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bride found miracle chair
Used to “having accidents" if her admirers cracked jokes on dates, Jennifer Jones was just eight years old when she first noticed her lack of bladder control.
But her biggest fear was leaving a wet patch on her bridal gown when she tied the knot with hubby Gareth Jones.
“I knew as soon as my dad told me he would be making a speech that I'd have to take extra measures to prevent an accident from happening," she said. “No bride wants to wet herself on her big day, but I knew I had to take precautions and it's lucky I did – as by the end of it all I had to sneak off to the toilet and sort out a few minor leaks."
Jennifer was so worried about her problem that after getting engaged on Valentine's Day 2016, her joy was swiftly tinged with fear as she knew her dad, Chris Brown, would make a funny speech at the wedding.
“My friends and family all joked about me having an accident on the big day but it was no joke, it was a real concern of mine," she said. “I've made light of my condition for all these years, but even I draw the line at being the bride who wets herself."
Embarrassed by her weak bladder from an early age, Jennifer recalls how her electrician brother Ben Brown relished in making her laugh so much she wet herself as they grew up together.
“For as long as I can remember, there were awful consequences whenever I had a fit of the giggles," said Jennifer, who recalled frequently changing her clothes three times a day, because of mishaps. “My brother had a particular knack for making me laugh to the point that I couldn't control my bladder and while it was funny at the time, I also remember the shame I felt when it happened at family get togethers."
Diagnosed with an overactive bladder at age 10, Jennifer's parents thought it was something she would “grow out of".
But it continued into secondary school, and she recalls being 13 and finding it a nightmare.
“I was at a very self conscious age and if it wasn't laughing fits that made me break the seal, it was some form of aerobics – especially anything that involved jumping in the air," she said. “I remember once doing a particularly overzealous star jump on a friend's trampoline and as soon as I came crashing down I felt my bottoms begin to soak."
“It was mortifying to say the least, but luckily my closest set of friends knew all about it and wouldn't make fun of me," she said.
At 15 Jennifer was offered a treatment on the NHS, using a mild electrical current to stimulate her pelvic floor with a probe, similar to a TENS (transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) machine, which provides a method of pain relief involving electrical currents.
“We had the machine on loan for six weeks and I was suppose to use it every night," she explained.
“But the whole process was so unpleasant and, although I'm not sure if I used it properly, it did nothing for me in terms of treating the problem," she added.
Resigned to the fact that she might never find a cure for her incontinence, Jennifer would take precautions to prepare herself for “unexpected leaks."
“I became an expert at covering up my incontinence," she said.
“If I was watching a comedy show or going round to a friend's house for dinner I'd make sure I had a spare pair of knickers and an extra skirt in my bag," she added. “I was known for changing my pants up to three times on particularly excitable nights and I made sure I had half a dozen pads in my bag at all times too."
Dating was a minefield for Jennifer before she met her husband.
“I hadn't expected the guy to be as funny as he was when he asked me out, so I didn't bring the usual provisions with me," she said, recalling a particular date. “Of course, he had me in absolute stitches and before I knew it I was in the bathroom drying my skirt under the hand dryer for 30 minutes. Lord knows what he thought I was doing in there, but it's safe to say we didn't go on a second date."
Fortunately, her romantic luck changed in 2014 when she was introduced to Gareth by friends.
“We immediately hit it off and when he asked me out I was completely up front about my condition," she said. “It's not exactly a turn on telling a potential love interest that you might wet yourself if they crack a half-decent joke, but if anything, he saw it as a challenge."
“Second to my dad he's the funniest man I know. He used to say he knew he'd cracked a good joke if I had to walk to the toilet bent over," she added.
In May 2016, they had their son, Dillon, completing their family.
“Dillon's the best thing that happened to me, but having him was also another reminder of my condition," said Jennifer.
“My weak bladder made it so much harder to run around and do things like soft play and trampolining that so many parents take for granted," she continued.
A turning point finally came in April 2019, after a friend of her mum invited her to try out a “magic chair," at the New U Clinic in Brinsley, Nottingham. Keen to give it a go, patients sit on what is called an Emsella Chair, which works by generating electromagnetic fields from a coil positioned in the seat and they stimulate the movement nerves in the pelvic floor, causing the muscles to contract and release hundreds of times a minute.
“I sat on the chair and felt an unusual sensation zapping between my legs but it didn't hurt at all," said Jennifer. “It felt like I was doing pelvic floor exercises at a supersonic rate."
After completing three of the six 30-minute sessions Jennifer was blown away by the results of the treatment.
“I noticed straight away that I wasn't having as many accidents, but the real test came three weeks in, when a child I was looking to have a go on a trampoline," she said. "I accepted that I was just going to have to deal with the consequences, but to my amazement after a serious workout there wasn't a single leak."
Describing how the treatment has changed her life over the past three months, Jennifer explained that she can now do things she never thought would be possible.
“I feel like a new woman, I can go to Zumba class and play with the children without embarrassing myself in the park," she said.
But what Jennifer is most excited about is being able to enjoy a “good laugh" without fear of wetting her pants.
“As soon as Bill Bailey is on tour, I'm going to book tickets," she said. “I've spent my life avoiding live comedy and now I can finally enjoy a good laugh without – quite literally – wetting myself."
To find out more about Emsella, click here