What a Long Strange Trip it has Been: A 24/7 Experience

Felstormvortex

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  1. Diaper Lover
Last year about this time I made the decision to go diapered 24/7 come hell or high water. I thought I'd post some of my experiences and tips as to how it went.

At first I limited myself to using a few common brands of diapers I could get easily/locally:
  • Depends Maximum Protection
  • Certainty (Walgreens brand)
  • Tranquility ATN and Slimline
  • Tena Super
Within the first three months I had to completely stop using Depends and the Certainty as, well, let’s just say they're terrible products if used alone, although, if you shear the tabs and wings off the Certainty and cut a long slot in the backing they make great boosters for the Depends. Overall though it's not really economical to do this as a higher quality diaper is simply better for your skin and easier on the dollar.

All in all I went through 10 packages of the Depends and 5 packages of the Certainty. I still have about 20 of each left over, which I simply don't plan on using. I started off with buying the medium sized Depends and found that larges simply fit better and leak less as I can get them on tighter. After my 5th leak with them I started experimenting with using the Certainty as a booster. However, due to the bulk of them when they're wet they're impossible to conceal under anything but the baggiest of pants, so they became my night and days-off diaper combination for a good three months.

After that 5th aggravating leak I went and found a local medical supply place that kept Tena products. I tried several of their products, mostly the Tena Supers and Ultras in large. I still use them as a nighttime/morning diaper on occasion. The lack of standing leak guards can result in a leak should you need to use them while standing up. If they aren't on so tight around the leg gathers that you're cutting off circulation, they will spring a large embarrassing leak. Laying down protection is darned good and I've yet to have wet sheets as a result, either from laying on my back or on my side. However the much touted "clothlike" backing means that they tend to "sweat" a little if I try and wear them all day. It’s not an "all day" diaper. Also, if I was dehydrated, it could lead to a very slight odor problem.

The same distributor also had the Tranquility ATN's and Slimline briefs. These are currently my daytime diapers and they work very well all day. I typically only need one per day. They're really good at wicking wetness away and I can get 4 or 5 wettings before needing to change. For funsies I did try flooding them and they're not very tolerant to more than two floodings. The backing is incredibly soft as well as the liner; it’s almost like wearing fur underwear. However, the tapes are not the best. They use a double tape system that has a blue plastic slip to which the actual tape tab attaches. It took me a good week to figure out exactly where to place them on my diaper. Once you put them down they don't come off without tearing the backing and then refastening is an impossibility at that point. So it's a one-shot deal. The plastic backing is also somewhat weak, so to get them on good and tight I use wide packing tape to double up on the tabs and keep them in place.

Plastic backed diapers are by far the best out of the disposables as far as odor and leak protection goes. I won't even consider a diaper for daytime use unless it has standing leg guards. Rustling and bulk from a wet diaper is easily controlled with boxer briefs. They'll also absorb minor leaks should you experience any.

When I first started wearing 24/7, work was very problematic. I was using Depends at the time and they're maybe a one or two use diaper before you have to change, so I was tearing through them at a decent rate, like 3-4 per day. It was not economical. Basically anytime I wet more than the slightest amount I'd have to go and immediately change, because if I'd go to do some desk work I'd invariably be changing my pants as well. I'll never forget the day I wet them, was on my way to change in the restroom, and got pulled into a meeting, where I sat on them for 30 min. and could feel the moisture creeping down the back of my leg. I was lucky to be wearing black that day, and made sure I was first out of the room. That day was the end of the solo-Depends work diaper. I improvised shortly after with using the Certainty diaper cut down into a ghetto-booster for the Depends. Foolishly I bought a case of the Depends and needed to use them up.

I make a point of not using my diapers for bowel movements if I can possibly help it. Although in the spirit of going 24/7 it wouldn't be fair if I didn't use them for their intended purpose. So I went toilet-less for 2 months. It was during this time that I gained a greater sense of understanding for people that are actually totally incontinent. If you want to remain discreet about your diaper use, going toilet-less basically makes that impossible should you have a bowel movement in your diaper. You'll go from smelling normal to sewer in about 30 seconds. Again, work presented its biggest challenge here as I'd basically have to have a bowel movement and then change immediately. I never had any messy leaks, as I'd switched to using the Tranquility by then, and as far as bowel movements go, unless it's diarrhea, any diaper will take a bowel movement like a champ.

I went totally toilet-less for two months, and I doubt I'll go toilet-less again, though I am glad that I did it. IC people have my absolute and utter sympathy. My whole life basically changed, I avoided going anywhere or doing anything because should I need to change either for wetting or a bowel movement, it would have been hard to explain to friends and family why I needed to take my gym bag, which has my diapers in it.

Since then I'm still diapered 24/7 with regards to numero uno, and I've only had one bout of diaper rash. That was no fun at all.

Anyway, cheers! I hope you all find this an interesting read or edifying in some manner.
 
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I have to use adult disp. diapers 24/7 and often have a bowel accident while asleep. I change during the day in public. I got these issues from prostate surgery. Some erectile disfunction. The management of the building I live in learned about my needs. Changing and cleaning and buying diapers is quite time consuming. I have changed my clothing and now wear full waterproof pants during winter.
 
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Geno,

Like you I have to control and am in adult briefs all day long. It's a bitch and takes up a lot of time. I use gary active briefs over diapers to control odor. You?
 
I admire you for trying this. It sounds like you put a lot of well-placed effort into it and learned quite a bit.
 
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I was amazed just how quickly I adapted to wearing a nappy al the time. Now I couldn't imagine not wearing them.
 
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Id like to wear diapers for numero uno and may numero dos if im close to a spot where i can change quickly but i wouldnt mind peeing my pants or diaper i guess i can cinsider i have Over Active Bladder because i pee like 20 times a day but usually i make it
 
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I made the same decision a few years back! Ultimately, even though we went down the same road initially, I think you probably made a more sensible turnoff than I did. :p A lot of what you said definitely resonates with me, though!

(1) Store brands are almost always terrible! I've been in Abena M3s for a long time, and I'll go for full-on AB/DL brands when I can get them because they genuinely have the best performance. Medical brands are usually better on some other trait, such as discretion or tapes.

(2) You pointed out that some diapers are impossible to conceal under anything but the baggiest of pants. I definitely had to buy baggier pants, and I also had to relax my standards for how obvious I was willing to let my diapers be. Let's say I'm not the absolutely obsessive concealer that I was when I was just AB/DL, although I'm definitely still discreet.

(3) You mentioned clothlike backing 'sweating'. I thought I could go with just medical brands when I started, but for this and other reasons, there are a lot of plastic-backed diapers in my wardrobe. I also think cloth-like backing noticeably reduces the diaper's ability to wick quickly.

(4) You mentioned that plastic-backed disposables are the best for odor and leak control. I agree, but I actually found that plastic pants were a necessity for me. Taking plastic pants into account there isn't much of a difference between cloth-backed and plastic-backed disposables because plastic pants are so effective. I think boxer briefs are very good as superficial leak protection and concealment, though.

(5) You mentioned that going completely toiletless is very hard. It absolutely is. I think this is one of the big parts where we diverged. It looks like you committed to go into diapers 24/7 indefinitely, and committed to go toiletless for 2 months, from not having previously been toiletless.

I'd previously gone toiletless for brief periods, and I committed to go into diapers 24/7 indefinitely, but didn't commit to going toiletless, just to using toilets as little as possible. I went through a process of finding out what I could get away with and what I was comfortable with. Ultimately with wetting it turned out that there was never a situation where I couldn't just wet my diaper, so I went toiletless there.

I increasingly started messing my diaper when I could get away with it, though. I ultimately narrowed down the list of situations where I couldn't mess to "when I'm in an enclosed space with another person". I had a somewhat distorted view of how much that was - I thought I was spending much more time holding myself back from messing than I was, when in actuality about 95% of the time I was using my diapers in preference to a toilet. I also didn't realise that that was enough to result in my control degrading.

Ultimately I started realising that I was having wetting control difficulties and kinda just let it happen because it wasn't gonna make a big difference to my life, but as a result of that, by the time I realised that I was having messing control difficulties as well, I was well past the point of needing to be in diapers for my wetting, so actually getting out of them wasn't an option. Obviously when you're diapered, and dressed in a way that makes that convenient, toileting is tougher and more time-consuming, and being incontinent makes getting out of a not-fully-used diaper a lot costlier. I ended up at the point where it was usually just easier to let it happen and ... here I am.
 
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At the beginning of the year, I made the decision to fully commit to 24/7. I've had mild bladder and bowel IC for years, but they've increased in the past year and a half so has almost become a necessity.

I've stayed with the same basic setup with a couple alterations since going 24/7: Generic CVS or Walgreen's cloth-backed diapers with baby prefold diapers as inserts, Bambinos, and cloth diapers with plastic panties. The generics served as daytime use for a while, but after a couple months of frequent leaks and saggy "diaper butts," I abandoned using them alone and incorporated diaper covers. Bambinos are for when I know I'm going to be out for a while and won't be able to changeike it. I use cloth while at home and overnight with plastic panties under a pair of shorts. I began experimenting with training pants under the diaper covers for better concealment while wearing shorts. It works faily well but there are some drawbacks: (1) Sweating will cause the urine smell to permeate if it's hot and/ or very humid. (2) There's a risk of weeping from the cover if the training pants are near capacity. (3) Leaks are possible depending on the T/P absorbency rate, width of the absorbency area, and capacity. (2) and (3) look similar, but weeping plastic pants has given me more diaper rashes than anything else.

Like the OP, I tried to keep bowel movements to a minimum in the beginning. I would use a toilet when had I access but after a while, holding my bowels has become a little more difficult. I still try when I feel it, but I accept and allow it if I know I don't stand a chance.

Since going 24/7 I've noticed that the accidents are now more of a consistent leaking. I'm also met with a lot of pain if I try to hold my bladder more than ~45 minutes. One positive thing I can say is that I've experienced a lot less back pain than I did before. :2thumbsup:
 
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I have been wearing diapers 24/7 for around 5 or 6 months. I only wear cloth diapers with a diaper cover, and although I have tried disposables, I feel most secure in cloth diapers and diaper covers. I have had to purchase several days worth of diapers, inserts, baby powder, diaper pins, lotion. I love the smell of baby powder and lotion. The only drawback is the laundry, I have to wash diapers every other day I wear 3 to 4 diapers a day and a night diaper at night.

I started wearing store bought disposable diapers and quickly became dissatisfied; the tapes didn't secure the diaper well, and didn't allow for repositioning. I tried premium disposable diapers and still was not satisfied with the fit, comfort and the tapes. The expense of premium disposable diapers became prohibitive. I wanted something with a bit more coverage for night so I purchased prefold diapers and I like them as mush as the contour diapers, and now wear them interchangeably during the day. I was still having leaking at night was becoming more frequent, I purchased cloth pull up diapers and wear them at night with a diaper cover.
 
I’ve been 24/7 for about 2.5 years now, since I started developing symptoms of IBS. Most of the time I use cheap free Medicaid diapers, and have to change three to four times a day. When I can afford it, I buy higher quality products like AB diapers and northshore products. I prefer cloth backs because they’re much softer and more comfortable than plastic backs. Attends premium overnights are my go-to “special occasion” brand.
 
‘Just keep trucken onnnnnnn!’
And … ‘Back , where it all began’
‘Wake up to find out, that you are the eyes of the world’
‘Cause I, ain’t wasting time no more’

Great thread title!
I responded with song lyrics and song titles from two of my favorite bands!
Cheers!
 
Autiesaurus said:
I’ve been 24/7 for about 2.5 years now, since I started developing symptoms of IBS. Most of the time I use cheap free Medicaid diapers, and have to change three to four times a day. When I can afford it, I buy higher quality products like AB diapers and northshore products. I prefer cloth backs because they’re much softer and more comfortable than plastic backs. Attends premium overnights are my go-to “special occasion” brand.
hey wanna chat
 
cappydiaperlvr said:
‘Just keep trucken onnnnnnn!’
And … ‘Back , where it all began’
‘Wake up to find out, that you are the eyes of the world’
‘Cause I, ain’t wasting time no more’

Great thread title!
I responded with song lyrics and song titles from two of my favorite bands!
Cheers!
Great taste in music!
 
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hey I wanna be abdl
 
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Todoroki9 said:
hey I wanna be abdl
same here im currently a DL who wears for medical need .
 
medfet878 said:
same here im currently a DL who wears for medical need .
I can help you'if you want
 
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