www.incontinentsupport.org

Hey all. I am currently a college student majoring in History and minoring in Education. I am looking to work in a museum, for the government like the National Park Service as a Historian, or be a teacher. My problem is that I have urinary and occasional bowel incontinence. I wear diapers 24/7 to control my little problem and was wondering how to go about working if I was to become a teacher. I probably wouldn't get bathroom breaks until the kids went to lunch. So I'd be stuck in the same diaper from like 8 a.m. to around 11:30 or so. This usually isn't a big deal for me. I do it all the time. But I was wondering what I would do if I absolutely had to change during this period. I can't just leave class. This is something that is bothering me. Anybody got any ideas? Also, my wardrobe. I was planning on wearing dress slacks and a button up shirt with a tie. I would wear an abena extra under my slacks. I've done it before, its not noticable. I would feel more comfortable with an Xplus but I'm afraid that would be more noticable. The xplus is a pretty thick diaper. I would definitely wear a concealer to prevent sag. I'm thinking about teaching High School history. I wouldn't want my students to find out I was wearing diapers. That would be terrible. Anyone got any suggestions?

Don, first let me commend you for considering a very necessary vocation, the teaching of youth.....our future lies in our youth and teaching is so difficult these days......so thank you for considering it!

The "closeness" that could be involved in teaching dictates strict odor control and that may mean seeking out diapers with odor control and maybe even insuring that, with an incon deodorant....such as Fresh Again.

Noise in a quiet class room.....are there any quiet class rooms any more? <grin> So your choice of diaper must consider how quiet it is. Most diapers these days are pretty quiet and wearing a concealer as you say to prevent sag, will also muffle crinkling sounds when you move.

The "extended" wear you mention is only 4 hours....and that's easy for most of the good diapers these days....you mention the Abena Extra and the X-Plus. I would expect the Extra would be up to the task and give you less worry about bulk showing under your dress slacks. I will wear an X-Plus for 8 hours so it's overkill I'd say for 4 hours. The ideal concealment would be a sport coat / jacket ...... which goes well with your shirt and tie and dress slacks....but might be a bit much in class where you'd feel the need to take the jacket off to be "less formal".

Please keep in mind we are, or tend to be, "obsessed" that people are going to notice we are diapered and that can be difficult to overcome and relax but I was one who feared that every one who looked at me could tell I was wearing diapers......but I got over it. High school kids may be a different class (pardon the pun) of people...inquisitive and so on. But I would think unless you gave them some reason to wonder....ie crinkling sounds as you walk by.....or odor....a feint wiff of urine odor....then it should never enter their minds. If you are padded with a diaper it will most likely be attributed to fat......"he could stand to lose a pound or two" should be the thoughts unspoken.

Another thought.....don't laugh now....suspenders. They may be making a fashion come back, of sorts......but they are very practical. Lets you wear slacks a bit oversized to conceal diaper front and rear bulk and you skip the belt which would tend to cinch in the pants and perhaps attract undo attention to the diapered area. You may be thought a bit "stodgy" if that's the right word...but heck, you say you'll be a history teacher....so the stodgy image may be just right....<grin.

Since you can control crinkle and odor, and do your best to minimize puffiness.....love that term and thanks to our member "Puffy Pants" who introduced it, I can't see how teaching a class while wearing diapers should be any different from any other job we do while wearing our needed protection.

Back to odor....since you menioned occasional bowel incon.....that will be the most difficult issue, since the smell is certainly pervasive! Most have said the chlorophyll tablets work....but you need to start on them and give them a few days to establish before expecting them to help with odorless stool in the diaper.

Your skin may be an issue with fecal incon.....you really should change immediately because of the caustic digestive juices present in stool that will attack your skin. Many folks can wear a wet diaper for 4 to 8 hours with no adverse skin effects. But almost no one can tolerate any time in a diaper once soiled with a bowel movement.

So, Don, the best of luck to you and thank you again for considering a noble but sometimes thankless job teaching our youth!

Joe,
I had a previous job selling cars and I wore dress slacks and a button up shirt and tie. I wore an Abena super underneath it and I was fine. Sometimes, I would get into a car deal and be involved for about 3-4 hours. So the supers had to hold. They did. I moved up to the Extra because I wanted a diaper that would last longer than a super and with less bulk, than an Xplus. I would not consider wearing suspenders. My wife would disown me. LOL. I would look silly. I think I'm going to invest in a "breif" case to carry my stuff in. I can put extra diapers in there and change when I go to lunch. I'll figure it out. I'm pretty creative. I have also never had anyone notice I was wearing diapers underneath my slacks. I don't think anyone can tell. I think you can only hear it if it is like dead quiet. And classrooms are not dead quiet. So, I think I'll be fine.

Sometimes I think we all needlessly worry about being seen and/or heard. I've been wearing 24/7 for many years now and I've yet to have someone come up to me and ask if I was wearing a diaper. Being discrete is fairly simple with a little planning.

I thought I'd throw my 2 cents in here, seeing as how i am currently a substitute teacher. This is a delicate situation. What WOULD you do if you absolutely had to change.. that is a toughie. You are absolutely correct in that you would NOT want to leave the class unattended.

This is a suggestion, but it would probably not hurt to be up front and honest with the administration about you situation, sparing them details, and asking if it would be possible to have them cover your class for a quick second while you take care of business. Keep in mind that public schools are an equal opportunity employer, and ADA recognizes incontinence as a disability. As for your reason on leaving class, you could use the cover of "oh, my paperwork needs to be in order."

Another thought: As a substitute teacher i work for 4 different school districts. One of them is a chartered public school academy. Their ample funding enables them to provide most of the teachers with paraprofessionals, or teachers aides. If you can, you may want to see if you can land a job where you would have a teacher's aide..that would solve you problem of leaving the class unattended.


As far as teaching high school.. let me forewarn you it is not for everyone. They will test you on every limit you place to see how much exactly they can get away with. How much experience do you have with high school students? I ended up not subbing at the high school for various reasons id rather not get into, and i never felt comfortable teaching high school. Having to deal with incontinence on top of that may or may not prove to the best situation. But, ill let you make that determination for yourself. It's not without its rewards, but it has quite a bit of challenges. Personally, my favorite grade to sub for is lower elementary, and i especially enjoy special ed. I don't say this to scare you, just to let you know that teaching the history is the easy part, and you may find that enjoyable. But part of teaching is classroom management, which i'm sure you will learn about since you are probably going to go for your certification. Keep in mind these were my experiences, and yours may be radically different.

I agree that them finding out you wear diapers would be a disaster. High school students naturally look for weak spots in a teacher that they can exploit, which is one reason i did not do well subbing high school, as i am on the autism spectrum.

If i can be of any other help let me know.. also , i can ask my unit leader for advice on your behalf, he is an education graduate looking for his first teaching job as well, and he's worked with special needs/disabilities, so incontinence probably wouldn't phase him in the least.

And, my perspective is from a person who has spent 1 year substitute teaching with no formal training in education; i have a substitute teaching permit. I have a Bachelor's in Sociology (in case you couldn't tell by the name). Your experiences with high school students may be different, and probably will be, since you will have the benefit of some training in education.

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

Also, my hat is off to you to wanting to teach, especially high school! Teaching is one of the most rewarding things you can do. But, its also one of the toughest jobs their is.. My job as a substitute teacher is especially difficult, since i am a new person every time i walk in the classroom and i have one chance to make an impression and do the lesson. I seem to be doing well..but i don't think i would have the organizational skills to be a full time teacher.

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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

Hi Don.

In my experiences the general public (kids included) are far to absorbed in their own little worlds to notice anyone who might be wearing a diaper.

For most male teachers the dress code is button-down shirt and slacks. Just get a loose fitting pair of black slacks, use some military style shirt-stays to keep your shirt tucked in and you'll be just fine.

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~~PuddleGuy

IMO, high school kids will make fun of anything they can make fun of. I would think that if they found out I wore diapers, that would be the end of my credibility.

I have worn military shirt stays in the past with my Marine Corps uniform. I don't like them as they are uncomfortable around my legs. I do wear Abena concealers. So if my shirt does ride up, nobody will be able to tell. I recently wore a pair of dress slacks and a shirt and tie to a wedding. What was significant about this is that I wore an Abena Xplus and concealer under my clothing. Nobody could tell what I had on, I know because I asked my family if they could tell. My mom and my wife both said no, they couldn't tell I had anything underneath. This was good news. Its very encouraging being I may be standing in front of a classroom.

I am hoping to get my masters degree in history and teach at a community college level.

Generally speaking, once kids hit the college level much of the immaturity is gone. Primarily b/c in college students actually want to be there.

I don't think you'll have any problems.

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~~PuddleGuy

I have urinary incontinence and am in diapers 24/7 as a result. I have been teaching for a number of years and my disability has never been much of an issue for me. Between my prep period, lunch and recess/break time, I have always had the time to change my diaper at school. Bowel incontinence could be a problem since it necessitates an immediate change, whereas a wet diaper isn't as much of an issue. I use a high quality diaper (Abena X-Plus) with a high quality booster (Dignity Doubler), so I can go for awhile before I must change. I also wear plastic pants. In addition to a bit of extra protection, they also help conceal (visual as well as noise) and they help contain any odor (rarely an issue).