IC & Driving: How To Survive A Long Commute

[icnmgrjill]

(Reprint from February 2002)

Twice in the last month, I have talked with two men struggling with long drives to and from work. In each case, their IC symptoms were exacerbated by their commute I sympathize with their plight because I, too, spent many a day grimacing while driving to work, dreading every speed bump in the parking lot at my workplace. Not surprisingly, this is quite common among IC patients. The first epidemiological studies on IC reported that 50% of patients had pain and discomfort while driving. Why? It is most likely that the vibration of the car, much like the vibration of riding a train, would cause yet more irritation and trauma. Here are a few suggestions that may make that drive easier.

A. Suspension is everything - Small cars, sports cars and trucks are well known for having poor suspensions. If you are in a flare, it is not the time to be hitting every bump. Do an experiment. Try renting a larger, heavier car (such as a Ford Crown Victoria) that has a smooth suspension and ride. I know from my own experience that I can not drive our truck on the freeway anymore. I also have trouble driving our Dodge Dynasty. It has a smoother suspension but the angle of the seat seems more irritating. But, we recently bought a 1998 Crown Victoria and, for the first time, I can drive with relative ease and very little discomfort on the freeway. Our truck is great for taking ICN orders to the post office, but I much prefer the bigger car for longer rides.

B. Make the seat more comfortable - Some seat structures are just too uncomfortable, especially if you have vulvar or scrotal pain. A donut shaped pillow can put pressure on your urethra and stretch the perineum awkwardly. But, a coccyx cushion with a groove that runs from front to back, could be much more comfortable. Check out one sample of the coccyx cushion in the ICN Shop.

C. Be prepared for emergencies - Some patients allow themselves to become housebound because they worry that they will not be able to find a restroom or, worse, get stuck in a traffic jam. But, there is no reason why you cannot carry a porta potty and, in fact, there are some ingenious devices used in planes and cars that offer privacy and relief for a full, painful bladder. KantWate (http://www.kantwate.com) offers portable urinals for both men and women with custom fittings to avoid spillage. These products also have a chemical added which solidifies urine so that it can not leak out of the bag. It is neat, tidy and very useful in a crisis! (A beach towel or sheet placed over the lap can also offer privacy.) The TravelMate (http://www.travelmateinfo.com) allows women to urinate without having to lower their pants over their hips. This device is small and fits comfortable against the urethra with no leakage. (Really!) Best of all, it comes with car kit so that you can urinate even behind the wheel of your car. It can also be used by women so that they can urinate while standing up, to avoid particularly nasty facilities found in some gas stations. One TravelMate costs only $3.95 and is worth trying! It fits easily in a small purse or fanny pack and is very useful. Some patients just keep beach towels and plastic bags in their car. Put the towel in the bag, sit and go. Others make sure that they drive a four door car. They open the back door and the front door, to create a private area for voiding.

D. Be safe - Under no circumstance should an IC patient drive while taking strong pain medications. You risk not only your health, but those of other drivers by driving impaired. If pain is an issue, consider using a TENS unit in your car until you get home. In my early years, when driving was especially hard, I would GENTLY slap my thigh while driving. This acts similarly to a TENS unit and sometimes diverted my attention away from the pain. In other cases, a heating pad could be very helpful in taking the edge off. The new BodiHeat adhesive pads are perfect for driving because they deliver constant steady heat and can be worn in the car, at work and on planes.

E. Treat your body kindly - You would not run a marathon on a broken leg, so do not run a marathon on a painful bladder or pelvic floor. If you are in an active flare, rest frequently. Do NOT ignore the pain. There may be times when you should not get in the car, especially for longer car rides or vacations. Assess your pain that morning. If you are in a major flare, it may be best to pass on that car trip knowing that the vibration will probably make you much more uncomfortable by the end of the trip. Many patients report ruined vacations because they sat in the car far too long.

For some patients, a career as a bus driver may not be feasible if it flares their bladders every day. But, with some work, it may be possible to make those drives much more comfortable. I hope that these suggestions help! The more ideas and coping strategies the better!

[cyd]

hi Jill,

thank you for all your hard work and all you do everyday to help us all. ever since i found this website, i have found several specific important things to do that have made my life sooo much easier and improved the quality of my life. i cant thank you enough.!!!

i do alot of driving lately, and it amazes me that i can.

however, if i am flaring and feel extra irritated, this helps:

i keep a couple of small (pint size) water bottles filled and frozen in the freezer at all times. i actually stick one of these between my legs and kind of sit on it while i'm driving sometimes. i find because i burn so much, heat is worse, and the cold helps. i wrap it in a wash cloth, and as it melts, i can take the wash cloth off. sit on a towel under your skirt to prevent a wet spot. sometimes, though, i just dont care!

if driving long distance, i can stop in a gas station and get a cold water bottle in a pinch. also, when i drive on the interstate long distance, i usually have my dog with me. i will stop at every other rest stop, sometimes every single rest stop, like clockwork. we get out, pee, walk, pee again. the walking and the extra peeing really helps to keep me relaxed.

i drink quite a lot of water while i drive long distances, like from florida to chicago. if i keep hydrated, i always have something to void, my urges are less frustrating, and i avoid flaring up by keeping things flowing thru and my urine as diluted as possible.

also, while driving cross country, i do not go more than six or eight hours in a day. that may sound like a lot, but for the average person without i c, they will just drive straight thru 12 or 14 hours like nothing. ha. i know my limits, and i know when to stop and get a full long night of sleep. i dont care if it takes me 4 days instead of 2 days to get somewhere, i always go at the pace my bladder needs.

these little tricks work well for me and have enabled me to go longer distances, travel, and have more freedom. hope my pointers here can help someone else, good luck, everyone!

love, cyd in ocala, fla

[Briza]

I do similar to cyd, except I use a cold or frozen can of soda between the legs. Works best if wearing a skirt ;)
I drink a LOT of water so cold bottles of water don't last too long.:) Was never a soda fan so I'm not tempted to drink the cold cans of soda.
Thanks for the tips, Jill and cyd.:)

[cyd]

hi again, driving friends,

i thought of another pointer which i do and forgot to mention. okay, please dont report me to the FHP (florida highway patrol), but... i CANNOT AND DO NOT wear my seatbelt!

i sort of do, and i sort of don't. i wear the shoulder strap that comes across my chest. this is what i do, i'm not recommending it, but, it's the only way i can sit in the car at all:

i pull the seat belt all the way out of the receptacle thingy or whatever yacallit where it comes out over your left shoulder. i pull it all the way out, then i make it tight across my chest so i have a loose, long belt hanging over my lap.

then, i take a big metal paper clip, i got it at office depot, like what would be on top of an old fashioned clip board. i clip that near my right hip, where the belt starts to go across my lap. this holds pretty tight, and keeps the belt tight across my chest, but loose and slack across my lap; i hang the loose part down over the seat between my legs.

this is the ONLY WAY I CAN DRIVE. if that seat belt starts to touch my abdomen, even the lightest touch will drive me up a wall, i cannot tolerate it. (when i ride as a passenger in someone else's car, i have to hold the belt gently away from my lap.)

every several minutes, i have to unclip and pull the belt out again and reclip because it slowly retracts, the clip isnt strong enough to hold it hard enough. minor detail; it works.

so, like i say, the FHP probably would not approve, i dont think this is a very safe practice, but it enables me to drive. so for what it's worth, that's what i do.

happy travels, everyone,
love, cyd

[JanL]

I have recently discovered that a frozen flexible ice pack (the blue kind with sections) works great on my back while driving or riding in a car. Usually I use a heating pad in the car, but I started this during the summer and it really helps to keep down the inflammation. I have a small collapsible ice chest that I put lots of them in when I am going to be out running errands all day. The cold tends to keep down inflammation. I sometimes even put one under the seat belt strap that goes across the abdomen. It holds it in place and helps my bladder feel good. Cyd--you might try a clothes pin to keep the strap from moving. I am not sure if that is a very safe thing to do, but I do understand that there are times that I do not want anything tight to touch me.

Janice