Sat Nov 15, 2014 5:11 pm
Sat Nov 15, 2014 6:11 pm
Sat Nov 15, 2014 6:15 pm
Sat Nov 15, 2014 6:27 pm
Sun Nov 16, 2014 2:27 am
Sun Nov 16, 2014 9:07 am
Sat Nov 22, 2014 10:33 am
Sat Nov 22, 2014 11:40 am
admiral wrote:Thanks again everyone. It's reassuring to know there are supportive folk on the forum - I appreciate your replies.
I think because I don't have a diagnosis yet I'm getting information overload as I'm reading endlessly and not reaching any conclusions. The hardest part is the fact it's not constant. I've almost got an appointment (waiting for a callback from the urology department at the hospital to book) but given what's happening comes and goes I'm really worried they'll not conclude anything or tell me it's in my head or something. I know that no conclusion or nothing obviously wrong is in itself a possible outcome to a good number of cases of incontinence; but knowing my luck the day I go to see a specialist is the day everything behaves itself and makes me look stupid. Pretty sure it'll be the test where they pop a catheter in and measure pressure and volume and whatnot.
JD - you're right about the emotional aspect and I'm trying to "own" this rather than be swept along by it. It's helping me stay relatively positive and have a glass half full, rather than half empty, attitude. Ultimately whatever happens (hopefully it is just a phase or something I can work through) like you said there are solutions to maintain an active lifestyle and I'll be damned if I'm going to be in the position of worrying about going out just because of this. And as distressing as the idea of having to wear protection might be it's not like I'm doing it for the hell of it. I've been wearing protection about a month now and in some ways where initially it was a bind and embarrassing to show it in front of my wife, I think we've both become a bit normalised to it already; again I'm using it for a reason.
Thanks for the tip on slips. I've been using pads so far and they're okay most of the time but it only takes a flood and because, well, lets be blunt, man parts can be any shape, size or direction at any given moment, it can occasionally result in reasonable leaks as the pads don't have any leak guards or capacity to seal some of the leak in at the leg cuffs. He says having not really tried slips yet. I've got a drawer full of pads at the moment so trying to use them up first but my confidence in them is diminishing as this situation goes on. I'm minded to try slips; but there's a certain amount of getting your head around that as although they are and should probably just be referred to as protective slips or something (Tena and everyone else never call them diapers or nappies) there's that stigma and the idea of wearing a diaper is another step. I think I'll just have to tell myself it's a need thing, they just sit underneath my regular clothes, nobody but my wife need know it's even there, and that's that.
I'll be happier when I know what the experts think; and if I have to deal with this longer term then I'll deal with it. It's just that unknown. And because I'm dry for days then an accident will happen out of the blue, I can't really just ignore it or stop wearing protection in the hope it'll just pass.
I did want to ask whether folks here still wear regular underwear over their choice of incontinence product? And if so, is it for better concealment, more supportive, preference? One one hand my mind currently says what's the point - it gets warm enough down there too with the padding and it's only something else more to launder if there's a leak - but equally wasn't sure if this was a sensible approach.
Could I also ask if there's a perceived sensible timeframe around changing? As I don't leak all the time I don't always wet my pads; however I'm also conscious that like underwear (which you'd change daily) is it sensible to change the pads daily too, irrespective? I do find they are all bunched up after a days use and ofcourse there's no overall guide to how to manage this stuff so thought I'd ask the experts.
Thanks again all. Hope you don't mind my ramblings and questions they're not the most well formulated words!
Admiral
Sat Nov 22, 2014 1:11 pm
Sat Nov 22, 2014 5:05 pm