www.incontinentsupport.org

Hi,

I have recently had to start wearing pads, I find that I use 4-6 of the Lille Supreme Fit Super Plus Pads. Problem isknowing when to change before you leak. At the moment I am not sure wether I am slightly wet to just about to leak.

To do a decent check you need to pop to the toilet, sort out everything, guess on the back of how far it. But this seems very awkward. Sorry very new to this, after various methods and solutions the pads I have found are best suited to my lifestyle

Are they any tricks, people say about squishness and again I have only felt that when the pad is reaching capacity. The indicators are my best shot but difficult to see behind and work out how bad it is (especially on Lille / Cloth backed). Uneven wetting i.e. more front / bottom rather that rear seems to complicate matters.

My only method so far is when you feel a damp spot sometimes against the skin then it is likely the pad is at capacity.

Unfortunately, when you know you need to change but are caught out (phone calls, nowhere convenient then I have leaked a bit which a rather embarassing situation, a major leak in a supermarker recently (althougth thank you to the staff for being so understanding).

Any advice, many thanks for any help in advance.

Gary

The usable capacity varies among different styles and brands of protection. To complicate things further, manufacturers change the composition of their products, often without warning the public. Take a weekend or holiday to experiment with different brands, or the brand in your inventory now, to learn what works for you. As you discovered, waiting too long to change can invite a disaster, which makes choosing the best absorbent protection a priority. Good luck, and report back on your success.

Thank you, I am on my 4 brand and the Super Plus is a good middle ground. Its a bit bulky at the front but I feel very secure and haven't had a leak in 3 days, whereas plastic backed tena slip leaked badly at the legholes.

I tried to extend the life of each pad to reduce costs. I would like to change more often. I usually leak little bits all the time when the occasional larger wetting. So the pads soak up very nicely. I have found with out looking I cant tell as they seem to be roughlt the same size wet or dry until the end.

It is a minor thing, I am trying various pants. Was thinking as less capacity pads and maybe a lined plastic pants for the extra.

Is there bed wetting alarms that you could use at the ends of the indicators?

When I first started to wear diapers I would check the time I put it on and then timed my self to see how long I could go before it leaked. I did this with each kind of diaper I use. Now I know that after a certain time I need to change. If you know that after X hours you have a leak then you can change before X hours have pasted.

I worked for me.

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RetiredRN

The main problem is my head I have aspergers. It occurs when I focus on a task, the connection with rest of the world disappears. With my incontinence it becomes a problem as I only notice the need to change when something changes like a leak. Wearing plastic pants over gives me time to change. Thats why i was thinking some sort of bed wetting alarm may help to jerk me out of it. But I like the idea of logging usage and maybe finding a pattern. I like to make sure even 1% chance is too high I have to be sure otherwise my anxiety climbs. Stupid thing really. I wish I could shut it off.

Thank you for the advice

Update report: Today was a good day so relaxed I managed with 1 pull up. Weekends are the best. Back in pads and plastic pants for bed however. Fingers crossed for tomorrow.

I was glad to read of your success. Asperger's must complicate every aspect of incontinence management, which makes your success all the more commendable. Hooray!

It during the week that the real problems occur. Today no accidents and none yesterday. Yay! Nighttime remains unchanged. Thank you for the support. That really helps build my confidence up. Worse is I am manic all the time.

Update: This weekend I relaxed and it was brilliant. Pull ups some of weekend and nappies for none of it. I slight dribble once (yes just once) but otherwise accident free zone here. I was amazing, bed wetting remained unchanged and a slight bonus. I empty during the night so the morning for about an hour or two I pullups is fine.

Monday morning, I was doing ok, no nappy again, no accidents, yay! When I got into the car a wave of anxiety hit me for six. I started driving within 5 minutes I had to pull over.

---- Sidenote: My finger are even tense writing this and I am only just holding it together -------

I was shaking so bad, it was work stress coupled with a anxiety attack, I knew I needed to get a pad on, I was just get ready and just moved an thin large pad that I made a mistake in buying a bag of. A wave hit me, I quickly put on the pad under me to ride the attack and then I messed myself and then of course wet a little bit.

Now I have messed myself no more than 10 times in my life. This was a complete shock and little to no warning. I was just mid-change. I just sat there and shook for 5/10 minutes, not sure how long.

---- Sidenote: The tense is going, thank you for listening -------

I quickly put on my normal (hah! Its so depressing a precaution is now a necessity) daytime pad and drove to work in a shock. I wet a little bit on the journey. When I got to work, it felt wet, I checked and nearly half the pad is gone and this is a Lille Super Plus (2980ml). I have no memory of that and now I am wetting then wet I started writing this. Talk about stepping now.

Now I know you are going to tell me, this was probably just a very bad day and it is. I know it is unlikely to happen for a long while (based on historical evidence). It is just hard to get over, I am currently, halve in and halve out of reality. Like this is happening to a character in a story.

I need normality, time for a coffee.

Peace.

GFord,

Hang in there, we have all been where you are at one time or another..i have had the occasional fecal episode myself.. its NOT fun. I hate to say this, but from my experience, with the male anatomy, unless you only have really light dribbles, and even then.. the best protection for men is a full-on tape on brief. That is because our exit point is variable, and you may find yourself in a situation where you are pointed where there is no padding at all and have a wetting episode, and your pants are wet. As for how often to change, I operate on a change when wet basis unless im wearing a premium disposable or a 4 insert pocket diaper meant for extended wear.

I too am on the autism spectrum, i have PDD-NOS which is very similar to Asperger's.


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