Alex1
Est. Contributor
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- 37
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- Incontinent
Growing up I had encopresis from a childhood event, along with bed wetting. Luckily it wasn’t severe in any case. through elementary school and middle I wore thin pull on briefs that would just keep my accidents off of my outerwear. For those who do not know, it is not full bowel movements but leakage. It was manageable and i was on high Fiber diets. I still had a great childhood and had amazing friends in school and some are still my closest today.
Elementary school wasn’t hard, most kids make friends easily and everyone cared more about getting to a certain colored pencil or crayon first, the peer trouble didn’t start till middleschool. God, everyone was out for blood. For taking care of my problem in school, i kept 2 pull on briefs and a small ziplock with some wet wipes in my locker. If i needed to change, i would go at lunch, or excuse myself from the class. It was a small private school, so all the classes and bathroom were on the same hall and LOCKERS in the same hall. I know most people are not so lucky with that easy access. The school nurse knew about my problem and i was able to leave class at anytime. (small school perk as well, i think) so it wasn’t a problem. Another bonus was all my elementary school friends went there and a couple went to the public school for the first year of 6th grade then transferred.
Now back to the kids seeking blood. It didn’t take long for most people in my class to figure out my problem, the smell on my bad days was a giveaway. Got called names which hurt but my friends were there to back me up and i got through it. So what about school clubs and sports?
Of course i partook in school clubs and sports. I lived my life to the best i could. And my parents were there most of the way. in 6th i joined band as a pianist and marimba player, but switched to Trumpet (for side note i took piano lessons since first grade). had so much fun. I also did chess club after school a couple days. in 7th grade I did track/ cross country, the same group/ team and probably the most supportive people. Only did it for a year, while running my problems got a little worse but had fun. But I did stay in band and chess. in 8th grade the school knew everything and ended up giving it respect. 9th grade and the highschool transition was the 2nd scariest time for me.
Come 9th grade, I transferred to the public school. For a bigger band program with a marching band which I enjoyed along with duel enrollment (college classes you can take that count as high school and college credit that was available in 10th grade but had prerequisites (certain grades in classes) you needed to take in 9th to get into the program). At this point I was having a hard time as my condition started worsening and was having some urinary accidents through the day. Managing at this new school would prove to test my resilience.
The school was huge, well bigger to me compared to the private school. I went from a school of 2-300 to a school around 1100! students. Not to mention my locker was in a part of the school where i didn’t have classes. Thx to my parents having conversations I was dreading with the school nurse, a plan was put in place. For a side note, we were told having some type of IC problems were not as rare as you would think in highschool and we got a direct answer. The nurse office had lockable lockers which i was able to use one to keep my supplies in along with 2 private bathrooms . which would serve me well. I went at lunch, during study hall and after school before marching band practice as needed. I made sure to stay clean and didn’t want to smell at all, my biggest win was having a nice cologne that was not overpowering but still smelled nice close up. All this worked for me. The Pull on briefs worked well enough for my extremely rare day time wettings all through 9th grade. The Summer between 9th and 10th grade is when things got drastically worse.
My biggest turning point was in the summer, I started having frequent muscle spasms in my prostate and groin area causing my to let go everything i had in me. After the first few times, my parents and I went to my primary doctor. after a long day of tests and embarrassing exams we learned my encopresis was becoming a bigger problem. causing pressure on the back of my bladder. We were told i had a few options, one option we considered was a colostomy bag. I was very much against it, and my sister came close to convincing me but failed. Looking back, it may have been a good thing to do. So Summer came to a close and this is where I had to manage, essentially Full IC in highschool, hopefully this part will help others and is what you are here for most likely.
My introduction to Absorbent briefs (Diapers). My sister was probably the best help to me. She was fairly popular (3 years older and just graduated High school at this time.) She wanted to make sure the way I dressed, and looked with the bulkier briefs would help me blend in. Not as bulky as now as i used cvs brand. I was embarrassed in front of my family, knowing they were well aware and involved, just the thought of having to wear full “diapers” was to much at the time. So, to keep moving forward with this, my sister took me shopping. We went several places and tried everything on and she would inspect closely to see if it was visible while walking, sitting, bending etc. After searching online at other people, we learned to go up in size a little. We were very successful at finding clothes and so 10th grade started. Wasn’t bad, kept my same routine as the previous year. Band was different. after band camp (week leading up to start of school) i wanted to quit. Managing IC while outside on the football field in the hot Southern sun was miserable and after going to the bathroom a few times in the school to change the band teacher didn’t let me, saying to drink less water or keep going. He didn’t know and i wasn’t going to tell him. After complaining to my parents about it, guess what, they talked to him. so just like with the nurse, a plan was made for me and he was respectful about it and apologized (more embarrassing for him than me probably). so i stayed in band and made more friends, some who found out and even helped me manage. Game days were the hardest, long bus rides and long games but it went as smooth as it could. As for the school part, i was able to start duel enrollment. so I went in for a few classes in the high school in the morning then rode the bus to the local college for the other classes. At the college, I had my most embarrassing Student incident. I didn’t have the luxury of a private bath and used the common one when or if i needed it. I changed standing up and leaning on the stall wall, the noise echoed. so while changing a student walked in and heard it and i don’t know if he was a perv, creep or what, but as he walked by, he was looking through the cracks and when he saw he was like “Yoo, change little buddy”. he then used the bathroom and left as i did, never saw him again. most likely an actual college student. This let me to Betterdry, boosters, and plastic pants, already had plastic pants for my night time enuresis. my life changed with better quality. I was able to change before i got on the bus in the nurse office and be good till i got home. That is the key to surviving school, Don’t be afraid to go all in. After that it went status quo. I became a pro at changing standing up and tested out more products. Mega Max is the best. But to expensive to use insurance on but with the pack we got occasionally i used when going out with friends or longer car rides to vaca etc.
As of today, I am currently in college finishing up my associates Degree in Business Administration. i commute to another college about 25 minutes away. it’s easy. But my mind is racing as next semester i am going to a bigger college near Atlanta and will be in dorms. i feel confident about it and have already learned about some great products and tips these past couple days being on here. Another major tip for those IC peeps. You may have a completely different situation than me, but do not be afraid of Talking to your school health services and school nurse, know you are not alone and when people find out, it will be a hard couple of weeks then it dies down.
My health Today. I am improving slightly. My encopresis is getting better but my doctor Has said countless times i will be on medication for years to come and don’t expect to see improvements over night. hopefully in 5 years or so, i will have full control. Always be optimistic right? If i can’t get over these prostate problems, it’s ok. I will continue living life and having some of the best friends i know.
(sorry if i seemed out of place in some spots, i’m just typing as if i’m talking)
Elementary school wasn’t hard, most kids make friends easily and everyone cared more about getting to a certain colored pencil or crayon first, the peer trouble didn’t start till middleschool. God, everyone was out for blood. For taking care of my problem in school, i kept 2 pull on briefs and a small ziplock with some wet wipes in my locker. If i needed to change, i would go at lunch, or excuse myself from the class. It was a small private school, so all the classes and bathroom were on the same hall and LOCKERS in the same hall. I know most people are not so lucky with that easy access. The school nurse knew about my problem and i was able to leave class at anytime. (small school perk as well, i think) so it wasn’t a problem. Another bonus was all my elementary school friends went there and a couple went to the public school for the first year of 6th grade then transferred.
Now back to the kids seeking blood. It didn’t take long for most people in my class to figure out my problem, the smell on my bad days was a giveaway. Got called names which hurt but my friends were there to back me up and i got through it. So what about school clubs and sports?
Of course i partook in school clubs and sports. I lived my life to the best i could. And my parents were there most of the way. in 6th i joined band as a pianist and marimba player, but switched to Trumpet (for side note i took piano lessons since first grade). had so much fun. I also did chess club after school a couple days. in 7th grade I did track/ cross country, the same group/ team and probably the most supportive people. Only did it for a year, while running my problems got a little worse but had fun. But I did stay in band and chess. in 8th grade the school knew everything and ended up giving it respect. 9th grade and the highschool transition was the 2nd scariest time for me.
Come 9th grade, I transferred to the public school. For a bigger band program with a marching band which I enjoyed along with duel enrollment (college classes you can take that count as high school and college credit that was available in 10th grade but had prerequisites (certain grades in classes) you needed to take in 9th to get into the program). At this point I was having a hard time as my condition started worsening and was having some urinary accidents through the day. Managing at this new school would prove to test my resilience.
The school was huge, well bigger to me compared to the private school. I went from a school of 2-300 to a school around 1100! students. Not to mention my locker was in a part of the school where i didn’t have classes. Thx to my parents having conversations I was dreading with the school nurse, a plan was put in place. For a side note, we were told having some type of IC problems were not as rare as you would think in highschool and we got a direct answer. The nurse office had lockable lockers which i was able to use one to keep my supplies in along with 2 private bathrooms . which would serve me well. I went at lunch, during study hall and after school before marching band practice as needed. I made sure to stay clean and didn’t want to smell at all, my biggest win was having a nice cologne that was not overpowering but still smelled nice close up. All this worked for me. The Pull on briefs worked well enough for my extremely rare day time wettings all through 9th grade. The Summer between 9th and 10th grade is when things got drastically worse.
My biggest turning point was in the summer, I started having frequent muscle spasms in my prostate and groin area causing my to let go everything i had in me. After the first few times, my parents and I went to my primary doctor. after a long day of tests and embarrassing exams we learned my encopresis was becoming a bigger problem. causing pressure on the back of my bladder. We were told i had a few options, one option we considered was a colostomy bag. I was very much against it, and my sister came close to convincing me but failed. Looking back, it may have been a good thing to do. So Summer came to a close and this is where I had to manage, essentially Full IC in highschool, hopefully this part will help others and is what you are here for most likely.
My introduction to Absorbent briefs (Diapers). My sister was probably the best help to me. She was fairly popular (3 years older and just graduated High school at this time.) She wanted to make sure the way I dressed, and looked with the bulkier briefs would help me blend in. Not as bulky as now as i used cvs brand. I was embarrassed in front of my family, knowing they were well aware and involved, just the thought of having to wear full “diapers” was to much at the time. So, to keep moving forward with this, my sister took me shopping. We went several places and tried everything on and she would inspect closely to see if it was visible while walking, sitting, bending etc. After searching online at other people, we learned to go up in size a little. We were very successful at finding clothes and so 10th grade started. Wasn’t bad, kept my same routine as the previous year. Band was different. after band camp (week leading up to start of school) i wanted to quit. Managing IC while outside on the football field in the hot Southern sun was miserable and after going to the bathroom a few times in the school to change the band teacher didn’t let me, saying to drink less water or keep going. He didn’t know and i wasn’t going to tell him. After complaining to my parents about it, guess what, they talked to him. so just like with the nurse, a plan was made for me and he was respectful about it and apologized (more embarrassing for him than me probably). so i stayed in band and made more friends, some who found out and even helped me manage. Game days were the hardest, long bus rides and long games but it went as smooth as it could. As for the school part, i was able to start duel enrollment. so I went in for a few classes in the high school in the morning then rode the bus to the local college for the other classes. At the college, I had my most embarrassing Student incident. I didn’t have the luxury of a private bath and used the common one when or if i needed it. I changed standing up and leaning on the stall wall, the noise echoed. so while changing a student walked in and heard it and i don’t know if he was a perv, creep or what, but as he walked by, he was looking through the cracks and when he saw he was like “Yoo, change little buddy”. he then used the bathroom and left as i did, never saw him again. most likely an actual college student. This let me to Betterdry, boosters, and plastic pants, already had plastic pants for my night time enuresis. my life changed with better quality. I was able to change before i got on the bus in the nurse office and be good till i got home. That is the key to surviving school, Don’t be afraid to go all in. After that it went status quo. I became a pro at changing standing up and tested out more products. Mega Max is the best. But to expensive to use insurance on but with the pack we got occasionally i used when going out with friends or longer car rides to vaca etc.
As of today, I am currently in college finishing up my associates Degree in Business Administration. i commute to another college about 25 minutes away. it’s easy. But my mind is racing as next semester i am going to a bigger college near Atlanta and will be in dorms. i feel confident about it and have already learned about some great products and tips these past couple days being on here. Another major tip for those IC peeps. You may have a completely different situation than me, but do not be afraid of Talking to your school health services and school nurse, know you are not alone and when people find out, it will be a hard couple of weeks then it dies down.
My health Today. I am improving slightly. My encopresis is getting better but my doctor Has said countless times i will be on medication for years to come and don’t expect to see improvements over night. hopefully in 5 years or so, i will have full control. Always be optimistic right? If i can’t get over these prostate problems, it’s ok. I will continue living life and having some of the best friends i know.
(sorry if i seemed out of place in some spots, i’m just typing as if i’m talking)
