A woman waiting for surgery for incontinence has said that the condition has left her a “shell of who I was”. 

According to the US National Library of Medicine, a survey found that 32% of American women reported symptoms on at least a monthly basis. 

However, despite the prevalence of the condition, it is something that is rarely talked about. 

On The Hard Shoulder, Lisa Watson described it as one of the final taboos in women’s health and admitted it was “not an easy topic to discuss”. 

 “I'm coming forward and I'm being so vocal about it because we all know somebody suffering with this,” she explained. 

“And it's almost like a dirty word and it shouldn't be a dirty word, because it will impact every woman I think at some stage in their life. 

“The more we vocalise and we talk and we share, the more it no longer becomes taboo and the public need to be aware that there are so many women like me suffering.” 

Ms Watson continued that incontinence has impacted her life in “every single way imaginable” and has severely limited her social life. 

“I can't socialise anymore,” she said. 

“I can't dance, I used to love to dance; my friends will tell you I'd be the first on the dance floor, I'm the one sitting down now. 

“I can't drink not that I want to go out and get drunk every night of the week. 

“But I'd like to be able to have one or two and not worry about it. I can't do that anymore.” 

'A very, very lonely place to be' 

Her condition means that wherever she goes, the first thing she looks for is a bathroom. 

“Emotionally, like I'm a shell of who I was,” she said. 

“And to the outside world, I look so put together but when I'm at home and I am going through these moments of when or how can I be fixed? 

“It's lonely, it's a very, very lonely place to be.” 

Surgery for incontinence in Ireland was paused in 2018 and women with the condition must now travel abroad for the procedure. 

An Irish doctor is being trained in Spain to carry out the surgery and Ms Watson hopes it will soon become available once again on the HSE. 

“What about the risks of travelling home after a surgery?” she said. 

“And what about the hypocrisy there? I think it absolutely is the most inhumane thing that you could force a woman to do. 

“I want to have my surgery here with the consultant that I have chosen in an Irish hospital and I want to recover here with the care of my family and my friends around me.”

The HSE has been contacted for comment.

Main image: A woman with incontinence. Picture by: Alamy.com.