www.incontinentsupport.org

Swimming is a good excercise for my back with no impact I would like to try it. I don't want to contaminate the pool so I may have to forget it since I leak. When and after I excercise I can really gush and I really have to use the bathroom afterwards so I'm afraid of not getting to the bathroom in time after I get out of the pool since the bathroom is pretty far and through the locker room I don't want to emabrrass myself.What is everyones take on swimming, are we allowed in pools?

LtsofQues,
You ask a great question for people who wonder about swimming. I, myself, swim every morning at my local YMCA. When I first started, my incontinence was not bad. Now I'm about completely incontinent. They make swim diapers to use, but they are mainly for fecal incontinence. If someone were to have a bowel movement in the pool, it'll shut the pool down for 24 hours. Urine is nothing compaired to that. The chlorine in the pool will take care of an accident you have in the pool. Don't worry about that. If you are worried about the time to get into the water and the time you get out, I wouldn't worry about it either. If you wear a dark swimsuit, a little leak won't show.
Now I shower after my swim and a lot of times my bladder will empty on it's own while in the shower. That's OK since it goes directly down the drain. Once I get out of the shower, I quickly dry off, go to my locker, grab a diaper and head over to the changing stall. I've never had a problem with a leak in that short of time.
It just takes practice, but I have my whole routine down pat. If you have any questins about the swim diaper I bought, LtsofQues, just ask.
Swimming is a great exercise, and incontinence sure shouldn't stop you.
............Paul Martin

So what you're saying Paul, is that noone minds if someone pees in their pool? I have done this before and felt terrible about it, I thought I was conatminating the pool. I wonder what you would wear with a swim diaper, probably shorts. I would rather do that than contaminate the pool. It doesn;t sound disposable, isn't it a hassle to take home and wash?

As Paul has said, the swim diapers on the market are designed to contain faecal incontinence. No available product is moisture proof both from the inside out and the outside in. I appreciate your reluctance to urinate in the pool. However, lots of continent people do it. We incontinent folds at least have a good excuse. After years of fretting over it, I've more or less adopted Paul's approach and no longer worry about.

So a swim diaper won't contain urine. Your sure it won't contaminate the pool. Getting out of the pool and wetting the floor on the way is one concern, if this happened you would have to tell the staff to be courteous and that would be embarrassing. Then they may suspect you were contaminating the pool and tell you to stay out of it which would be worse.

LtsofQues
Here's what I've tried before, LtsofQues. I bought a swim diaper from LL Medico when my family took a cruise to the Carribean some years ago. What their diaper combo consisted of was a very tight pair of plastic pants with a type of rubber elastic at the legs and waist. This attempts to keep water out, but it won't for long. You then put on another tight fitting panty over the plastic pants. Now inside those plastic pants, you insert a diaper of your choice. Whether it be a pull-up, a pad, our a full diaper breif. I wore this under my swim suit while we traveled to a swim spot. My diaper was wet before I got into the water, and when I got out, I believe it was completely wet from the water. Of course with a disposable, it pretty much swelled up with those gel particals, but it held my urine untill I got to a restroom and changed the disposable.
For your situation, LtsofQues, once you're out of the pool, your dripping water off your body and swim suit. I don't believe anyone will notice a thing. You'll need to go to the locker room or bathroom to change into a dry diaper. Then you can go back out to pool and lounge around if you want to. Then, if you want to, jump back into the pool and do the whole process again. Did this help you out any? ............Paul Martin

Thanks Paul, it sounds like no big deal.

Hey LstofQues,
I ran into a problem this morning during my swim. You seem to have an interest in swimming so here's what happened.
We had some ice in last night's weather and our lifeguard couldn't get her car door open, so she was real late. My fellow swimmers and I had to wait since with no lifeguard, we can't enter the water. At first, I thought no swet, I'll just wait. Well the wait turned into 40 minutes and still no life guard. I sat there at the edge of the pool when I felt myself wet in my swimsuit ! I didn't have a swim diaper on since I usually am in the water pretty quickly. Well, what could I do? If I get up and walk to the locker room, my swim trunks are wet and I've left a puddle on the pool deck.
Well, all my swim buddies gave up and left. Fortunatly I was the last to leave, so I got up, grabbed some paper towels and cleaned my puddle up.
That could of been a disaster. The life guard never showed up so no one ever found out. That was really close !! You never know what might happen. My swim diaper really would have come in handy this morning for sure! ..........Paul Martin

Paul, I'm so sorry to hear that. That was exactly my concern about the swim diaper. I think thay would be easy to hide under a men's suit but not a women's.

LtsofQues,
You certainly have a point there. My only comment is my wife uses these swimsuits that have like a short skirt at the waist. It's a one piece suit and it's for a person who wants to be modest I guess. Thirty years ago when we were first married, she looked great in a two piece. I still think she would look great in a two-piece, but her believe is not the same as me.
I hope this doesn't change your mind in swimming. It sure is great exercize! .......Paul Martin