Well.. for me, i would'nt call it lifelong per se, because i have had some times where i did'nt have much of a problem..but, my childhood is filled with some not-so-wonderful memories of wetting accidents. It was simply assumed that i held it for too long or its because i was still a kid..but there was intermittenent bedwetting even into my teen years. it took me a long time to even acknowledge the fact that i was incontinent. For some reason, i could never seem to keep my underpants dry. They always had a spot on them. For the longest time. i thought it was normal for a guy to sometimes have wet spots on his underwear..but now, i'm no longer in denial. It struck home for me when after i first talked to my doctor about it in 2008 and the nurse on the phone to the urologist for the referall used the term "incontinence." I had used the term "urine dribbling, which seemed less stigmatizing. But as i thought about it, i really did realize that, yes, it is incontinece. Now, seeing as how im flooding almost every day, theres no room for denial. So, for me, simply acknowleging there was a problem, and that i needed protection was a big step. And i am glad that i made it . I just wish i made it sooner. As far as accepting the problem, I'm still working on that. Even though its been going on for an number of years, wearing different underwear than u have been for the past 23 years takes getting used to. But, it gets easier every day. Hardest part for me i find is the skin care issues..and the emotional issues that come with it.. but, emotional gets easier day by day.
So, in short while i'm not a veteran as such, i do have about 6 months where i've been wearing 24/7.. and i have made great strides in adjusting between then and now. it does get easier.
_________________ "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
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