Intermittent incontinence ... when least expected!

[NotInControl]

It helps me to read of others who experience the getting out of bed flood. Nothing quite as jolting first thing in the morning! On your way to the loo and there's a cool wet stream running down your leg. Floor, rugs and clothes with drops and puddles. Reading of others' experiences and remedies is very helpful. Not feeling the only one who compensates and wears a diaper the next night, or a more absorbent pad, or a plastic pant, etc. ... only to have no reoccurrence for days, weeks, etc. The frustration of not being able to predict and prepare!

Then, there's the going out with pad in place, only to have a squirt that overwhelms the absorbency (that was calculated to the precise millileter, with more than enough in reserve). Now the wet underwear and pants' crotch. How to mask it, explain it, feel it???

Yes, wearing a diaper is the reasonable solution. But, some of us with intermittent incontinence don't feel the need for complete coverage. We're still experimenting with various pads and pants. It is challenging.

 

[slimjiminy]

It helps me to read of others who experience the getting out of bed flood.

I wear an overnight diaper these days because I sometimes pee in my sleep. But there is no way to know in advance when that is going to happen. But for getting up, I have to sit up and pause because of blood pressure etc. By the time I'm standing, or making up the bed, I am peeing again. I'll then pause and try to void completely since retention issues cause me to get bladder infections. I'll usually have extra dry capacity between the legs at this point, so that works out for me.

Nothing quite as jolting first thing in the morning! On your way to the loo and there's a cool wet stream running down your leg. Floor, rugs and clothes with drops and puddles.

I don't have flooding issues, but it is important to wear a diaper with sufficient capacity for overnight. Pull-ups just leak and unsuitable for overnight. I've tried to make pull-ups work but gave in to the brief (diaper) in the end.

... only to have no reoccurrence for days, weeks, etc. The frustration of not being able to predict and prepare!

That is a huge problem for me also. Most days, I get by with a daily male guard unless I am going to be away from home for 3+ hours. But the guard is no help if my IBS-d flares up. I don't like wearing a diaper/pull-up every day so I try to guess. I've had several close calls as a result.

Now the wet underwear and pants' crotch. How to mask it, explain it, feel it???

Yes, and sometimes I miss the guard, or the guard wing becomes folded or I am mispointed. I hate that.

Yes, wearing a diaper is the reasonable solution. But, some of us with intermittent incontinence don't feel the need for complete coverage.

Agreed, it is frustrating. It's costly too, if you're on a fixed income. Then there is the desire not to be wasteful. I'm clinging to what control I still have, but know that it is slowly being wrested away from me due to diabetes.

 

[JustMe]

<snip>. ... only to have no reoccurrence for days, weeks, etc. The frustration of not being able to predict and prepare!

Then, there's the going out with pad in place, only to have a squirt that overwhelms the absorbency <snip> ...

Yes, wearing a diaper is the reasonable solution. But, some of us with intermittent incontinence don't feel the need for complete coverage. We're still experimenting with various pads and pants. It is challenging.

Challenging indeed. When I first started having intermittent leakages and mild puddles, it was a pretty distressing problem. One of the worst situations was driving on the interstate and finding a wet spot building in my pants! I found the nearest med supply house and went to buy diapers. Before getting out of the car, I considered making up some excuse, but in the end how could I like about a wet pant and then buying diapers. Like that would have worked. Especially since when I stood up, a bigger gush just came out. I had to suck it up, try to hide behind counters and by turning my body away to avoid as best as I could a wet-walk-of-shame. After that, I preferred over-protection.

Consider the Abena pad line. They have things that go from tiny, almost menstrual pad size to pads that are diaper sized! At least in this way, I was able to *need* it or toilet. And I could vary the level of protection.

 

[AttilaThePun]

One of the worst situations was driving on the interstate and finding a wet spot building in my pants! I found the nearest med supply house and went to buy diapers. Before getting out of the car, I considered making up some excuse, but in the end how could I like about a wet pant and then buying diapers. Like that would have worked. Especially since when I stood up, a bigger gush just came out.

"I, erm, spilled my coffee... from the inside of my bladder..."

 

[RedStripeLvr]

I am a nightly bed wetter, as far as I know. I say it that way because there could be the random day that I wake up dry, but I wouldn't know because as soon as I stand up and start moving, the flood happens as if on schedule. You are certainly not alone in your frustrations in trying to find the "perfect" solution. Most mornings, I wake up to a wet bed pad where my nightly diaper set-up leaks. This is after dealing with IC for the past 8 years and trying everything I can think of to solve the problem.

 

[LHRO63]

I find I am having this problem more with age - I don't mind when I'm home alone, often I actually enjoy it, but mortifying when it happens in public! I am now wearing a pad every time I go out and fortunately have not had any leaks so far.

 

[AttilaThePun]

I find I am having this problem more with age - I don't mind when I'm home alone, often I actually enjoy it, but mortifying when it happens in public! I am now wearing a pad every time I go out and fortunately have not had any leaks so far.

I suppose the trick is to avoid leaks and not have a facial expression that gives any indication of what just happened.

 

[Napincolove]

If I do get a reasonably good nights sleep I will wake up very wet, if it is a rough night with only brief naps I still wake up wet, have been waking up wet for over 25 years now and dry nights can be counted only in the low twenties from all those years.
My kidneys are just as active if not more so at night, I have tried not taking in so much fluids but that gives me small but multiple almost unholdable wettings so I quite literally go with the flow and drink when I feel the need.

 

[Octopi]

I’m fairly new to urinary incontinence (w/in the last few months) and I too tried the pads first. I had the same issue! I know I leak more with movement but sometimes it’s a few drops and others it’s a lot more.

I tried the “discrete” underwear options (off brand and always brand I think) and found that they are totally not for all day wear. The elastic gets weak after a few hours, and even when I sized down the elastic in the legs would get weaker with movement and leak if a “gush” came out instead of a couple drops. At this point I’ve resorted to “goodnites” until my insurance decides who will be my supplier. They were affordable, pretty flat, and what was available to me, so I just grabbed them. Having prints is okay (I’ve always been the type to have “fun” patterned underwear because nobody sees) but not something I was looking for. I can’t seem to find a tailor made option that is good for the unpredictability of volume .

It feels a bit wasteful to toss a pair when I have a day where I seem to have a bit more control, but I haven’t found a reliable way to predict what kind of day it will be.

 

[HalMidLife]

I think of it like insurance: I don’t buy the policy that I think I will need if something moderately bad happens, but the policy I will need if something very bad happens. It’s exactly why I wear more protection than I need about 90% of the time. It’s the other 10% that I’m worried about Most days, a pull-up is just fine…but I have those odd days where I get a surprise, and am I ever happy to be wearing a taped diaper.

You get used to wearing it and, at least in my case, although I don’t “need” that much protection most days, a bonus is I find the products made to deal with heavier situations well deal with lighter ones really well. So I don’t feel like it’s a waste.