www.incontinentsupport.org

Well, after 3 appointmetns with the nurse practitioners who have tried to help, but have not been successful.. I finally am being referred to a urologist. I had a feeling it would come to this. While im not glad my problem isnt solvable by simple means, i am glad that i will be seeing a urologist and probably getting a full study done. Yes, i know what lies ahead...bladder ultrasounds, pad test, urodynamics, catheter tests to see if im retaining, cytoscopy(I HOPE NOT.. that hurts!!)..

Funny as it sounds, i was actually laughing on the way home.. Not a funny happy laugther..but its more like irony..as in,, you thought you had this beat, but here we go ALL OVER AGAIN! I suppose its better than getting mad and yelling and crying.. its true what they say, there are times in life where you can either laugh or cry.. me, i choose to laugh! I was also laughing at how self conscious and embarassed i was when i first talked to my doc about my incon..it was like i was being coy with his nurses and receptionists.. not this time..i came right out and said what hte problem was.... Incontinence doesnt need to have the stigma it does! Your bladder is just like any onther part of the body, it can go wrong...so..a diaper islike a bandaid for your bladder..

Anyway, ill let you know what the urologist says,..interesting thing is, she is a female.. never had a female urologist before..kinda like a male gynecologist.. should be interesting if not slightly akward..but hey, shes a professional..

i agree that a referral to a urologist is what you need. Good luck!

Sociologygeek,

I still think the cause of your incon has to be something simple. You had this problem solved for the last few years, and then all of a sudden your right back to having incon issues again. Could any of the meds you take be causing the problem? It sure does make sense that this "could" be the cause. Just because you might have been taking meds for a while (maybe a few years), and now all of a sudden your having a reaction to the med(s) the solution maybe as simple as adjusting, or prescribing a new med. It's been a while, but I recall the story from the last time you went to a university to have urology tests done. Wasn't that in 2010?

I just have a feeling that this time around is not going to be much, if any different all from the last time you had tests done. All you can do is go forward and do the tests, but I would be asking the urologist to focus on your med(s) as a probable cause to your incon issues.

Will your incon problems cause you any job related problems? I seem to recall, you've been down this same road before. The only difference is this time you might have better insurance compared to the last time.

Let's just hope it's something simple like med's, and for that very reason,...... I would make a point to ask the doc about it.

Hey John! long time no talk!
Yes, it is true that i have been down this road before. I am on ritalin LA.. and yes, we actually did try adjusting the dosage from LA to 20 mg standard, with no effect, however this was when i was still on the catapres. As far as work being affected by incon, not really, other than having to use up a good chunk of my breaks and some of my lunch changing my diaper. I have gotten the ball rolling on trying to get the necessary supplies (diapers, wipes, booster pads, chux pads for airing out) covered by insurance, and so far the health provider ive been seeing has been supportive. Even though I gave J and B the name of my GP, not the NP ive been seeing, the NP did say that if i needed to, i could give them her name and she said shed sign off on them as medically necessary. So thats a good thing At any rate, it will be a few weeks before i can get that ball rolling, and another few till i can see the urologist. In the meantime, i have a good source for attends breathble. Yes,they may not be the cheapest diaper i can buy, but they are by far the most reliable, both in terms of absorbency and ease of use. Theres no way im bringing depend to work and being stuck in a situation of trying to deal with sticky tape tabs that dont stick on a brief and having to go all the way back outsdie for anotehr brief..no, id rather stick with what i know to be reliable. Granted, i do occasionally tear off a tab on the attends breathable by mistake, but thats not an unsolvable situation..just use the tape to brige bettween the two diaper parts and youve got it made, at least temporarlily.

You might try using the Abena M3, or M4's. They are very absorbent, and the tapes stick on those diapers.

Possibly.. ive tried abenas before... not bad.. but.. with my budget as it is.. if i go for hi cap diapers..it will probaly be Gary's A+4... i tried those and was quite impressed at how quickly they wick.. you may want to try them for yourself