According to Insider, the road connecting New York to the favorite resort of the wealthy is experiencing hours of traffic jams and a severe lack of public restrooms. The famous resort area The Hamptons (Long Island) is crowded with residents from New York who flock to their summer homes in the middle of the year. Therefore, wealthy New Yorkers are looking for medical procedures to help them avoid going to the bathroom while traveling.
Surgery to reduce the feeling of needing to urinate
A segment of wealthy New Yorkers are turning to medical procedures to reduce the feeling of frequent urination. These include a specialized procedure to reduce the size of the prostate gland (PAE) in men and “bladder botox” to reduce the frequency of trips to the bathroom in women.
“A lot of people have this problem, especially older people. On the way to the Hamptons, they stop four or five times along the way but can’t find a place to relieve themselves,” says David Shusterman, MD, a urologist in New York City.
Traffic jams and lack of public restrooms are concerns for New York tourists.
The doctor shared that since the beginning of summer, the number of people requesting PAE procedures has increased by about 20%. Since May, the number of people interested has increased dramatically. The simple reason is that when riding in a car with other people, no one wants to stop in the middle of the journey to go to the restroom.
Shusterman estimates he has performed about 10 PAEs per week over the past few months, and “bladder botox” procedures once or twice a week.
The PAE procedure usually takes an hour. Recovery is quick and patients can go home the same day. For women, the “bladder botox” procedure involves injecting a special drug that reduces the frequency of bowel movements for up to six months.
Spend tens of thousands of dollars
David Shusterman says women who undergo the procedure range in age from 20 to 80. The average cost for both procedures ranges from a few thousand dollars to $20,000. Shusterman says it may seem extreme for wealthy New Yorkers to resort to this procedure, but it makes sense if they have to endure holding their urine for hours while traveling.
"Many people have told me about arguments and disagreements in the car with friends and family when someone needed to get off the road and find a restroom but to no avail. I myself argued with three friends while I was driving and refused to stop for them," Shusterman said.
“During the pandemic, many wealthy New Yorkers moved to their homes in the Hamptons. The traffic situation has become more complicated since then,” said an elderly man who undertook PAE.
Rich New Yorkers don't mind spending money to experience the full feeling of travel.
This person said he was stuck in traffic for 4 hours and couldn’t find a restroom along the way. After seeking medical intervention, the worry of finding a restroom along the way disappeared. For those who don’t want to touch the knife, Shusterman advises travelers to stay away from alcohol because it directly irritates the bladder.
“Drink water, but in moderation. You don’t want to be stuck in a long line of cars and not know how long you’ll have to hold your pee,” says Shusterman.
According to the New York Times, New York City in particular and New York State in general have too few public restrooms, causing great inconvenience to residents and millions of tourists who come here every year. People often have to fight to get into restrooms, or have to pay at stores and restaurants to use facilities that are supposed to be free.
A 2020 study by architect Julie Chou, urban planner Kevin Gurley and data analyst Boyeong Hong of New York found that New York had only about 1,100 public restrooms, the same number as 40 years ago.
