.
2. Pick plane seats/hotel beds wisely (close to bathroom). Some people say to put diapers on after security. Yes, this is a good idea, and different people have opinions on putting protection on before or after security, if it is going to be required for the flight. See my posts on air travel:

Air Travel – Part 1

Air Travel – Part 2

Air Travel – Part 3

3. Pre-tape diapers if you’re able to pull them off/then up again when you need in a pinch. I find that this can make the diapers harder to transport discreetly and also bulkier, but it does increase their comfort, the ease with which they can be put on, and in some cases cuts down on leaks.
4. Concealing:
5. Avoiding noise? Hold a shirt against your tapes while putting them on.
6. Bring mini scissors to cut them off later.
7. Pack extra plastic bags with you to dispose in. Better yet, dark concealed zip lock bags/scented. Definitely a good idea, I’ve not tried the special bags that are on the market.
8. Feeling a little self conscious about smell? Pack a small Febreze/odor control/light body spray
9. Bring extra protection and supplies wherever you go. Pack in one bag or disperse in smaller to-go bags. Definitely a good idea, running out of supplies is incredibly stressful. I like the idea of also spreading them out throughout your bags. While bringing a couple of diapers in your carry on may seem more embarrassing, for example, with the possibility that your bag might be opened by airport security, but it also means that if your checked luggage gets lost, you will at least have a couple of diapers to keep your sheets dry while your luggage is (hopefully!) being found.
10. Ask hotel if they accommodate/bring disposable pads. Definitely, this is one of my top things, as my readers will know.
11. Pack an accident kit. Here’s what you should include in your kit:
    1. Sanitary wipes
    2. Travel-size package of tissues
    3. Hand sanitizer
    4. Travel soap
    5. Toilet Seat CoversAvoid the squat position. Makes it harder to empty. This is a good idea for those who suffer from OAB, though given very long flights where you might sleep, this could also be a good idea.

8. Always stop to pee before leaving places. Makes it less awkward and less stressful. Always good advice! 
9. HAVE A TRAVEL BUDDY/TELL A FRIEND. I typically travel alone, and when I travel with others, it is generally work colleagues. I definitely applaud this recommendation, but for me, I am definitely not comfortable telling my work colleagues about my bedwetting issues. Perhaps when the stigma is reduced, sometime in the sunny future.
10. Have fun! Don’t make it about your bladder. Definitely the best advice. I travel a lot and I try not to let my bedwetting interfere with my travel one bit.

Please do follow/subscribe to this fantastic producer and let me know if you have any favorite YouTube content creators who offer videos that might be helpful to readers.

 

 

You Are Not Alone – The Online Incontinence Community

We often feel along with our incontinence issues. It isn’t exactly something that comes up a lot in casual conversation, and given the steps that we take to conceal the issue, a long time friend could also wet the bed and we would never know.

Enter the magic of the internet. There is a large online community of adult incontinence sufferers out there. It’s heart warming to see how supportive they are to one another, and I’ve neglected talking about the online community on my blog for too long.

I first wanted to draw readers attention to a great online support group. Daily Strength is a website which offers support groups for a wide range of issues, and they have a Bedwetting Support Group. You can get inspiration from reading other people’s posts, or you can register, create your own anonymous account, comment, and write your own posts.

The Incontinence Support Center also has an online support forum – Incontinent Support – which again has easy to find posts which you can read without registering. I find this forum better organized, as you can search for posts on specific topics and it seems more intuitive.

And then there is the Adult Bedwetting Sub Reddit. While I’m certainly an amateur when it comes to Reddit, and I still struggle with the format, I found this group one of the more active. I also appreciated this forum as it helped introduce me to some excellent resources, including the videos of one amazing YouTuber, Olivia Robbin, whose work is worthy of a Blog post of her own.  

There are many other groups and forums out there, as well and informative websites and videos. Have I missed any that have been particularly helpful for you? Please let me know!

The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone, and in fact there’s a whole world of people out there who share the same problem, just like me! And we can and do support one another.