www.incontinentsupport.org

Ok.. heres the situation. I have heard that Abena, Tena Slip Maxi, Dry 24/7 and Molicare, and Gary's A+ Brand are all extended wear diapers right? They hold a lot and can go hours without changing... But is that true if one only wets a small amount of time? what if one floods the diaper? Reason I ask this is my friend and I went to the local brewery..and i knew id be drinking a few beers...ended up drinking 3.. maybe more than I should have.. because the beer was stronger than most domestic beers.. anyway.. first time i had an urge to pee.. i made it.. but as often happens with my WBS, I started leaking and then the floodgates opened when i went to get paper towels..I spilled my 3rd beer Later on, i went to pull down te diaper to pee again.. and as i did..i noticed stuffing leaking out.. im like what??? then i notice it.. stuffing leaking out of the right front side of the diaper.. I pull up my pants, and tell my friend.. lets go as soon as youre done drinking your beer.. It was right aroundthe time i planned to leave anyway.. I usually don't drink more than 2 beers in a sitting..but tonight i felt like a 3rd.. but i digress.. my point is should have the tena slip fallen a part like that fter being wet after i pulled it down to pee? Is it the case that all an extended wear diaper is good for is one or two floods and then its done for?? Thoughts are appreciated. Oh, and i wasnt embarassed bout hte stuffing issue..my pants didnt get wet.. and i doubt anyone if they saw it on the floor would know what that was from. after all it looks like bits of cotton...

Peace out!

Rob

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"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

I had not had that experience with any of the premium diapers that i have used including the Tena Slip. Not sure what to make of it.

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"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

If I'm going to drink, I almost always have the wife out a foley in me so I don't have to worry about running to the bathroom every 15 minutes and leaking/dribbling in my pants......

Geek,

How much time had passed from the time you put on the diaper until you noticed it degrading? If you changed at home then went out to enjoy three beers, possible about 5 - 6 hours?

I have found the "life" of some diapers to be more dependent on the total length of wear than their wetness.

As I normally am only bowel incontinent, I have worn some diapers for as long as 16 hours before changing (I now change after about 9). Although they remain "dry" except for water vapor and perspiration, some begin to degrade and break up at some point between about 6 and 9 hours. I pee by pulling up a leg gather and occasionally have noticed the top of the standing leak guards pulling away from the rest. This leaves a thin and very uncomfortable strip of strong thread which can cut into the sensitive skin. Of course, clumping can occur, even in a "dry" diaper. Also, I have noticed the mat separating from the backing. Sometimes the mat begins to split and release SAP gel crystals!

When I was double incontinent, and a heavy wetter, the diaper degradation rate was about the same and did not seem to get worse solely as a result of getting saturated - or over saturated

The premium diapers generally perform better than less expensive ones, so I guess we get what we pay for.

--John

My take on this is that it sort of depends on what you mean by "extended wear". If all you mean is you can wear the diaper for 8-10 hours without it leaking then that may be true for many of the premium brands. If what you really mean is how long can you wear the thing without it sagging badly, clumping, falling apart, tapes popping or starting to really smell of ammonia, then I don't push any of the diapers I use during the day past about 6 hours. I like to use Tena Slip Maxi's at work and Wellness Superio's for just about everything else during waking hours. At night I seem to shift between Abena's or A+ or I'll stuff an insert into one of my daytime diapers if it's still dry when I go to bed to get me through the night. I'm very sensitive about smell most of all, maybe even more obsessively so than about leaks. I abhor the idea of a client or colleague being able to smell "old wet diaper smell" on me so I'd rather err on the side of changing a bit before I maybe have to than risk smelling or leaking.

CJ

I'm thinking the failure point may have been from pulling the diaper down to urinate. If you didn't undo the tapes completely to bring the diaper down gently without pulling on it, instead pulling and stretching it down, it's possible the diaper stretched or tore enough to let padding out.

Tena Slip Maxi are my favorite for going out for dinner/drinking. Still thin enough to be discreet, absorbent enough to handle drinking. I do change immediately before leaving for the restaurant and try to limit myself to 2 drinks (typically a heavy ale, like a stout) and water. I don't get as many hours out of it as without drinking, however. I always bring a small messenger bag with a spare just in case. I've learned it's just less stressful that way. Cutting a good time short because of a diaper fail is not a fun way to live.

I wear plastic backed Abena M4's 24/7/365 for urge incontinence. The urges come at unpredictable times and when my bladder contains anywhere from a couple ounces to a couple of cups of urine. So I often end up producing substantial floods, which is why I wear a top-quality, high-capacity diaper. I've been dealing with this condition for many years and have become quite adept at being able to tell when a diaper is saturated enough not to be able to take any more. And how much "any more" in the near future is likely varies with how much I've recently drunk or plan to drink. At my age, I go out drinking with my buddies much less often than I used to. But when I do, I carry a backpack with a spare diaper in it and change when the need arises. Sociologygeek, I think your ability to deal with these things in an effective way will improve with practice.