www.incontinentsupport.org

So I see a lot of specialists and doctors and I know I’m not the only one. Bringing up incontienence is always uncomfortable. I have a new dermatologist that i saw like 2 weeks ago and he was the one who diagnosed me with HS. Well I have another abscess on my stomach where my diaper/pul pants is. He is going to want to inject it with steroids and there is no way he will not see the diaper. I’m about to message him on the portal and tell him I have a paralyzed neurogenic bladder from my accident and have to wear diapers and that the friction is probably a big proponent of my abscess. Does telling doctors get easier? I’ve been doing this for 7 years and it’s still produces anxiety.

I think anxiety becomes a part of the "new normal" when dealing with incontinence. I, too, have the same issues when seeing a doctor, nurse, specialist. The last medical specialist was a dermatologist like you. I had a total body scan to look for skin cancer possibilities, so my diaper was definitely exposed. I did mention in a email message that I was incontinent, and needed to wear a diaper, but nothing was mentioned during the examination. I have seen a boat load of doctors for a variety of health issues. All of them know of my incontinence issues, but all are very understanding. I still get anxious/nervous when I have an appointment, but it is what it is.

I'm sorry to hear about the abscess! That sounds painful and I hope the dermatologist can fix things.

I assume he just won't have much of a reaction at all about the diapers. I know there's this voice in your head that says it's A Conversation You Need To Have, and I probably can't say anything that would quiet that voice anyway. But I assume it's going to be an easy conversation. "By the way, when I lift up my shirt it's going to be obvious I wear diapers, just letting you know beforehand" "OK, that's fine"

Best of luck!!

When I inform them, I just tell them that I'm "urinary incontinent" and leave it at that. They can easily fill in the blanks. I find that less awkward than telling them that "I wear a diaper".

So I did tell him. I sent him a message via the portal. He just said “ Gotcha. I can send you a short course of doxycycline or if you want we can have you come in and we can drain it. I'm OK with either!”

So it was no big deal. Whew.

Anytime I'm in a "new" medical situation I simply say that I'm wearing a "Depends". Most of the time they don't even blink and simply say "Oh, OK". The few times they actually asked why, it was potentially pertinent as to why I was there. Embarrassing, no not at all, I've never been embarrassed by any of these encounters with medical professionals.

funny how i to was in a skin doctor in the last month also and have a place on my bum that will not heal and got scared to show her and when it came time to show her she came out and said she knew about my need of diapers told me not to be scared that she sees more than i know that need and has had to help a few change do to being wet from being scared to show or when showing her what they was in for diaper was not able to retape them she was super nice about it and caring

Ooof. I could never have my doctor change me. It’s bad enough when I need help from my aides.

Being in allied health myself, I don't think you need to worry too much about telling a medical professional you need to wear diapers. I recently switched back to a GP I had seen several years ago. When I told him I had IC issues and wore diapers, he just asked about what treatments I had tried, very matter of fact, and moved on. My former GP knew of my issues and when I told her I had just decided to wear diapers, she was empathetic but supportive. In my experience, though, it seems like the urologists are the ones who object - it's like they don't want to admit defeat or something.

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"When you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

I also get a little anxious when first seeing a new doctor. Luckily, they always ask my medical history, so incontinence comes up early in the conversation. I generally don't even mention diapers after that. Only one PA ever asked why i was wearing a diaper - I told him it was on the first page of my records and I had assumed he read them.

My wife and I just got back from a vacation in Greece. Our package included a couples massage. I wrote that I am bladder incontinent on the medical history form, but the masseuse didn't know what that meant, so I had to explain and tell her I was wearing a diaper. A bit embarassing, but we got through it with a bit of a laugh.