A prostate cancer survivor is campaigning for sanitary bins in men’s toilets to help patients who suffer from embarrassing side effects.
Alfred Fagan, 61, barely left his house for almost three months while experiencing incontinence following a radical prostatectomy.
Seven in 10 men who have their prostate gland removed report problems with controlling their bladders six months after surgery.
Grandfather-of-three Alfred warned too many men are being forced to live a “secret life” as they struggle to discreetly change and dispose of pads.
He added: “Some men might want to go to the pub and have a drink with a mate, but they know that if they have a pint it will make them need to go to the toilet.
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“For some people, the first thing they will do when they’re going out is check the facilities. It does change your lifestyle and mentally that will screw you up.
“Having the pads and nowhere to do what you need to do can make people depressed, and lead to them being locked in their house like a hermit. Everyone should have the right to leave their house.”
Alfred, of Birmingham, was diagnosed with prostate cancer more than 10 years ago after visiting his GP with backache.
Many men are not well prepared to deal with incontinence after their surgery, he said, adding: “When I went to the hospital and the surgeon took my catheter out, I didn’t even know I had to bring pads with me.
“He gave me one and by the time I got home I had to go straight to the supermarket. I thought, ‘what do I buy?’ I had seen adverts for women’s products but you never see adverts about men’s pads.”
Alfred is no longer incontinent but volunteers at Prostate Cancer UK support groups, offering advice to other men who are due to have a prostatectomy.
He explained: “I’m frank with men and tell them about the side effects. I say, ‘you can ask me the questions you really want to know’. If you talk about it, it’s not that it won’t be embarrassing, but at least you’re prepared for it.
“You would be amazed at the number of men who know about erectile dysfunction but no one ever mentioned that they might be incontinent.”
Alfred is backing a campaign from Prostate Cancer UK and phs Group. Their “BOG Standard charter” calls on businesses and organisations to install sanitary bins in men’s toilets.
A survey for the campaign found 79% of men who have had prostate cancer and live with incontinence miss out on activities due to fears about leaking or not having access to a bin.
Two thirds of the 250 men surveyed said the planning and organisation needed to find adequate facilities was “utterly exhausting”.
Alfred also wants to see vending machines where men can buy pads installed in bathrooms. He added: “Men’s toilets are the most gross things in the world anyway – this is a good idea.
“You have toilet roll, why not have bins? You can buy condoms, and I dare say in the women’s toilets you might be able to buy sanitary products.
“But if a bloke gets caught short, there’s nothing he can do except go home with wet trousers.”
Matthew Brabin, of washroom and hygiene firm phs Group, said: “Our aim is to remove the stigma around male incontinence and work with our customers to provide facilities for men to dispose of their incontinence facilities with dignity.
“It’s what we would want for our friends, colleagues, family members or ourselves, and this is why we are so passionate about this cause.”