www.incontinentsupport.org

D1gt, welcome.. you are ceritanly not alone.. to the above, yes..we've been there and done that...myself included.. like you, im young and in college, leading an active life. My bladder hasnt totally given out on me, but it can get pretty wet down there sometimes.. so i have to wear diapers all the time too. You have discovered by trial and error what most of us have dealing with chronic incontinece... med's dont work, and diapers are really the easiest hassle- free way to deal with this. Believe me when i say acceptence and living with this gets easier over time. I am incontinenent due to peripheral neuropathy, and as of yet, have not been given hope of a effective treatment. My incontniece comes and goes in severity, but never going away completely. My last option my urologist has given me is InterStim therapy.


about leaking at night.. have you tried a disposable called abena abriform x-Plus? they are very absorbent and may solve your leak problem..

Hope you enjoy your stay here.. a lot of good people here..and very moderated too..

_________________
"We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love" Mother Teresa

"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!" - Captain Picard from Chain of Command, Part II

Well d1git... don't feel alone. There are definately other young folks with incontinence issues. My control dissapeared gradually so I suppose you could say that I was more prepared for being diapered 24/7 than others have been.

I will say this much... having a quality diaper makes all the difference in the world. The good ones are worth the price you have to pay to get them. You'll get used to changing in public and dealing with those issues over time. I've been wearing 24/7 since high school, so I've seen and done it all.

What brands are you using right now? Maybe it's time you tried something different to get better performance.

_________________
~~PuddleGuy

I figure I'll kill two birds with one stone here! I do wear x-pluses at night and cheapo ones during the day. I used to use abenas during the day as well but I'm really rash-prone so changing more often is better for me... ended up paying a lot for the high-quality stuff (and I'm not getting any help affording them).

As for leaking at night being due to lower quality diapers, I find that I'm leaking because I sleep on my side and the diapers don't seem to like that very much.

If you're a big side sleeper try cloth diapers. With a thick cloth diaper and a good pair of plastic pants you'll be leak free. I have trained myself over the years to sleep mostly on my back... but there are still times where I fall asleep on my side. I have some cloth diapers to wear at night and they really help out.

_________________
~~PuddleGuy

Yeah, I'll probably try what people seem to recommend with combining disposables and cloth and see how it works out before I switch completely.

When you think about it, it really doesn't make any difference if you sleep on your side or not. It all comes down to two things; the amount of loss someone has at night,..... and the type of protection used.

I used cloth at night for a long time but found it to be a real hassle and I'm not so sure that it really saves much money, if any, using cloth compared to disposables. For some, maybe it does save money, and then there is always the issue of cloth over disposables because of environmental issues. Obviously, there are a lot of factors that need to be considered in making a determination which is best for you.

I'm not actually totally incontinent, but since I had a urinary tract infection about a year ago, I do have a lot more trouble holding my pee when I have to go bad. I was a bedwetter until the age of 16 and I've always had to go often during the day and have always had to get up at least twice at night. Small bladder maybe?

Even before the infection, I had started to have trouble when I had a strong urge. I even wet my pants in the car when driving with my boyfriend in New York a couple of years ago. (You can't just stop and get out to pee!) At the time, I didn't think that I really needed diapers, but I did start wearing those Male Guard pads you put in your briefs. They helped with urge peeing if couldn't get to a bathroom right away, but I had to be careful - a couple of good squirts and they start leaking!

After my infection and after nearly wetting my pants a couple of times at work , I decided I better start wearing diapers. Not a traumatic thing for me. I've always had kind of a thing for diapers although I never really acted out on it.

So I consider myself pretty lucky. I like to wear diapers and I have a reason to wear them. Even though I use the bathroom when I can, its great to have the security of the diaper when I need it. (And believe me, during some of the long meetings I have to attend, the diaper has truly been a godsend!)

Wade

Have you seen a doctor? It may help seeing one..

_________________
"We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love" Mother Teresa

"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!" - Captain Picard from Chain of Command, Part II

Yes I did see a doctor right when I started having symptoms of the infection. Got treatment right away. I've been for more tests including an ultrasound. Just had blood tests and I have to go back and see him. Just making sure its not a prostate problem.

Anyway he said it was normal to have a problem holding it after an infection.

Ok.. usually UTIs are transient. If your problem is just an infection, your pretty lucky, as that is very treatable and goes away. You probably will get to the point of not needing protection.

Most of us on this board, myself included are not as lucky. I'm facing the possibilty of having bladder control problems for the rest of my life.

You say you had problems before the infeciton. Did you mention this to the doctor? Have you had urodynamics? Do you have any neurological symtoms? there may be neurological causes..mine is caused by neuropathy..and perhaps something related also called ataxia..I'm waiting to get tested for that stuff come may. Hope to find some answers.

_________________
"We cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love" Mother Teresa

"THERE ARE FOUR LIGHTS!" - Captain Picard from Chain of Command, Part II