www.incontinentsupport.org

Ok.. they better get to the bottom of this incon soon..i really hope its just constipation or some easy cause causing it..because its frankly getting annoying. Rash has occured.. and i remember all to well what that feels like, not to mention that the floods have increased in either frequency, severity or both. Today, I had to change at every break and then some! i actually ended up changing twice when i was supposed to be working.. first time was because i didn't want to wait an hour to change with rash developing..and second time i was afraid my brief was going to leak.. i had wet in in several times and the padding had fallen down from the front of the crotch to the middle.. and was sagging.. this probably means my inconteince is getting worse . I HATE that... On the upside, i did find a more convenient and faster way to change. Intstead of hiding a brief under my jacket and taking it all teh way to the back of the store, i simply put a brief in a plastic bag along with a few wipes, and change in the front mens. Granted, its slightly less private, but i can make it work. I figure no one can tell whats in the bag... and it also makes for a handy disposal bag. Also, when i really needed a change near the end of my shift, i thought of a really clever way to conceal a brief.. i was wearing a chook at the time..yes i know its the middle of the summer, but sometimes working overnights outside it has gone down into the 50s. ANyway, i hid the diaper in the chook and no one was the wiser. It was a bit annoying having to change when i was supposed to be working, but I dont think anyone noticed anything.

Now, to the part where i need advice. The one MAJOR downfall i have run into is diapers clumping, sometimes because they get wet, sometimes they clump well before they get wet due to the amount of time hte diaper has been worn. Is this a characteristic of ALL disposables? are there any at all that dont clump even when wet?
I must say, due to the clumping issue, im giviing serious thought to cloth..although i dont know HOW id manage to conceal a cloth diaper at work..other than wearing bib overalls.. which im not sure im allowed to wear...though i might be able to get away if i have to.. if anything..i can wear cloth at home.sure would save on the cost of disposables.. although that may be a moot point soon, since im reopining my insurance account with J and B medical.. unfortunately, they no longer have available the brief i used before which worked very well for me, that is, the Tena Ultra. Will be interesting to see what they send for samples. One things for sure.. im NOT using wings supreme.. although they may be quite absorbent the tapes SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, and ive been taking Mirilax every day.. seems that yesterday, i had a good regular BM, but tonight i was backed up.. anyone know of anything stronger i can take? or should I? Ok , the rash isnt bad at this point, or rather is going away, so id rather keep it that way..even though i did origionally make plans to go visit someone..im putting those on hold and airing out today..besides, i need to catch up on my sleep (since i work at night, i sleep during the day).

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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

sociologygeek,

I regretted reading that your incontinence seems to have returned stronger than before. My gastroenterologist has me on a Dulcolax (bisacodyl) suppository/enema schedule. This is much stronger than your Miralax regimen, but believe me, it does work. Good luck.

The clumping may partly be related to the brand of brief you're wearing. Some brands clump more than others. One of the reasons that I use Abena is that the product clumps relatively little. However, part of the problem is also likely due to lack of support. Wearing a snug pair of underpants over the brief provides support that greatly reduces clumping.

I saw in another post you listed that you use attends. I have found these to be really bad for clumping. They also seem harsher on my skin giving me rashes in the leg area. So far the a+ 3 seem to work the best but still clumps some if I am really active. No rashes even after walking 5-6 miles.

Sociologygeek,

Sorry that you are having some problems.

With the recent remission of my bladder incontinence, I am back to just being bowel incontinent. This means that I may wear the same diaper for 12 - 15 hours if I do not have a bowel accident, so I am very much aware of the clumping problem..

Diapers are not designed to be worn for that long and some clumping is almost inevitable. However, your clumping and sagging problems sound unusually severe, so I suspect that you need to try other brands. I second what Inconimiss said about Abena clumping less than many brands. I also recommend the Tena Slip Maxi.

Re wearing at work, I recommend the Tena Slip Maxi which is very discrete but with a very high absorbent capacity and has internal leak guards. Another very similar product is the Wellness Superio Signature diaper. I wear these with a pair of plastic pants, plus UnderArmour compression pants. This holds up the wet diaper and smooths out bulges and lines.

Patrick is correct about the bisacodyl laxative suppositories. These are a strong laxative (not like the gentle overnight laxatives) and produce a BM within an hour (for me they act in about 25 minutes). This allows them to be used in the mornings before you go to work. I often use them when I travel overseas, before going out on a tour.

The most reliable and effective means of controlling bowel incontinence that I have found is the daily use of old-fashioned bag enemas (not Fleets). These usually give me protection for a full work day without worries about having an accident. I have written a white paper on the use of traditional enemas for the control of fecal incontinence (my doctors have approved the paper). If you are considering trying enemas it may be worth your time to read the paper. A copy should be in the archives on this site. If you don't find it, send me a personal message with your email address and I will send you a copy.

Good luck,
--John

My friends, thank you for the replies. Yes, i do use attends. I find them more comfortable than depend, and a lot more easier to change. The only thing i can get locally is Attends Breathable extra absorbent. I actually went to buy two bags this week, as opposed to one bag because somehow i went through a bag of 24 in 4 days! this means im using 6 a day which astonished me when i figured it out, and dismayed me a little too.. although, the incon is less prevalent now, but still ever present. Inconmiss, i already wear a pair of underpants over the brief. It helps. By the way, im pretty much agreeing with your assesment about the tena slip maxi. I have tried them. and they are good.. but they do still clump if wet over an extended period. I don't think i could make it an entire shift in a maxi without changing at least once, even if it is extedned wear. Thank you for you input about the A+ 3 and A+4.. i am considering wearing both to work..which someowhat surpised me.. i initally thought the a+4 would have bulged too much..i did wear it to work and no one said anything.. but really, with most adults..if they do notice something.. i doubt theyd be immature enough to call me out on it..if they do, i can get em fired..

JD, i don't suffer from bowel control issues, rather the NP im seeing thinks that my constipation is causing my recent bout of urinary incon..so im takin mirlax to address it..i think soon though ill quit fartin around with the less-than-MD-type of medical personell and get down to brass tacks..and ask for a urologist consult. I must admit.. i don't enjoy facing the gauntlet of appointments, tests and diagnoses and im not sure how far im willing to go. I definetly won't be driving as far as i did the last time. To give you an idea, i live in Northern Michigan, and I had to drive all the way to University of Michigan to see a neurologist and urologist. It helped though.,, even though my parents dont remember it being helpful..It took a flurourodynamics study to get to the root cause of the problem. I did NOT have OAB..my problem WASNT that i was going to much, in a way i wasn't going enough..that is, my bladder wasnt emptying totally. once we figured it out, the fix was relativley painless.

Peace out!

_________________
"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