A WOMAN from Upton has spoken out about how a bladder condition has stopped her from going abroad, to the cinema or eating at new restaurants.

In 2019, when Rebecca Mennell was just 18, she suffered from bladder pains and felt the need to constantly go to the toilet, which she thought was just a urinary tract infection (UTI).

After going to the doctor, Rebecca was diagnosed with an overactive bladder (OAB) and was told it was incurable and she would have the condition for the rest of her life.

Overactive bladder (OAB) syndrome means that the bladder, which is a bag made of muscle, squeezes (contracts) suddenly without you having control and when the bladder is not full. 

How OAB has changed Rebeccas's life 

Speaking to the Globe, she said: "I couldn't be outside of my house for more than five minutes without feeling anxious and panicking because I needed the toilet.

"I was put on three different courses of tablets by the doctors but none of them eased my symptoms or made anything better."

Rebecca, who explained the condition as "feeling like you have a constant UTI", developed severe anxiety and depression, as she would constantly feel like she needed the toilet.

Since her diagnosis, Rebecca has not been on holiday, gone to the cinema or travelled far from Wirral, as she likes being in familiar settings, where she knows there is a toilet.

Wirral Globe: Rebecca on holiday before her diagnosisRebecca on holiday before her diagnosis (Image: Rebecca Mennell)

She added: "Everything I knew stopped. I used to love cycling and going on holiday and that changed because I couldn't go five minutes without needing a toilet. I put everything on hold and people didn't understand when I said I couldn't go somewhere.

"I was really embarrassed and my partner really got me through it all. The last time I went to Tenerife I nearly passed out on the plane, because when you've sat down you can't go to the toilet until you're in the air.

"In a cinema or restaurant, I would just think people are thinking why am I going to the toilet so much if I keep getting up."

Now 24, Rebecca has decided to share her story to raise awareness of the condition so others who have symptoms can get the right diagnosis.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say it wasn't difficult", Rebecca explained.

"I can't do all of the normal things people do but I'm not getting any younger.

"As much as I've still got a life, I've lost a big chunk of what I had before. I can't even do driving lessons because of my condition."

Rebecca uses a "Just Can’t Wait Toilet Card" which is free to download on your phone and allows access to toilets not normally available to the general public. 

She is currently seeing a bladder specialist and hopes to take her partner on holiday in the near future, to thank him for supporting her throughout her diagnosis.