www.incontinentsupport.org

Incontinence and having to deal with diapers effects us in many ways
Including in the workplace whether it's an office, on the road or outdoors. I wanted to consolidate a thread so we may shares it stories,
Tips and tricks for handling incont. In the workplace and how it effects you
Has incont effected any of your job functions? Your work? Were any of your meeting effected in any way?
Have you had to explain to your boss/supervisor about your incontinence?
Or have coworkers treated you slightly differently?

Initially shortly following my car accident, my frequency issues caused me to run back and forth To the restroom. I have had to go multiple times in a meeting before. And as my panic attack and anxiety issues worsened along with my urinarh issues I ended up leaking into my pants and had to miss a rather important part of meeting with client. Supervisor was bit annoyed. I often felt my work was being interrupted by my bladder especially when I get an exciting breakthrough in my work.
When I had a bad bout of depression I spent most of my day at home and missed couple team outings to a baseball game and dinners. I felt kinda self conscious and extremely fearful at the time for a variety of reasons. Including fear of getting run Over or in another car accident or embarrassingly leaking in front of coworkers.
I Knew I needed to do something- and decided it may be worth getting some protection at least.
At first I didn't know too well how to manage the diapers and
Had a couple of leaks and less than pleasant odors I was unaware of- luckily most of them were at home and I quickly learned which diapers were good, decent and bad.

I am now able to attend meetingS without worry. And I feel sense of relief, security and comfort instead of fear, frustration and needless meaningless worry. I can redirect my worries elsewhere.... For the most part

I make sure to keep spare plastic pants, diaper and some supplies in my car which is only an elevator ride from where I work. And I sometimes have to go to another floor empty restroom to change or toilet

kdlstar, have you undergone any mental health treatment for your depression/anxiety? I, too, had a rear-end motor vehicle collision (2009 - my car was totaled), and I have spent the last 10 years working as a legal assistant helping people to resolve those types of claims. Neither I nor any of our office clients have had a circumstantial reaction such as yours, and counseling may help you overcome your negative feelings and move on with your life in a positive way.

Wetters

Yes I got quite a bit of medical treatment- it was quite insane
Had a ton of therapy, pt, counseling etc and tons of docs, meds etc
I briefly described my story in my initial post...I believe it's filed under "how you became incontinent"-> "a crashing flurry of symptoms".
My story is quite long and complicated. I am not sure if I will post the whole thing here. I ran around to ton of doctors trying to find answers and treatment for my various symptoms following my car accident. Though I wasn't able to get sufficient answers and diagnoses after the litany of tests, I at least got sufficient treatment to be able to mitigate and manage my issues. And my ptsd and anxiety seem to be greatly diminished from before
Now I have come to accept quite gladly the slight incontinence, having to wear padding, and my current urinary condition. I find it definitely preferable to the crazy intrusive and highly intimate pains and symptoms I was getting all across my body from head to toe last year- especially pelvic pain!
I kinda just gave up looking for answers and learned to live with it- managing it as it comes and goes. Mentally and emotionally at least I feel better- and my body doesn't seem to quirk as much.

Wetters mainly with this thread I want to share everyone's stories, tips, tricks in dealing with incontinence and how it's effected their work life

Despite legislation intended to protect medically needy folks, disabilities can and do still cause discrimination.

In my case, the cause was not incontinence. I have bi-lateral (both ears) Meniere's disease, with Tumarkins attacks. During a Meniere's attack, the patient (victim) experiences intense vertigo. These attacks can last from a few moments to six weeks. The vertigo was so intense that, at one time, I was unable to keep food or water down; my weight dropped to 110 lbs.. In between attacks, the patient can appear to be normal. My bosses looked at me during these remissions and thought that the attacks were psychosomatic, so they sent me for counseling. Tumarkins attacks are a feature of the bi-lateral form of Meniere's. In a Tumarkins attack the patient simply collapses, without warning or aura of any kind. After a Tumarkins attack, I typically need three to four hours to recover. During a Tumarkins attack I always lose bladder and bowel control. Even if I did not need protection for other reasons, Meniere's would make wearing protection necessary.

Our society has a long way to go to begin to treat medical disabilities in ways that promote the greater good for us all.

kdlstar,

I understand to a degree what you are going through. Although I don't feel that my incon causes too much inconvenience at work, with the exception of having to change every so often and "hiding" the used diaper in the trash. I found more issues when I had my concussion back last October. Since the concussion occurred at on job, I didn't have much recourse at my full time job. However, since my full time job is mostly mental and computer work, it really affected my performance there more than the part time job where the injury occurred. Since then, thankfully, my full time employer put me on intermittent FMLA and my doctor's have helped greatly control the effects of the concussion including Post Concussive Disorder and multiple month long migraines. But the loss in productivity and how it affected my relations with my coworkers was evident. I only hope that I am past that for good. Only time will tell.

_________________
"Why is the rum always gone?" - Captain Jack Sparrow

"There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise." -
Gore Vidal

Hi Msshendo,
I am sorry about your concussion. it can be a bit of a challenge to recover from an event like that. I hope that you were able to get some kind of "workers comp" or something.
FMLA can be quite unnerving to have to take- especially for medical issues. But I am glad that you are able to get treatment for your injury.

Patrick,
I know it is very difficult to deal with disabilities and the disabled. This is especially so with "less visible" and "invisible" disabilities- its like although you seem 'normal', and 'functioning', you are actually suffering or having/close to having major episodes. This was especially so when I was having bad depression and panic attacks. I would try to put on a facade at work and around coworkers. But internally I was sometimes merely millimeters from total breakdown. Several times I had to go into a private dark room and vent out the rage, fear and strong emotions. Among other things, I believe this greatly diminished my productivity.

Are you able to control your weight better now? is your boss more understanding now?

-kdl

kdlstar, I received workers comp for the initial ER visit and not much else. At the time, after the initial visit, things seemed to calm down. One of the discoveries with the initial ER visit was a cyst on my pineal gland which is a gland almost directly in the center of one's brain on the bottom where the spinal cord attaches. There was some concern of that cyst and resulting Dr visits were in regard to that. Since that had nothing to do with the concussion, it was not part of the workers comp claim.

Like I said, shortly after the concussion, things calmed down and the workers comp claim was closed and settled. Since then, I developed Post Concussive Disorder and frequent migraines. I have been working with a neurologist on that but it has been on my own insurance. I think we have finally gotten to a point where I'm operating sufficiently and well enough without too many migraines or side effects from the medication. So, steady as she goes.

Thank you for your concern and questions. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

_________________
"Why is the rum always gone?" - Captain Jack Sparrow

"There is no human problem which could not be solved if people would simply do as I advise." -
Gore Vidal

msshendo,

That's one difficult place to have a cyst. I hope it never, never causes you trouble. Trouble there can be trouble indeed.

kdlstar,

How well I understand your need to vent in private. And having a job which requires concentration over a whole shift must have been more than challenging. You have my respect, admiration, and sympathy.

About my weight: Consuming enough calories to keep my weight at 135 lbs. is difficult. Every bite comes back on me. Most Marfan folks are underweight, and I have Marfan. Most Meniere's folks have difficulty keeping food down, and I have Meniere's. All gastroparesis folks are underweight, and I have gastroparesis. My family and doctors are concerned; I'm doing my best, but it is a challenge.

I took an early retirement due to my (expletive deleted) bosses. Currently I'm working on a science fiction novel. I may never get it published, but it does keep me off the streets and out of the bars at night.

Thanks for asking.

Patrick, Can you tolerate protein shakes, or would that be an obvious solution if you could? I'm not educated in nutrition or the metabolic process, but I'm guessing most high-protein foods (like meat) are hard (impossible?) for you to digest, given your gastroparesis. What about peanut putter, tapioca and other pudding-type foods? I would think that eggs would work for you, but maybe not enough calories, and not palatable to you. What about dairy products?

Wetters