For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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By flyingearly
#1881570
Now, at the risk of causing some offence to some people, let me tell you I'm merely hitting 40 next year but already my body is giving me the early signs I'm not a teenager anymore....

One thing I'm really noticing is that my flight range is increasingly constrained not by fuel or comfort, but by the need to stop for a pee.

I'll go before I depart, but after 90 minutes or so I will have gone from thinking 'I could do with a tiddle' to 'geesh, I'm having to really hold it in here'. There's always an incentive to land it first time and avoid a go-around. I don't drink anything en-route usually, unless it's really hot and I'll sip from a bottle of water.

So, my question is: is this normal?

I'm thinking that it might not be abnormal, but that maybe I'm still at that phase of my flying life where I'm still not 100% relaxed, trying to take stuff in, new experiences etc...and there's a bit of underlying healthy nervousness which manifests itself as the need to go. Perhaps as I build up my hours, I'll be a bit more chilled and my body will respond differently.

Also, in my aircraft the seats are VERY reclined (like sitting in a bucket) and so I'm slightly folded over, which I think puts a bit of pressure on my bladder.

It would be good to understand if I'm not alone here - what's normal, abnormal etc?
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By VRB_20kt
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1881580
What do you drink in the two-three hours before flying?

And does the urgency only occur when flying or does it affect your everyday life too?
By riverrock
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1881581
I found this was reduced when loosening my belt - I had pressure on my bladder from it due to the shape of the seats & harness. Everything seems perfectly comfy in the aircraft, till I needed to go!
The difficulty then comes, that your body starts associating needing to go, with the aircraft, so it can take some time to re-train.
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By lobstaboy
#1881584
[quote][/quote]Is it the same or different when you are driving? That'll tell you a bit about what's going on.
Also, are you at a comfortable temperature? I fly unheated aeroplanes a lot and find if you get the clothes wrong and get cold that wreaks havoc.
Whatever you do, don't allow yourself to be dehydrated - it impairs mental function a lot (good that you have water with you).
The competition glider pilots could tell you a thing or two, especially the girls...
By Bill McCarthy
#1881598
There is a series by three lads, on YouTube, called “Crossing the Atlantic In A Cessna”. They set off from Boston, I think, and do the Greenland, Iceland, Wick, Shoreham the non to Austria flight. Over the ocean they wear immersion suits but partially remove them, turn round and kneel on their seats and pee into any bottle or such like that they can find.
They are totally unprepared for U.K. radio procedures and are quite dismissive of them and are horrified at landing fee rates.
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By TheFarmer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1881600
To be honest, 90 minutes bladder endurance for a late-tricenarian seems pretty low to me, especially if it's a regular occurrence.
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By RichJordan
#1881602
Very late 30s here (won’t see the year out).

I have also found that in the last couple of years my endurance has reduced. Something about flying makes it worse. Possibly it’s just “the fear” of needing to go. I make a point of peeing immediately before getting in the aircraft to fly, whether I need to or not. As long as I do that, I can go several hours. If I forget I will IMMEDIATELY need to go the second I’m airborne.

I keep a bottle thing in the P1 foot locker just in case, have used it a couple of times on long flights.
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By lobstaboy
#1881603
TheFarmer wrote:To be honest, 90 minutes bladder endurance for a late-tricenarian seems pretty low to me, especially if it's a regular occurrence.


Well yes, it is. That's why I asked about the car - sort of similar situation. Being even blunter than @TheFarmer :-
a) no, I can go for much longer when driving - nothing to worry about. It's nerves
b) it's the same in the car - off to see your GP toot sweet...
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By Sooty25
#1881606
@flyingearly ya might want to let your Quack have a quick rummage and check it's all okay in there.
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By rikur_
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1881608
I have a theory that my bladder endurance reduced during lockdowns. I think the ability to go whenever I needed reduced the muscles, elasticity or whatever it is that helps hold it in. Seems to have recovered to normal as normal activity returned!
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By Sooty25
#1881609
rikur_ wrote:I have a theory that my bladder endurance reduced during lockdowns. I think the ability to go whenever I needed reduced the muscles, elasticity or whatever it is that helps hold it in. Seems to have recovered to normal as normal activity returned!


Or it might be you were closer to the kettle!
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By lobstaboy
#1881620
Mrs L says the problem is boredom. So there you go @flyingearly your flying needs to be less boring!
No I didn't like that answer either ;)
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By PeteSpencer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1881636
Could be benign prostatic enlargement (google BEP) but could be something more significant.

Do you get up at night for a pee frequently now (Not just after a night on the pi ss?)

In your daily life, when you first feel the need for a pee, have you really gotta go right there and then or can you hang on for half an hour?

You need your GP's finger up yer bum sooner rather than later.

Good luck. :wink:

Edit Above response assumes that the OP is of the male persuasion :wink:
Last edited by PeteSpencer on Tue Nov 09, 2021 11:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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By TheFarmer
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1881643
You need your GP's finger up yer bum sooner rather than later.


And in this day and age, it’s ok to ask for a woman to do it. Who’s not ginger. Who’s under 30 years old. And who has big t1ts.
Nick, AndyR, flybymike liked this