How do you know you’re about to have an accident?

[AccidentsHappen]

It varies quite a lot for me. I lost a lot of coordination/sensation from an illness years ago, and my body tends to cycle between better and worse.

When things are cooperating I get a good couple of minutes of warning before I can't hold it any longer, but am able to stay dry/clean with timed voids - my "dry days". I almost always have trouble telling when my bladder is full, regardless of what's going on, so I tend to stick to a voiding schedule for both bladder and bowel and that works really well. I will occasionally go use the toilet on a dry day and realize how badly I needed to go, but didn't notice. So, this feels sort of normal but lacks a bit of fine instrumentation. "Nearly there" and fairly reliable.

When things are not cooperating, my usual experience is "static" and this results in OAB, irritable bowel, muscle spasms, back cramps, ab cramps, bloating, issues with peristalsis, etc, which then manifest as high urgency, both with or without wetting / soiling. I call this "the squeeze" as it often feels like someone is squeezing my bladder or colon for me, randomly. More often, static causes OAB wetting which I have little control over. My IBS shifted to C dominant about 6 years ago which was a blessing tbh. I deal with soiling a lot less but it still happens. I will try my best to make it to the toilet so I don't have to deal with it. This feels like a sudden pressure /having to go that you might be able to hold for a moment, but it will just overwhelm you in seconds, and is usually wetting/flooding.

Occasionally I have days where I have little to no sensation whatsoever and things just happen. I often don't know I am wetting until I've already started, or just finished. These are less common. This feels like a small trickle, or a small spurt, or like nothing at all but a growing warm spot. I might soil standing up or bending over, not knowing I needed to go.

"Static" seems to be the most common these days, with better and worse days in between. Static sucks, I generally prefer it either just works, or it doesn't. It is what it is. though.

 

[Pantyman]

With IBS D I usually get heavy cramping first. Usually I have several minutes before I can't hold it any longer. But some time during the cramps runny diarrhea shoots out my butt. I had better have a diaper on. But trust me there has been times I didn't.

 

[Wetshisbed]

Most of the time the only feeling I get is the warmth spreading through my nappy. Sometimes I get the feeling I need to pee seconds before it happens uncontrollably. At night I just pee in my sleep with no recollection of it.

 

[Dry247]

One time I had a accident now that I'm thinking about it was in high school... we were in gym class and you had to get a partner to hold your feet as you do sit ups... and I was doing them and farted but it wasn't just a fart, so I had to deal with that the whole day after in my underwear, I did try to wipe it away... I only had 3 more classes after but I was embarrassed because it was a girl holding my feet and I'm sure she either heard it or smelled it... but mabye not

 

[Dinotopian2002]

With me it can vary, due to a mixture of nerve damage and functional incontinence.

Sometimes I don’t feel the urge and have a slight leakage without knowing - it just happens. My bladder will just empty by itself because it’s stressed out from nerve pain.

Sometimes I feel the urge - but nothing comes out - or much less than I expected. It’s like my bladder’s psyching me out.

Sometimes I can feel the urge but I can’t reach a toilet in time - due to disability, chronic pain, needing a wheelchair and also wearing a onesie in winter.

And then sometimes I get lucky and I can make it.

As such I normally just use the toilet for #2 - and anything else that comes out then. I’ll also try to sit on the toilet between diaper changes so they last longer.

But…it’s complex. So most of the time it’s now just easier to wear my diapers and go whenever I like and let my bladder do its own thing.

Breathe Deep, Seek Peace
Dinotopian2002

 

[sledder23]

In my case, I have no feeling of a filling or full bladder. I just get a strong sudden urge to go when my bladder begins voiding contractions. It will ramp up with sudden pressure until I can’t hold it back. Usually takes less than 30 seconds from the first feeling of urge until my sphincter is overpowered. If I actually am able to hold back the first contraction, the second contraction will hit more immediately a few minutes later and the few times I’ve experienced that; the result is a complete emptying of my bladder with no ability to hold back.

If I can, I do still try to make it to the restroom, but if I’m not within a few seconds of one, I don’t worry about using my diaper.

 

[daylight]

Mine has changed a lot in the last years, at first there was a constant pain in my bladder rising up to the point i could not hold any longer, more for pain than for pressure, what urodynamics showed either. When i started with Botox and diet changes, the urge changed a lot, to very little warning and a hard punch in the end and now it is more like: "Oh, there is a little pressure" and "Damn, its already flowing".

Interesting, same for me, botox gave relief from pain. I still get the ‘punch’ to go which is disruptive though the frequency and bladder spasms are less. Would like to solve the sharp spasm before leaking.

 

[daylight]

In my case, I have no feeling of a filling or full bladder. I just get a strong sudden urge to go when my bladder begins voiding contractions. It will ramp up with sudden pressure until I can’t hold it back. Usually takes less than 30 seconds from the first feeling of urge until my sphincter is overpowered. If I actually am able to hold back the first contraction, the second contraction will hit more immediately a few minutes later and the few times I’ve experienced that; the result is a complete emptying of my bladder with no ability to hold back.

If I can, I do still try to make it to the restroom, but if I’m not within a few seconds of one, I don’t worry about using my diaper.

Same here. Never know if it’s empty or full when spasms start. Kind of locks up the pelvic region when it happens.

Would add that I have to pause what I am doing until it passes.

 

[greatlake5]

Being profoundly IC, I do know that I get the "notice." Unfortunately the notice is followed with an almost immediate wetting. I can feel a strong urgency but little or no control. At least when I'm awake. When I'm asleep my bladder (and my bowels) just give up the ghost. I don't feel anything. Even since I was a kid I've always had heavy wetting during the day. When I get up in the morning my diaper is pretty soaked. That's why I use a quality booster. If I know I'm going to go somewhere for a longer period time I'll wear a booster too. To be honest, awareness doesn't really help knowing. I guess I should be thankful that at least I feel it. Tells me that I might need a change.

 

[Deleted member 74829]

Used to get the feeling my bladder was filling up and starting to get desperate - now the first thing I know is I am peeing in my diaper like a baby

That's alright.

 

[Deleted member 74829]

With IBS D I usually get heavy cramping first. Usually I have several minutes before I can't hold it any longer. But some time during the cramps runny diarrhea shoots out my butt. I had better have a diaper on. But trust me there has been times I didn't.

I 100% understand it's not fun at all.

 

[RandumFoxx]

Used to get the feeling my bladder was filling up and starting to get desperate - now the first thing I know is I am peeing in my diaper like a baby

I'm sort of similar if I've had a lot of fluids (I mean a good amount since I water fast from time to time). Except the sign is I can feel the diaper beginning to expand against my underwear.

 

[Gejoe]

Like most no warning, just a warming around my genitals. When active it is a continuous leak and I don't feel it at all.

 

[Tenaman]

I don’t. The first I’ll know is when I can feel my nappy getting wet.

 

[Wetshisbed]

I don’t. The first I’ll know is when I can feel my nappy getting wet.

Most of the time it is like that with me.

 

[Neroforte]

Same IC no warning and just happy you got very high capacity diaper on

 

[scaifester]

I don't have urge incontinence
I dribble several times an hour.
When the diaper is dry, I feel the urge and then the urine gets absorbed by the diaper.
Once the diaper is wet, I feel the urge and thats it

 

[IWannawear]

I have a combined dribble- an urge IC. The dribbling part (which is only a small amount, not 24/7, but very often) I cannot feel or control in any way. The urges I have 10-15 times over the day, 4-5 times in the night. During the day sometimes triggered (sound of running water, hands in water, sound of espresso machine, cold wind around the legs or many others), sometimes "out of the blue", sometimes after changing position. The urge comes up, gets stronger within seconds, sometimes if I try hard to hold in it either calms down or even get more into a painful cramp until I can't hold in any more. As I don't like to feel several times a day the pain of cramping bladder I usually release with the upcoming urge before it's getting painful unless I'm really very near to the bathroom...

Mine is similar, sudden onset urge and dribbles. At work will be doing my thing, stop for a second to stretch and relax, and urge hits then flow starts within a few seconds. Running water, especially into a cup or pan is a huge trigger. Dribbles thru out the day, at night I seem to stay mostly dry until I get up during the night and go, after that apparently I dribble/leak, as next time I get up to go I am anywhere from damp to soaked...

If I clench hard enough I can stop, or almost stop the flow and get to a bathroom, but with my work there is seldom a bathroom nearby, so I use a condom cath and leg bag, and once it starts there I just let it go