www.incontinentsupport.org

It has been nearly 20 months since my prostatectomy/diverticulotomy. I'm trying to get up enough nerve to venture out without wearing a diaper. There are days when I think I could do it, but than get a bit nervous about what could happen. I still have urge and overflow issues at times...each day is different. So how does one decide? It seems like a waist of a good diaper if it's not used, but?????????? Anyone else go through those thoughts, and how do you decide what kind of day it's going to be...wet or dry? Should I just accept the "new normal"?

When my IC started four years ago I had the exact same problem. After quite a few failed attempts (i.e. wet pants) at trying to second guess when I would need protection I finally just went with 24/7 with pull-ups/pads and the problem was solved. My IC has progressed since then but using the same rational I'm now in diapers 24/7 and have never looked back. Not to mention that my anxiety level concerning a leak has now dropped to near zero. With so many great IC products out there now It's fairly easy to find just the right level of protection(s) for your situation.

The thing is, you really can't know. I have my prostate, but it is a medial fact that having one's prostate removed does weaken continence. My incontinence is related to bladder and kidney problems among other things, and nowadays I usually wear daytime just in case. The morning hours usually tell what kind of a day it's going to be bladder-wise. If I have pains or odd feeling of bladder pressure, it's protection time. You can learn to listen to your body over time, but protection maybe the wisest choice, especially as you have had an operation with a lasting negative effect to your contincence.

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Its never a waste of a diaper if you make it though the day dry as you never know when a dry day will turn into a bad day, just knowing you are protected takes all the stress away even on the dry days. Unfortunately incontinence can be unpredictable I would rather change out of a dry diaper then take risk of not wearing and having an issue while out and about,

i came out of hospital and was having nightmares with bowel fluid soiling thanks to antibiotic associated i then got to a point where the diaper was all most okay but talk of the devil yesterday i was having a nightmare day medically and along with it the bowel fluid loss came back with a vengeance.

you just never know so all ways better to be on the safe side.

thankfully today is a bit better but i will still wear them just for safety reasons and the never know situation.

i would think it would not be worth risking myself if you get by with pullups they can all ways be reused or if you use tab diapers maybe use pull ups to go to town

I don't want to sound nitpicky, but I wouldn't recommend re-wearing a pull-up or any other form of protection that has been worn (Ok maybe if it has been worn for only a very short period, like an hour or two, it would still be usable), as sweating, moisture and heat probably give rise to bacterial growth. I'm not an expert, but reusing a diaper that has been worn for some time could carry the risk of skin or urinary tract infection. I've also noticed that all diapers and pull-ups tend to stiffen and clump, so they may be less effective and comfortable as protection if worn twice. But I guess its everyone's own choice - and of course if one wears a cloth diaper or adult re-usable incontinence underwear, that's a totally different thing. But disposables, IMO, are meant to be disposable. Does any scientific research into this exist?

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