www.incontinentsupport.org

Well, i have an interesting story to tell.. last night at work.. i decided to wear ConfiDry 24/7 instead of my regular briefs, attends breathable, because on friday i had an incicent where attempting to use the toilet slowed me down.. and then monday i had 2 flooded-and-seemed to be on the verge of leaking briefs...anywhoo.. when i come into work, they told everyone that they were shutting off the water at midnight for an hour.. i smile to myself, and think.. impeccable timing.. while everyone else is making a beline to the restroom, i got my superabsorbent brief...so i wont need to..thats the kind of funny part... thing is tho.. i ended up changing at lunch, sooner than i planned to since they are supposed to be good for 8 hours or more.. the tapes looked iffy and there was a tear on the front.. and the padding was starting to break down... now for the not so funny part.. and where i need ur advice.. i hurt my left index finger on a putty knife i had in my pocket, and had to have stiches.. now i have to keep my finger straight..and since im left handed..diaper changes are going to be interesting..anyone have experience with this?

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"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

Not sure if this will help or not. But I figure out how best mine fit me and I go through with a sharpie marker and mark the front panels of all my diapers where the upper and lower tape tabs are supposed to go. This should take some of the guess work out of it and you should be able to use your off-hand easier.

A similar vein of thought is to do as Lorcia recommends and then pretape the diaper. Then, pull it up slowly like underwear. You will need wear compression shorts to pull it in, in case of gaps, but I think you are less likely to have bigger gaps doing this than by fiddling with the tapes with your less dominant hand.

Tarlton's recommendation is a good one. Prior to shoulder surgery, I pre-taped the lower tabs and a single upper tab. When needed, I only had to pull them up and tape one tab with my good hand. I also had my wife completely tape diapers which I removed until needed.

Re diaper tears and broken tape, it is a good idea to roll some duct tape around a piece of pencil or other object and carry it in your diaper kit for emergencies.

I had a catastrophic diaper tab failure today. And no duct tape. However there were many 2"x3&3/4" poly adhesive address labels in the shipping department. Worked very well. Superman strength stickiness. I "appropriated" a sheet of them to keep at my desk for future emergencies. First time Tranquility tabs let me down.

I had to do a change at work today and I was thinking about the earlier conundrum of how to diaper with only one useful hand. As I am ambidexterous I have no weak hand, so I used my right hand for this experiment.

At work I am forced to put a diaper on standing up by pinning it against my backside and a wall. With one hand I was able to put it on with a pretty good fit. I just used my boxer briefs as an assist.

I opened up just the back part with the tabs on it and left the front folded up.

I pinned the open part between the wall and my butt.

Then I pulled my boxer briefs up to my thighs with one hand and then pulled the front half (still folded up) of the diaper through my legs.

With one hand I was able to grab the folded up front panel of the diaper and the waistband of the briefs and pull them both up into place at the same time.

Once I got the boxers on all the way to hold the diaper in place I could step away from the wall and adjust the wings.

With one hand I was able to grab one wing of the diaper, wedged between my body and the boxer elastic, and pull it around to the side opening it up, then the same with the other side. It takes a bit of fidgeting to pull the wings around into the right spots but the elastic holds things mostly in place while you are working.

I then adjusted the top of the diaper's waistband on both sides, centering it. I then pulled the elastic band of the boxers down just enough to access the top tape tabs, and then stuck them down on the front panel.

I then pulled just one side (left) of the briefs down to access one lower tape tab.

I turned and pulled the bottom of the (left) back panel wing and pinned it against the wall and my hip then pulled lower corner tight around the back of my leg with the tab still accessable. I opened the tab up and left it open flat against the wall. I then pulled the lower left edge of the front panel around to snug up against the front of my left thigh. Holding the front with my hand I then rolled my hips against the wall and the open tab stuck to the lower front pretty close to where I wanted it. I repeated the same on the other side. With Tranquility tabs you got a little time to reposition them before they are stuck for good. But I was able to get the diaper on 90% of the way with just one hand and a wall.

It's not a perfect taping job but maybe this will help?

I have yet to find any brand of diaper with tapes I trust. I'm not sure if this is where the manufacturers save a few pennies or they still assume people who use tape on briefs are bedridden or less active. Since I consider myself still young and active I've had enough tape failures that I always reinforce them with white duct. The white duct tape on an all white diaper at least slightly reduces noticability. I use the tape to ensure a snug fit and a tight seal around the legs to help prevent leaks as well.

Practice a few times at home with non-dominant hand. Or try using the injured left hand with the index finger kept straight; grip tapes between thumb and middle finger instead. Switch to something with velcro tapes to make the inevitable refastening easier.

Ender, Lorica, and Diapersagain,

Even though this is an old post and the situation resolved itself (ie my finger healed), you no doubt post quite useful information if God forbid im in the same situation again, and if others are ever in the same predicament. So, thank you! I must admit id never think of using address lables as a backup tape! It really is interesting how incontinence forces us all to improvise from time to time.. In a pinch, ive been known to use handsoap, water, and paper towel in lieu of adult wipes.. yes, i know not the best for the skin... but, it does get me clean down there in a pinch..and as long as I don't do it too often.. my skin doesn't complain too much. But i shudder to think what would happen if i were to get into some sort of accident and wind up injuring both hands temporarily... Id have to have someone else help me with related buisness... but then again, such an injury would also most likely put me out of work for a week or two anyway, so I wouldnt have to have them help me at work..that would be totally embarassing and awkward situation! All the more incentive to keep my limbs intact, eh?
Peace out!

Rob

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"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

Following up on the duct tape. I find that putting a small piece of duct tape on the diaper and taping the diaper tapes to the duct tape tends to hold better for most diapers than just taping the diaper tapes to the diaper. I usually put a second layer of tape over the diaper tape as well.

I have never had any failures with a plastic backed diaper, the thing I noticed is that if you have ANY rippling on the bottom sheet, the tabs don't stay put nearly as well, so a perfectly flat tab to diaper application seems to really make a big difference. Mostly a Tena cloth backed user in past years, but using plastic now & then when I get them. Puffy

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Puffy
BC, Canada
Fighting the "Bladder Battle" since 1995