www.incontinentsupport.org

Just want to take the time to introduce myself to everyone on this board. Its taken me a while to actually get up the courage and register myself an account. I really feel that this board has a lot of great information.
So a bit about myself. I am a 26 year old male from England, fairly active loves the outdoors but like pretty much everyone on this board has a bit of a secret. Just over 6 months ago I was diagnosed with urge incontinence which has been caused by some other health issues (thank god nothing too serious) I have to say I never thought that at the age of 26 I would have to be dealing with incontinence. Obviously as I am only 6 months in and I still have a lot to learn but at times I have to say I do feel overwhelmed. When I get the urge I have any where from a couple of minutes to less than a few seconds so totally unpredictable. This is not just in the day but also at night.
I am lucky that I am supported by the NHS and have a great continence nurse that has been able to set me up with a regular supply of Pullups.
You probably all just read the word pullup and thought to yourself that's not great protection for a sufferer of Urge incontinence. Well that's kind of why I have signed up to this board. I need help and advice. Yes pullups are great as they can be pulled down when I do make it to the bathroom and are fairly slim line. Yes they do sometimes struggle to absorb a full bladder and are particularly rubbish at night. I am aware that there are more absorbent products (adult nappies) out there but if I am honest have never tried one and wouldn't know where to start or what to expect.
Sorry for the long post, perhaps I should have spilt it into a couple of different posts. But I hope I can pick p some good tips and advice and maybe even help some others out.

Welcome to the group, Drippy!

You have come to the right place. There are many in our group, both young and old, with a wealth of knowledge about managing incontinence. Most of us have been living with incontinence for long enough that we do not mind speaking openly about our experiences. Please feel free to ask any question. Do search the archive of messages for topics of interest to you.

Re pullups, you probably need to ditch them for a proper nappy. Good brands of nappies include Tena Slip, Molicare, ConfiDry 24/7, Seni Super and Seni Quatro, and Abena. I have omitted some U.S. brands that may not be locally available to you in England. Several of our participants are in the UK and will be able to advise you further.

There are two informational sources on this site that I recommend you read. These are the "New Diaper Primer" at http://www.incontinentsupport.org/primer_index.php and my own white paper "An Introduction to Adult Diapers: Their Selection and Wear" at http://www.incontinentsupport.org/Intro ... iapers.pdf

Good luck Drippy.

--John
(double incontinent, wearing 24/7, cloth at night)

Hi Drippy Welcome to the group

Dealing with incontinence at first requires a lot of trial and error as you look for the diaper that will work best for you, try Confydry 24/7 or Better Dry diapersor Forsite am/pm taped diapers (not sure if the last one is sold in the UK) tapped diapers work way better then pullup but you do loose the ability to easily pull down the diaper when you can make it to the bathroom but the better protection level of a taped diaper is worth the trade off since you should have less leaks.

also keep a back pack full of suppies and a change of clothes with you or close by when you go out.

Remember you are not alone in dealing with incontinence issues and we are all here to help and support each other

Rob

Add my welcome to those above. Although this site has a wealth of useful advice, much of it comes from, and is therefore appropriate to the USA, your continence advisor would be useful in making it useful for you. Support, however, knows no national boundaries, and it keeps me here.

Drippy, Welcome to the board. For many years, I have been living with urge inconinmiss with symptoms identical to those your describe. Be assured that it is possible to leave a fully normal professional and personal life in you manage your incontinence effectively. I have found that ComfyDry 24/7 and Better Dry are two brands that currently work the best for me. Unfortunately, they're rather expensive, but the peace of mind that the provide day and night are well worth the cost. Good luck and let us know how things unfold for you.

Well it looks like I am not alone so thanks for the warm welcome. Unfortunately it really does sound like a nappy (diaper) is what I should be looking into. I think I have been trying to convince myself that Pull ups were fine. I have to admit the thought of wearing a nappy at the age of 26 is one I am not comfortable with at all.
some of you have been very helpful in recommending certain brands and will be looking into them. Like I said earlier the NHS is currently providing the Pull ups so any extra protection is going to have to come out of my own pocket for the time being until I discover what works best.
All recommendations and tips will be very welcome and will be fully looked into.

My advice is to find a diaper that works for you. Pullups are not as absorbent as a regular diaper. Finding the right diaper involves a lot of trials. What works for some may not work for you. I have found that a cloth diaper works for me. They will save you money in the long run, but remember you will need to keep wet ones for several days and then wash and dry them. That is why many people use disposable diapers.

Do not let the fact that you wear a diaper bother you. No one needs to know, unless you want to tell them. Should you tell others that you need to wear a diaper? Only if they are a close friend and will support you, or your spouse. Having some one for support is a good thing. My wife of almost 50 years is very supportive of me. Of course all of us here do understand, so you can ask any question that you want.

I wear a diaper 24/7 and lead a very active life, I am retired and do what ever I want. A diaper dose not prevent you from doing anything.

_________________
RetiredRN

Hi Drippy,

Welcome to the board! I am also located in the UK, and can recommend a few brands and places to get them.

Check out www.incontinencechoice.co.uk - they have a great sample service. The only problem is that most of their products are unsuitable for overnight use (in my experience). One of their best performers is Abena Abri-Form Premium. That one is cloth backed, which is a disadvantage in my opinion. Abena makes a plastic backed version, but this store does not stock it. One interesting thing about them is that they list a pretty accurate absorption level for each of their products (in mL, instead of the highly subjective "drops").

I would normally recommend www.incontinenceshop.com - but they have been having problems keeping items in stock. When questioned about restock times, they will give an inaccurate estimate and then change the story when they fail to meet the stated date. I have a feeling they are going under. They normally stock BetterDry, which is an outstanding overnight diaper. Sadly, they are out of stock and seem to have removed them from the site. They also stock the plastic backed Abena (when they have them).

If you can find plastic backed Abena or BetterDry, they are definitely worth a try.

Probably the best supplier in Europe is www.saveexpress.de - they have all the premium brands. The site is in German, but there is an English option.

Good luck in finding the product that works best for you. I am available to help in any way that I can.

I think the beginning is the toughest time and not for the obvious reasons.


At least for me, my symptoms came on gradually over time. From bedwetting here and there to nightly, then daytime urgency and frequency, then occasional daytime leaks, and eventually many uncontrolled total voids per day. Now I don't even bother with toilets for urination. Not everyone progresses as badly and some get it worse.

It's really hard to know what kind of protection is best for you when you first start having symptoms. It's hard to justify wearing thick, premium tape on diapers 24/7 if you only have a couple small (couple ounces) accidents per week. And it's difficult when a certain level of protection has bee working for a while and then suddenly your accidents are bigger or more frequent and you have leaks. When and how to make the decision to switch to actual diapers isn't easy or obvious. Then is the whole hassle of finding the right diaper for you and not just stated absorbency wise, but fit wise.

In a way, I prefer my current situation of being completely diaper dependent now. I effectively have no bladder control and I have to wear a full mat diaper. That's it. easy. It is what it is and there's nothing to stress about. I much prefer it to when I was a handful of months into this and one day not wetting at all, the next having a depend pullup work just fine, 2 more dry days, then the next day having a depend pull up fail and send 2 ounces of urine into my khakis, then 3 dry days....but all those days stressed out and rushing to toilets and panicking about not making it. In a way, light and unpredictable/sporadic IC is much more difficult to deal with than sever urge incontinence.

Exactly, beginning is the hardest part, once you get through it then it's easy. Key is to have a good products that won't annoy you and make you feel discomfort, but it is something that you got to figure by yourself. Also what is even more important is your mental state: you have to grasp with your brain that this is how life is and that is the problem you have to live with. It's the hardest part that took me some time to figure. What helped me the most was looking at other diseases that people have, some really nasty ones or those that force them to die or they are being incapable of normal living. You are capable of doing whatever you want, so use it - it's not the end of the world. Of course you have to struggle a bit more than other, but this is how life is and nothing will change it, this is life, people aren't equal here and this is something that you gotta accept to move forward and enjoy the long road in your life ahead of you