Tips, tricks, and hacks for living with Incontinence successfully

[slimjiminy]

Traveling is challenging with incontinence.

Even when not flying, it is challenging.

Last summer I was invited to a remote cabin on an island for a few days. My travel bag was 2/3 full of diapers for the duration. Then I also factored a few extra days of stay, which turned out to be necessary due to host car failures. The last thing I wanted to do was ask the host to take me back to the mainland and into town to get more diapers! I think I had one to spare by the time I got home. The meds were another issue.

 

[PadPhilosopher]

Even when not flying, it is challenging.

Last summer I was invited to a remote cabin on an island for a few days. My travel bag was 2/3 full of diapers for the duration. Then I also factored a few extra days of stay, which turned out to be necessary due to host car failures. The last thing I wanted to do was ask the host to take me back to the mainland and into town to get more diapers! I think I had one to spare by the time I got home. The meds were another issue.

Preparedness is always important, but more so when dealing with medical supplies. Well done on winning the preparation game!

 

[Jellyfish]

All good suggestions. I’ve had diapers shipped in the past if I’m staying at a hotel for a few days. Traveling is challenging with incontinence. If Immgoing for a few days I always just carry what I’ll need. With diaper boosters traveling I average 3 diapers a day/night. At home I use cloth diapers with plastic pants at night. Always a good idea to wear Gary or any cloth or Terry lined plastic pants over disposables traveling. I don’t use those covers often at home but traveling, especially long plane trips, the opportunity to change is sometimes difficult and the diaper covers come in handy. In Japan the drug stores have above average absorbancy diapers, compared to the US. Also found some adequate diapers in Italy, Portugal, Thailand, Hong Kong, and the UK.

I travel a lot and I've gotten to where I feel pretty good about it. The medical bag is a lifesaver because I can pack almost 5 days worth of supplies into the bag (I cant believe I only learned about it this year ). That's enough to arrive at my destination and await delivery of whatever I have ordered. I will often pack a fair portion of thinner versions of stuff, like Abena M3 instead of M4, or iD Slip Super instead of Maxi. I find that you get 80% of the capacity in 50% of the bulk, so it makes packing much more efficient. A few higher capacity diapers round out the selection - I use those strategically when I think I am going to absolutely need it.

 

[babyscotty37]

Lots of things have been said already
but I'll share
protect your bed beyond wearing a diaper
beds are a huge cost
I have a waterproof mattress protector
they are really nice now not those plastic sheets from the 70's to 90's
they make no noise now

on top of that I sleep on a washable soaker pad
IF my diaper should leak the soaker pad goes in the wash instead of all my bedding and if things are real bad the mattress is protected.

next to hygiene hygiene hygiene
if possible clean your diaper area well between each change this will prevent lots of skin issues
use baby powder to keep sweat & moisture at bay
shower daily and make sure you're completely dry before you diaper up again.

i sometimes sit in my birthday suit on a soaker pad for a while so my skin can breathe
germs love warm & moist conditions and just a small leap away from diaper rashes & fungal infection with out proper hygiene

Exactly how I’ve learned to deal with IC. I have a good, silent mattress cover and then a large bed pad, not the small ones, and I rarely need to change the sheets because they got wet.

 

[Diaperman95]

Get a good diaper bag together is key. Because one day no matter how well planned your day.. Either your bladder or bowel will have a mind of its own & will act up different than you expect or your diaper no matter how good will leak. Being able to deal with these unexpected changes is key. Most of the time I leave my bag in the car and will just go get it if needed. But that is not always possible so I use a backpack incase I need to take it with me. Like when at the zoo and the car is parked on the back 40.
Stock wipes, gloves, blue chux pads, perineal cleaner, more diapers and any products you might use. Plus member most of the restrooms are not always private and you might need to use a stall. I carry a S-hook in my bag. I use it to hang my bag on the stall doors that do not have Hook's. Scented disposal bags are good to carry too. Nothing good about making a friend or co worker have to smell your discarded product. Always knan even useow where your bathroom is at when you enter a building. The blue pads are a must if you have bowel IC. I use them to wipe away and contain heavy stool. They save a lot of baby wipes. You can spray perineal cleanser on them and use them in place a wipe if need. I find it cheaper to use one of them for most of the clean up and then use just a couple of good incontinent wipes. Assurance brand at Walmart has a great IC wipe and it is 8"x12" and thick

Also a good tip if you do not want to carry a extra diaper bag with you is to use a booster pad. When it gets full throw it out and you still have the what diaper. Beware if you leave it in the diaper bulge might get pretty big. I use to wear good pull ups from time to time. I would put two of them on and then when the one starts filling up I just go to the restroom and tear it out and pull the second one back up,. Instant change no need to remove shoes or pants. Seni make a big heavy hourglass shaped booster for cheap. I do like them in case I have mild bowel incontinence I can chuck it. They are hourglass shape but I normally do not open the wings out. Boosters work best when kept between the leg guards. If they lay over them they defeat the purpose of the guards. Mega Max has the tallest guards and are great for fecal containment as well as urine. NorthShore gives out free samples to those of you who have not got to experience the Mega Max!

I never dehydrate myself on purpose but that said I do not set and slamb beers all not thinking my diaper can catch anything.

Diaper choice is key. No matter how long you have been incontinent be sure to always try new products that come out. Someone always builds a better mousetrap. I have seen so many changes the last 30 years. We lie in the best time ever for quality products Thick extended wear diapers is what I like as it gives me less changes per day and keeps the moister away from my skin. But the way they fit around your legs and waste matter a lot. You want a good snug fit. I like mega max the best. Many diapers come loose and sag the tapes do not hold or whatever. Mega Max never lets me down. I pay a little more a diaper for them than many others but I have to change fewer times. That and I know if I do not abuse them they are almost bulletproof for me. I am very active and they never sag or clump and the top sheet stays dry. That piece of mind is priceless and they are not that much more expensive if you buy in bulk. Unless I am just trying a diaper the first time I always buy in bulk.

 

[Pino]

I think it is thought that plastic garbage is more harmful than paper garbage. I know that I sure miss the convenience of plastic grocery bags!

That is so US like. The German way was like this: We had no paper bags to begin with, the law was changed so plastic bags could not get given out for free, you had to pay for it, about 20/30 cent, i can't remember. Some stores produced recycled re-useable (!) plastic bags, really good ones and sold them for a little more, everybody bought them, cheap "one-time" bags vanished.

 

[slimjiminy]

That is so US like. The German way was like this: We had no paper bags to begin with, the law was changed so plastic bags could not get given out for free, you had to pay for it, about 20/30 cent, i can't remember. Some stores produced recycled re-useable (!) plastic bags, really good ones and sold them for a little more, everybody bought them, cheap "one-time" bags vanished.

Our govt policies often mirror things that are happening in the US. Our present PM is also quick to get on the latest bandwagon, which is regretful, without getting into the specific politics of it all.

 

[sledder23]

Another hack I found for disposal of used diapers is sprinkling a little powder in the trash bag before I start putting used diapers in it. I just use a standard 13 gallon trash can with a lid, but found that towards the last day or so of filling the can, I was getting a foul odor (I usually dump the can twice a week). The baby powder has been instrumental in keeping the smell down by absorbing the moisture and hiding any odors that form in the last day or so before the bag is changed out.

Anyone else do this?

 

[PadPhilosopher]

Another hack I found for disposal of used diapers is sprinkling a little powder in the trash bag before I start putting used diapers in it. I just use a standard 13 gallon trash can with a lid, but found that towards the last day or so of filling the can, I was getting a foul odor (I usually dump the can twice a week). The baby powder has been instrumental in keeping the smell down by absorbing the moisture and hiding any odors that form in the last day or so before the bag is changed out.

Anyone else do this?

NO. Eww. I use small bags in a lidded bucket and take them out every day. How do you even carry a 13 gallon sack of used diapers? That's impressive, actually. But no way do I want used diapers in my house for 3 days.

 

[Diaperman95]

Another hack I found for disposal of used diapers is sprinkling a little powder in the trash bag before I start putting used diapers in it. I just use a standard 13 gallon trash can with a lid, but found that towards the last day or so of filling the can, I was getting a foul odor (I usually dump the can twice a week). The baby powder has been instrumental in keeping the smell down by absorbing the moisture and hiding any odors that form in the last day or so before the bag is changed out.

Anyone else do this?

place a cup full of activated charcoal in the bottom of the ben, It will help a lot. It is in the pet section at Walmart, it is for fish tank filters. It also works well in the fridge. You can grind some up and put the powder on the diapers after using them and keep smell down too, That is what the product diaper dust is called. You can always buy it as well.

 

[sledder23]

NO. Eww. I use small bags in a lidded bucket and take them out every day. How do you even carry a 13 gallon sack of used diapers? That's impressive, actually. But no way do I want used diapers in my house for 3 days.

Sorry to mislead, my can is 7.5 gallon with a 13 gallon bag. To your point, it does weigh in at 30-40 lbs. I may be incontinent, but I’m not weak…as I’ve mentioned in the past, I lead a normal lifestyle and despite type 2, I’m otherwise healthy. Just dealing with diabetic bladder disfunction that results in urge incontinence.

As long as I can’t smell the can, and my wife isn’t noticing smells, I’ll take the win and deal with bag swaps every few days.

 

[Edgewater]

Of late, it seems like Canada has stepped out in front of the US and is now leading in Life Controlling Laws!
We a very lucky in-regards to trash removal as our City has a Trash-to-Energy facility that loves diapers because they burn well and have very little ash!
Regarding trash, the disposable diapers go out with the daily trash into the wheeled trash bin, which is picked-up weekly.
At this point, we still have single use plastic bags from the stores.

 

[Diaperman95]

Of late, it seems like Canada has stepped out in front of the US and is now leading in Life Controlling Laws!
We a very lucky in-regards to trash removal as our City has a Trash-to-Energy facility that loves diapers because they burn well and have very little ash!
Regarding trash, the disposable diapers go out with the daily trash into the wheeled trash bin, which is picked-up weekly.
At this point, we still have single use plastic bags from the stores.

Tulsa use to have a trash to energy for years but they shut it down in 06 or 07 because they could not comply to the new EPA standards without spending 100' of thousands of dollars or more. I use to transport medical waste for a good 6 years or so. The same thing happened to a lot of hospitals that had small incinerators, abbunch got shut down back around 2000's. The company I worked for had to spend a lot to upgrade our small one. 98% of what we picked up was autoclave sterilized, and only pathology and chemo waste was burned. It is crazy what some of these hospital produce. The big hospital can do over 3 -4 tons a day. We had a 8 foot round autoclave 20ft long. You could do 3 cooks an hour if everything went smooth. it was open 5 days a week and ran 16 hours a day. Sometimes we would work weekends. Well I did all the time as a driver but I meant the plant would. We headed the waste when done and we put it in those big trash compactors. We filled 4 a day and they weighed 8 to ten tons net. I have seen a far share of used adult diapers. Heck I have seen a huge share of shit IU never care to see again. Human body parts even complete heads and torso's. A place in the city in the OU research we picked dead orangutans, Monkeys dogs and more. We picked from prisons to hospital to mourges even from animal control. The worsted was chickens. we had a Tyson account and man that shit stunk. I did not eat chicken for almost 10 years after working there and seldom eat it now. Lol

 

[GeorgeG]

Sorry to mislead, my can is 7.5 gallon with a 13 gallon bag. To your point, it does weigh in at 30-40 lbs. I may be incontinent, but I’m not weak…as I’ve mentioned in the past, I lead a normal lifestyle and despite type 2, I’m otherwise healthy. Just dealing with diabetic bladder disfunction that results in urge incontinence.

As long as I can’t smell the can, and my wife isn’t noticing smells, I’ll take the win and deal with bag swaps every few days.

Yes, and smell for me is fine if the nappy is well wrapped. Perhaps the concentration of the urine is also relevant.

 

[Diaperman95]

Yes, and smell for me is fine if the nappy is well wrapped. Perhaps the concentration of the urine is also relevant. th

I had some little lady bag woman come digging in my trash. I seen her from the window and my trash was at the road so legally I don't think she was breaking laws but I am no expert maybe she was. I was going to tell her to go kick rocks, but she opened the wrong bag and decided she did not want to dig in my trash after all! Lol She had pulled one bag out set it on the ground and went through it, but when she went back for seconds she really leaned over the can and had her head in it real good digging and she just stopped. She stands up fast then pulls her hand up to her face and smelled it. Man the look on her face.. Lol Priceless.... She goes wiping her hands on her dirty coat and jeans, then she picked up the bag placed it back in my can and closed the lid and walked off sniffing her hand and wiping it off. Me and the wife was just laughing. I am duel incontinent and my wife has a colostomy and also has stress Incontinence. So she for sure picks the wrong bag to go through. I still see her around town digging in folks trash but she has not been back to my house. Lol

 

[Teddy02]

Getting a plastic grocery bag is a thing of the past for us in Ontario, unfortunately. I have a feeling that is spreading to many other places as well. However, you can buy white kitchen catcher bags instead.

For pull-ups I use dog poo bags on a roll. Easy to carry and tough enough to do the job. They also fit in the bins they put in public toilets with the safety flap.
Also for travel you can buy plastic bags that you can suck the air out of, it will compress 8 nappies to about 4-5 (depending on what they are). Like these https://www.amazon.co.uk/SpaceSaver...-2-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1

 

[Seasonedcitizen]

That is so US like. The German way was like this: We had no paper bags to begin with, the law was changed so plastic bags could not get given out for free, you had to pay for it, about 20/30 cent, i can't remember. Some stores produced recycled re-useable (!) plastic bags, really good ones and sold them for a little more, everybody bought them, cheap "one-time" bags vanished.

I have cloth bags that are at least 25 years old. Better than the flimsy plastic bags.

 

[PadPhilosopher]

I have cloth bags that are at least 25 years old. Better than the flimsy plastic bags.

Better is relative...... Probably not better for moving soiled diapers around.

 

[Wetshisbed]

I use miniature pedal bin bags that come on a roll from Lidl.