www.incontinentsupport.org

Hey all,
Well, I have been doing the squeezes every day or so.. and its suprising what effect it has had. I do not claim total continence..because well i still have had incidences where im without proteciton and a spurt of urine escapes.. but as of lately i no longer notice floods or spurts..more of my urine is ending up in the toilet. Obviously this is a good thing for sure.. but.. on the other hand i dont want to get my hopes up too high.. because i was dry before for a month or two, and it all went to crap... and i was dry for 4 years and then it went to crap.. Perhaps now that i quit walmart my stress level is reduced.. But im nowhere near ready to stop wearing protection.. id need a week of totally dry diapers to even consider wearing underwear at home, and I'm not there yet. even with dribbles or spurts, id still want protection..the lightest diaper around..but i still wouldnt want wet undewear against my skin. I am leery about being optimistic about being dry.. because ive been let down before.. honestly.. im ambivelent about this change..not sure what to feel. Its like yeah im happy about being drier.. but in the back of my mind im wondering..how long will it last??? This is the mental toll that having inconteince takes.. you get to a point that wearing diapers and using htem becomes the norm..and wehn you suddenly find yourself drier..that takes some getting used to.

Peace out!

Rob

_________________
"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

That's Good news Rob that things are improving, you could use real fit for men for week 2 incase you get a few dribbles then to regular underware starting week 3 and hopefully from then on and never having to wear protection again.

Rob, keep up the Kegel squeezes. The all-too-human pattern is that, as we see progress, we become bored and slack off on the exercises. It is important to try to break up the monotony and encourage yourself to keep up with the program.

I probably see the difference caused by slacking off on the Kegel exercises much more quickly than the rest of you. Every morning I do my series of preventive old-fashioned red bag soapsuds and saline enemas as a preventive measure for my bowel incontinence. Due to the nerve damage to my sphincter muscles I must tone up with the Kegels to be able to retain the very soapy solution for the desired 10 minutes of holding time - despite the cramps. When I am up to date with my Kegels I do fairly well at this (with a lot of practice). However, when I let my Kegels slide for a couple of weeks, I become noticeably "leakier" or even begin to have major "losses" requiring a major cleanup. This all-too visible result encourages me to keep my exercise program up.

I have several Kegel exercise apps for my iPhone to break up the monotony and encourage me to follow a more formal program. However, as I have mentioned previously, if I forget or skip the formal exercises, I will do the Kegels more casually while walking, watching t.v., etc.

When I really am on my program I do "advanced" or "dynamic" Kegels. The goal is to strengthen the muscles to perform when we need them most - in certain postures or in motion during certain movements - i.e., when we usually are most at risk of an accident. For bowel incontinence that often is when walking up stairs, quickly walking/running, getting up from the floor, and any time the legs must be spread. As I need not to leak during my enema I do very strong Kegels during the movements and postures that I use during that procedure. Everyone's needs are different, but you will get the idea from the above. Sorry for the TMI, but this may help someone.

--John