How to prepare for bowel issues

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tomcat

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  1. Incontinent
Well I am about to trial Orlistat weight loss meds which one of the main side affect is loose bowels and incontinence.
It is one of the only main weight loss meds I can try as the other one Duromine my psychiatrist has ruled out due to my Bipolar, ADHD and Autism (mood swings)

Well endocrinologist (public system Australia NSW) refused to do anything as my BMI is not over 42 and not Diabetic. My BMI is 37.6 and my heart is 45 (when I am 35 in age) so need to do something.
Told me to exercise and count calories (I tend to usually be careful and exercise which I am doing the most I can with my mobility issues due to incomplete spinal injury (nerve issues l3l4l5s1).

Well I go to Respite for 2 weeks over the Christmas break as need 24hr support due to Autism, Bipolar flare up season for me went there last time and I am not the only one in diapers (Bladder issues since 2009 with spinal injury).
How do people deal with the bowel incontinence as I will have 0 control over the food in respite?

Many Thanks
 
Just wear a good quality adult diaper. When you start to have a pooping accident, keep the diaper on until you are finished pooping. If you try to get to a toilet and take the diaper off before you are finished pooping, you will just make a bigger mess and it will not be contained in the diaper.
 
tomcat said:
Well I am about to trial Orlistat weight loss meds which one of the main side affect is loose bowels and incontinence.
It is one of the only main weight loss meds I can try as the other one Duromine my psychiatrist has ruled out due to my Bipolar, ADHD and Autism (mood swings)

Well endocrinologist (public system Australia NSW) refused to do anything as my BMI is not over 42 and not Diabetic. My BMI is 37.6 and my heart is 45 (when I am 35 in age) so need to do something.
Told me to exercise and count calories (I tend to usually be careful and exercise which I am doing the most I can with my mobility issues due to incomplete spinal injury (nerve issues l3l4l5s1).

Well I go to Respite for 2 weeks over the Christmas break as need 24hr support due to Autism, Bipolar flare up season for me went there last time and I am not the only one in diapers (Bladder issues since 2009 with spinal injury).
How do people deal with the bowel incontinence as I will have 0 control over the food in respite?

Many Thanks
Click to expand...
Hello Tomcat,
Welcome to the exclusive club of bowel incontinence, even if fortunately just temporarily haha.
Jokes aside, dealing with bowel incontinence isn’t as difficult as it may sound, if you get used to it. You’ll definitely need thicker and more absorbing diapers, my personal recommendations would be either the Tena Slip Maxi or the Northshore Megamax, but the latter are very bulky and not the way to go for discretion. Another important thing will be fecal odor control, which you should ask your doctor about to see what medications might be compatible with what you’re already taking, especially with a diet you can’t control.
Diaper changes in general are very different too if you have bowel IC: asap when you soil yourself, longer and more difficult to do by yourself. My only recommendation for that would be to get some of the new Tena Proskin XL wipes, personally I first use normal “baby” wipes and then 1 or 2 of the Tena ones which, thanks to their size, help me get everything clean.
I really wish you good luck with everything and whatever happens, don’t let this temporary problem ruin your Christmas season! ❤️
Oh and if there’s anything more you’d like to know or need help in, feel free to ask me :)
 
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Tundra1975 said:
t diaper. When you start to have a pooping accident, keep the diaper on until you are finished pooping. If you try to get to a toilet and take the diaper off before you are finished pooping, you will j
Click to expand...
Sophy said:
Hello Tomcat,
Welcome to the exclusive club of bowel incontinence, even if fortunately just temporarily haha.
Jokes aside, dealing with bowel incontinence isn’t as difficult as it may sound, if you get used to it. You’ll definitely need thicker and more absorbing diapers, my personal recommendations would be either the Tena Slip Maxi or the Northshore Megamax, but the latter are very bulky and not the way to go for discretion. Another important thing will be fecal odor control, which you should ask your doctor about to see what medications might be compatible with what you’re already taking, especially with a diet you can’t control.
Diaper changes in general are very different too if you have bowel IC: asap when you soil yourself, longer and more difficult to do by yourself. My only recommendation for that would be to get some of the new Tena Proskin XL wipes, personally I first use normal “baby” wipes and then 1 or 2 of the Tena ones which, thanks to their size, help me get everything clean.
I really wish you good luck with everything and whatever happens, don’t let this temporary problem ruin your Christmas season! ❤️
Oh and if there’s anything more you’d like to know or need help in, feel free to ask me :)
Click to expand...
I have abena abriform (taped) l2 cloth backed with plastic pants
Plenty of new Tena Proskin wipes,
 
Last edited:
Yep, get something with standing leak guards (or as it translates from the Japanese: poop stoppers).
Wet wipes (especially larger, made-for-adult ones) makes cleanup easier.
 
Unfortunately, in my opinion, there's nothing easy about bowel IC. Even if it's temporarily. As noted, protection is necessary. For me, that includes plastic pants and internal deodorants for using a quality disposable diaper. Thankfully I rarely experience loose stool but using these tools can really help.
 
I’ve been dual IC for a little over 6 years now, but I’ve not had to work or go out into the public unless it was something I scheduled making dealing with it much easier. The diapers that I use nearly exclusively are gauze contour diapers with soakers and folded terry hand towel as a liner to make mess cleanup easier. The plastic pants, that are needed for cloth diapers, are something that I also wear over the few disposables, that I use on occasion, to help contain fecal odor as well as any leaks. Keep either a mental note or a journal of all the things that make your IC easier to deal with or that make it more difficult to deal with so that you can adjust your habits and the products you use to make it more easily managed. It took me about a year before I began to feel like I might know what I was doing and I’ve tried to keep improving my methods over the years.
 
I disagree that you need particularly thick or absorbent nappies for faecal incontinence unless you're taking something like the bowel prep stuff they give you for a colonoscopy which makes you crap water. Containment is much more important, but quite frankly, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times that poo has escaped from a disposable nappy for me - and on one of those occasions it shot up the back.

Ultimately, if you have a bowel accident you'll want to change fairly quickly (though as others have said, make sure it's all out before taking your nappy off) and so you may want to have more nappies to hand than usual. A good barrier cream is useful if you're having regular accidents, too.

I would recommend plastic-backed nappies over cloth-backed - I think they contain smells better, but that might be my imagination. Plastic pants can be useful (mainly for containing any smell), but I don't find them particularly comfortable with disposables.
 
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Minih said:
I disagree that you need particularly thick or absorbent nappies for faecal incontinence unless you're taking something like the bowel prep stuff they give you for a colonoscopy which makes you crap water. Containment is much more important, but quite frankly, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of times that poo has escaped from a disposable nappy for me - and on one of those occasions it shot up the back.

Ultimately, if you have a bowel accident you'll want to change fairly quickly (though as others have said, make sure it's all out before taking your nappy off) and so you may want to have more nappies to hand than usual. A good barrier cream is useful if you're having regular accidents, too.

I would recommend plastic-backed nappies over cloth-backed - I think they contain smells better, but that might be my imagination. Plastic pants can be useful (mainly for containing any smell), but I don't find them particularly comfortable with disposables.
Click to expand...
I cant get plastic backed disposables here in Australia
 
For fecal incontinence, you will not need a diaper with a high level of absorbency. However, you definitely will need "plastic pants" to help contain fecal odor in the event of an accident. PUL pants are breathable and will transmit odor. Vinyl plastic pants help. Rubber pants are even better at blocking odor, but are more expensive. As I am bowel incontinent, I use both.

No diaper cover will completely contain the odors from a significant bowel accident, but should give you time to leave a social situation before the odor becomes evident. Internal deodorants such as Nullo can help a lot. I use it during travel when I will be in close proximity to others. High doses of Nullo can cause constipation, but in your circumstance that may not be a problem and actually might help.

Note that when wearing any non-breathable diaper covers you will need to pay attention to skin health to avoid skin irritation that could lead to a rash. "Air out" the diaper area daily. Depending on your skin's sensitivity you may need to apply a thin barrier cream.

--John
(double incontinent)
 
Ive had to start to deal with bowel accidents as well I wear Betterdry diapers and incontrol waterproof silence new fit covers and so fst my diaper has contained any bowel issues I have had
 
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