www.incontinentsupport.org

New to your group here, I had a head injury back in 93' when I received a blow to the head in an industrial accident. I have had headaches for 17 years now although these were to subside in a year they said. "NOT". After a period of a month or so I would notice a small leakage without needing to go to the toilet. I did mention it to the doctor and he said that it should subside also. As time went on I sometimes now have an urgent to go at various times, never know when it will be. I still can just be walking or sitting and a small leakage will happen without any signal that I need to go.
There have been quite a few times when I'd wake up in the night and find I was wetting myself. I have never slept through the happening I guess you'd call it and I'd jump up and go to the John.
After 4 to 5 years of the headaches I was told that I'd probably have my problems from now on due to neurotransmitter damage. So much for "subsiding". I let the issues of my problems become a reality and just dealt with them as a issue I'll just have to live with. The incontinence problems have not seemed to grow any worse and I've learned to tolerate the headaches much better over the years. Depression is always a problem when I've had headaches for several weeks at a time. The incontinence seems to worsen a bit during these times too.
To deal with my leaking problem ,which is nowhere near what most others here is , I sometimes wear nothing and at other times a pant liner is used when a bathroom is not near. At night I will wear a cover over my normal underwear cause I never know when I will just let loose. Since I always wake up I can make the bathroom before I'm soaked. I wear no diapers due to this fact...
I've not read anything on here of problems as minimal as mine so compared to most here my problems would be nothing to you but it was to me in the early years. Now I've accepted it that it's a nuesence and I'll make the best of it..
After the first couple of years I dropped it from my list of complaints to the doctors as it was a minor problem compared to the headaches.

Didn't mean to make such a long post but do any others here have these sort of, minor?, symptoms that I do?

Mike

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Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience!

Greetings, woodworm

Regardless of how much leakage you've got, a lot or a little, it's still incontinence and you are welcome here. I'm sure there are quite a few lurkers here who have leakage, or bedwetting, or spastic bladder or irritable bowel.

I can't imagine what it would be like to have headaches for weeks at a time! Ouch. I rarely get headaches, but I had one for a couple of days this past week. Was I miserable. Having one for weeks... wow, that's tough. You have my sympathy!

You said the accident happened 17 years ago, and they told you 4 to 5 years later that it was permanent. I imagine medical technology--especially with neurology--has improved greatly since then. Maybe you could have them take another look at you? There might be a way to test for whatever is causing this.


Since my bladder problem is more extensive I have never used a product like this, but there are products like normal cotton underwear that have a protective panel in the center. It's for people like you with a leakage problem that isn't bad enough for a diaper. I know of two brands, HealthDri Briefs and Wearever Briefs.

HealthDri by Salk, Inc.
http://www.salkinc.com/healthdri-cotton-mens.html

Wearever Briefs
http://www.eversures.com/mensincontinen ... ducts.aspx

Google for "HealthDri" or "Wearever Briefs" and you'll find a lot of dealers. I'm sure there are others. You might search for "incontinence underwear" and find some others. There's also the underwear-like disposable pull-ups, but I'm sure you already know about those. They can actually be quite comfortable. They aren't enough protection for me but probably would be for you.

I hope you can find a solution for those headaches. Incontinence can be enough of a headache!

Best wishes to you, and I hope you join in the group.

Kendal

Thanks Kendal for the welcome.

I'll look at your suggestions, thanks again.

Mike.

_________________
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience!

My leakage is very minor compared to most. I drip constantly, but constantly can change from needing a pad or diaper to wearing nothing at all during the day and accepting a few drops in my underwear. This just started in earnest in April and was rather heavy for about two months, and has slacked off pretty much for June and July.

I've been wearing Abena Abri-flex pullups at night. I got them from XP Medical, mail order. I could do without them, but my wife doesn't like the fact that even when my underwear get only a little wet it still gets on the bed, and once or twice a month I really let loose a flood Noah could float his ark in. So I stay in the didies even though it seems wasteful and unnecessary at times.

I know this slack period is not going to last forever and fully expect to have periods of heavier leakage. After four months I've gotten used to it, and have no qualms about wearing diapers or pads or whatever is necessary. I guess one advantage to being over 60 is that I've learned not to give a damn. If someone finds out I'm in a diaper it just doesn't matter anymore.

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Fred

Thanks Fred,,,

I'm pretty similar to you, I do wear a pad if I know I'm going to be out for a long while, the drips I get are usually the size of an old silver dollar. Sometimes it like an urge, others it' just happens and when I feel it I make a conscience muscle reflex to stop it and head to a bathroom. This is during the day.

At night I wear a protective pant over my underwear just incase of the start of a flood which will wake me up but it'd be to late if I didn't have something on.

I've had this going on 17 years now from this head injury. It doesn't seem to get any better and does get worse when I'm in the process of a migraine headache. I assume that your was not from an injury but due process of getting older?

It doesn't matter how we came to this but it's a bother especially when others are involved such as our wives.. I've only been married for 5 years now and she know's I have problems but has never really asked and I usually buy pads when I'm out and about during the day but did get some at Wally World the other night, she never said a word so I guess she's intune to things going on ok. Compared to the headaches messing up my life the incontinence is fairly minor but bothersome. Getting where I don't give a flip anymore either but since I'm connecting with others it must a little bit... LOL

_________________
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience!

What has surprised me about my few accidents is that it doesn't feel like I have to go so bad I can't hold it. I have to go, but I'm holding it thinking I have plenty of time and then all of a sudden I realize it's pouring down my legs. About two weeks ago I was sitting at my computer playing a card game. I had been drinking coffee and had a fairly strong urge to go, but nothing to get worried about. I finished and decided to drop the coffee cup off in the kitchen on the way to the bathroom, and suddenly I was involved in a flood. I managed to stop the flow but had to come back and change my pants and mop the kitchen floor. So I've learned that when I have to go I'd better do something about it.

At night it must happen when I'm really sound asleep because I never wake up while it's happening, always later. And when I wake up soaked it seems that it's been that way for a while, not newly wet. But that happens infrequently.

No injuries with me. It started just after my sixtieth birthday, but didn't get bad for four or five months. Now I'm in a "dry season," but I'm ready if (when) it gets bad again.

I've learned a lot from the good people on this forum, and just the experience of trying different products for different situations has me well prepared.

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Fred

This is my first time posting on here.

I have the wet kind - urgency type although it is pretty much frequent and seems last all day. It started off about 2 years ago with a few drips here and there, which I was fine with. But it's become worse over the last 6 months or so, up to the point that I felt that I needed some protection. I find that I am wetting all day although I have no wetting during the night.

I have started wearing proper protection for the last 3 days and been wearing disposable pull up pants. I had initally started wearing Pampers (which I could just about squeeze into but I was concerned regarding other people seeing that I was wearing a nappy.

I am slowly coming to terms with the condition and haven't told anyone - well apart from on here. It's the first time I have talked about it. I feel embarrassed (esp as I had an accident yesterday evening as I thought I didn't need any protection).

I do feel a little happier about going out and about with proper protection.

Thankyou so much for a forum which has given me the opportunity to at least talk about it. It's good to know that there is support on the internet for people with incontinence.

Hi Woodworm,
I had an accident at work as well which seemed to trigger my incontinence problems, but since i have other health issues as well, i couldnt be 100% on that though.

But the one thing i can relate to is 'headaches' which for me unfortunately often times end up as migraines, i experience them at least once a week, sometimes lasting five or six hours but other times, they can last days and on rare (thankfully) occassions they can last a week or so..
i definately found that my incon problem was always worse at the times i had headache or migraines, i just seemed to be 'always' wet. i was told that there was no relation between the two, but i dont believe in coincidences when it comes to health problems!

I find the headache and migraine aspect f health very dufficult to deal with, i always say that anything below the neck i can deal with, but the headaches and stuff.. different story. I findthe only thing that helps the headacheds with me is the dark room and sleep, so that is life limiting! whereas incon, as embaressing as it can sometimes be is just a case of change and get on with it..

Mike

Hetty,
I think everyone starts off being extremely concious of the fact they have had to return to wearing nappies. i took me a very long time to realise that people, for the most part dont notice anything when it comes to the 'nether regions' just once the clothing is conceling on that particular area. Like it took me a while to realize that wearing a low cut jean was not the best idea because the top of the nappy used to show, but no one ever said anything about it.

i think that the only person who feels like it is a major embaressment or someting to be ashamed of is.. us.
yes there are people who make it a big thing to poke fun of at stages, but fortunately these people are few and far between.
though having said that, i am so thankful, that my incon problems didnt start until m y early twentys, my school days were bad enough without having to have the whole aspect of school friends knowing about my incon problems

Mike

Sounds like we got injured in the same place...LOL...

I can have headaches sometimes 2 to 3 weeks after a migraine. Talk about getting depressing at times.. I like you the incon thing seems to be worse during these times. I don't know the extent of your incont problem but I can just be sitting there and a small steam occurs out of the blue, it can leave a spot the size of a 25 cent piece all the way to the size of an orange. During the day it's a "whoops" catch that before it's any worse. At night of course you don't even realize it happened or how many times it may happen until morning. During the day it is pretty much taken care of by a pant liner so no sweat there and at night a pant that will take care of it... We just go on and live life to the fullest and enjoy what a short life we have anyway...
In spite of.... things that are annoying...

Mike..

_________________
Never argue with an idiot. They drag you down to their level and then beat you with experience!