www.incontinentsupport.org

Hey all,

I thought id get everbody's input on this.. as most of you know, I am reprising my previous summer job at a special needs camp that i love to death.. and it is possible although not definite that i will be swimming with the kids as part of my job as roving counselor. My question is those of you who only have urinary incontience.. do you bother wearing swim diapers? I know of individuals who do, and those who don't. The cost of 1 reusable swim diaper is quite steep.. 50 dollars on Gary's site. I did have one way back when when i was first incontinet.. but looking back I don't know if it was practical. It seems like whenever i wore it and got out of the pool.. it retained water and then it spilled out of the leg holes. That would NOT be discreet and more than likely would draw attention. However, I am concerned about the possibility of standing outside the pool and having an episode. I suppose one way to deal with that is empty my bladder. Problem with that is.. even if i empy my bladder, sometimes i still wet.. I was thinking about those tranquility Swimmates. Thinking of this stuff makes me really thankful that I only deal with urinary incontinence. I still have to tackle the scenario of how to change discreetly in front of the kids and staff into a fresh diaper after swimming and them seeing it before.. there is a sepearate bathroom.. but that would mean leaving the kids unsupervised.. I guess I will talk to the unit leader. This is only going to be a problem however IF i end up swimming with the kids. I don't know whether I will or not. But I am pretty sure that I would want to go swimming sometime during hte summer, if not during kids camp then adult camp. So, my question about the swim diaper remains.. what would you guys do? Has anyone used Tranquility swimmates?

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

Rob,

You have a difficult challenge ahead. I have been a Boy Scout leader and their rules may be quite different from your camp, but, for youth protection, I would think that they would not want the staff to be naked and in the same room as the boys. They may be very sensitive to you being seen by the boys when you are wearing only a diaper. You should get a clarification about this before you go to the camp.

I just received a package of Swimmates, but have not had a chance to test them yet. I'll post my observations here when I do.

Below is a section from my notes for a section on swim diapers in the next revision of my white paper Introduction to Wearing Adult Diapers:

There are several brands of swim diapers available, but perhaps the best rated (and the one I personally wear) is the SoSecure swim containment diaper (fecal containment diaper) intended to be worn under swimwear – The SOSecure attaches snugly via very strong Velcro in the wings. Although it is not advertised or intended to contain urine, it will contain a small amount effectively. I often get water inside the SOSecure swim diaper. When I do, as I am coming out of the pool I actually have to break the seal at the leg holes to let the excess water out. A problem could be that, with some pool water getting inside the diaper, along with some urine, a more substantial amount of liquid eventually will have to be released somewhere - a shower in the changing room would be my recommendation. Please note that, to work effectively, the SOSecure swim diaper must be worn fairly tight - somewhat more than snug. I have to lie on the bed, position the diaper, and fasten the Velcro wings. That can make putting the swim diaper on difficult for someone with reduced motor skills. However, when put on properly, NOTHING is getting out of this diaper until you let it.

There also are single-use disposable swim diapers. Two of the more popular ones are Swimsters and Swimmates.
Swimsters – disposable adult swim diapers. Designed to contain solids and not to absorb liquids. Designed not to come apart in the water. Can be worn under swimwear. This swim diaper looks somewhat like a pair of plastic pants. Swimsters also markets a reusable swim diaper.
Tranquility Swimmates – look very much like a Tranquility disposable pullup. Has inner leg cuff guards for bowel containment. Designed not to break apart in the pool.

Good luck!

--John

Rob,

I said that I would post a review of the Swimmates swim diaper.

As I prefer not to experiment with incontinence products in public and potentially be embarrassed if they fail, I always test privately at home first.

I put on a Swimmates swim diaper. It looks just like a pull-up with a waterproof shell and very, very little absorbent mat. I wore the diaper when I went into the shower. I deliberately allowed the shower to spray water inside the diaper.

My observations: the diaper should work, with certain limitations. The absorbent material soon clumped and separated from the shell. It of course immediately became water-logged. The water caught inside the swim diaper caused serious sag. I would estimate that the diaper contained about 8 - 10 ounces of free water in addition to that absorbed by the mat. Coming out of the shower, as we would at the pool, it was necessary to take a finger and pull a leg gather aside to let the water drain out. Splash. Don't do this on the pool deck or it will be very obvious. Unless you have the privacy to change at the pool, the soggy diaper worn under your swim suit will continue to press out liquid when you sit. Note - even with my very good SoSecure Swim Diaper, water will become caught in the diaper and will need to be released.

The absorbent mat may have been intended to absorb a limited amount of fluid from a bowel accident prior to getting into the pool. It does not help after you are in the pool and the mat is wet.

Bottom line - when I want something quick to put on to play in the pool with the grand kids for a limited period I would wear it. For long-term active swimming or for someone really concerned about fecal accidents while in the pool, select the SoSecure Swim Diaper. Remember, these are not intended for urinary incontinence.

I'll post another review after I wear it in the pool.

--John

JD,

Thanks for the review! I think I might try out the swimmates for myself. Pool time at the camp lasts an half hour to an hour tops so i wouldnt hae to worry about long term active swimming.. I might alternate between the swimmates and XP Medical's Discovery Trekking Swim diaper with an Abri-let booster. According to Gary, who does know his stuff.. an abri let booster would greatly increase dry absorbency without gelling up in the water. The only question I have is would it fall apart and clog the filter...thats my only concern. I think the trekking diaper would be used when I say go to a water park and spend all day in a swimsuit... But, from what you post, it sounds like i should do fine wearing Swimmates at camp.. My bladder tends to not release very much at a time and it does it slowly, with the exceptional of the occaisonal flood.. I plan to use the bathroom before i swim anyway, so that SHOULD minimize the amount of urine expelleld before getting in the pool.. Once in the pool, of course it doesn't matter since the water is chlorinated.

I am totally getting excited for camp! It is two weeks away!
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

I have bought the Suprima swimdiaper.

O plan on wearing it with just a pad / booster in it. That way I'm relatively secure, when an accident happens. And it's pretty discreet also.

Don't bother with swim diapers if it's just urinary, they don't hold pee anyway, and half your kids will be peeing in the pool. If you had fecal issues, obv you'd need one tho.

I were the Tranquility swim mates and then I were my barefoot pants over them. barefoot pant are a super pair of compression shorts over the top. The short help keep water away from your swim diaper. I have used this set up several times with no failures. I'm bladder incontinent only.

I am still only urinary incontinent (thankfully), and yes I also wear a swim diaper. This isn't for containment IN the pool, but actually for IN-BETWEEN the pool and locker rooms. I've found the best for me so far is a reusable pocket diaper (also known as pad and pant). I do not use the booster pad, but only the outer cover which has a light terry lining in it. This is perfect for getting me to the pool without leaving a pee trail like normal swimsuits will do.

As I'm getting out of the pool I still need to effectively drain my swim diaper though. I usually do this by hooking the back leg and pulling it open right as I am getting out of the pool. I sometimes will also sit on the edge of the pool and let it naturally leak onto the cement. Nobody has been the wiser yet, and I end up just dry enough afterwards to make it back to the locker room without leaving another pee trail.