www.incontinentsupport.org

At present I am currently managing my incontinence, by using Tena pads, and I was wondering what would be an ideal diaper to wear for higher protection and coverage, when going out and about for long periods of time, without changing protection.

Kakapo

kakapo,

At home I use ACD gauze or birdseye plus a stuffer; for extended periods away from home when an adequate toilet facility is unavailable, such as an intercontinental flight or an extended meeting, I use Abena or Molicare.

Good luck.

kakapo,

You previously posted that you have moderate bladder incontinence. If you are interested in a disposable diaper for extended periods I recommend the Molicare Super Plus or the Abena Abri-form X-Plus. These are excellent plastic-shell diapers for extended periods. They are high-quality diapers and somewhat bulky in Level 4. For moderate incontinence you might do well in Level 3 (these are degrees of absorbent capacity). Of the two the Abena is the bulkier. The downside is that, when near their maximum absorbent capacity, these diapers swell up significantly. I can hide them while wearing loose-fitting black jeans, but not with tighter fitting dockers. When near maximum they can cause you to waddle, which is fine for home use, but awkward when away from home.

An excellent and thinner choice would be the Tena Slip Maxi. It uses more SAP gel and less fluff to achieve an incredible total absorbent capacity while being a fairly thin diaper. A similar diaper is the Unique Wellness Superio Signature diaper. It is similar to the Tena Slip Maxi but costs less. Both are plastic-shell diapers with a plastic front taping panel. These are my preferred diapers for business or dress attire. I like the Wellness diaper for exercise or trips to the gym as it is discrete under light athletic clothing. Most women would appreciate the freedom of selection of clothing that these two diapers provide. I also use these two during airport travel.

Of course, extended-wear also is a function of hydration and how our bodies handle it. I tend to be a heavy wetter and thus the above choices are good for me.

--John

Kakapo,

if you are getting by with just Tena pad, then a full out tape on diaper would be overkill. My suggestion would be to move up to a pull on style which are also called protective underwear. There are a ton of options out there but I would first look at the Depend Real fit and then the Depend protective underwear. There are cheaper out there but you get what you pay for on the most part. If you are managing with a pad now, try that.
The other suggection would be try several other brands and types. You will see, like most of us here have found, no one type of protection is great for every situation and you will need to learn what you will need and when by your owe experiences.

Hi Rope Wrench,

Thank you for your advice. I guess as you rightly say, experimentation is the answer. I shall have to try different options. Here in the U.K., especially the area I live in; there isn't much choice of product. I have seen the Depend pads and Tena, which most chemists and supermarkets sell. Tena Slips are very hard to find in the shops here and quite expensive. There just doesn't seem to be as much choice
here, as perhaps in the U.S.A.
In this country, incontinence is a bit of a taboo subject; as no one likes to talk about it. I have seen my district nurse about this issue, but she wasn't very helpful, so I haven't been to see another medical professional. I am managing well, with the pads i am using at the moment, and if I go out and about the town, I use a tena pant. When the time comes, when this protection is not enough, I will have to re-evaluate my situation and find adequate protection.

Kakapo

kakapo,

I would suggest that your selection at the chemist in the UK sounds nearly identical to our selection at the pharmacy in the US. It's funny that your perceive the US as having great selection or access to better products, as that's the perception I held off the UK before reading this post. The fact of the matter is, if you want something better than depends, you have to order them, either through a medical supply store, or online.

If you read my accounting to lordduche's (sp?) about the selection in the US, as a response to his recent question, you'll see a near mirror image of you just described above.

I use Tena pads to keep me dry at night I use Maxi pads which usually contain all I leak until morning and during the day I use Tena extra and usually change just twice in the day and never have any problems. I find them just starting to feel uncomfortable after about 5 hours on average. The night time max pads are usually quite wet and heavy when I wake in the morning but it is only very rarely do I have any wetness on the sheet. I get my pads andnet fixing pants suppliedfree and delivered to my home by the NHS following a couple of appointments with the continence nurse.