Confused

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Many people seem to be reticent to talk about incontinence. Brand names are often used instead of generic names; even generic names are not always precisely used with the same meaning. I am often left confused about what kind of wear is being referred to. Often, the sex of the intended user is not specified on the packet: are we to assume it is unisex?

I wear fixation pants: non-absorbent, used only to hold a pad in place; unisex - no front exit for men; nurses and carers usually refer to mine as nets, pants or knickers. The manufacturers often just refer to them by their brand name chosen to give a hint of what they are, with a pictogram to give a further clue, announcing that they are fixation pants for incontinence pads in microscopic print in 20+ languages on the back of the packet. Another minute pictogram showing how to determine your size shows a figure of indeterminate gender, leaving the sex of the intended user equally uncertain.

They are not much different from non-incontinence underwear except that they are more stretchy and so can be expected to take a pad more readily. The pad can be unisex or single sex. It is to be expected that the difference would be in the length at the front. My pads leave a man popping out of the top when more than about 4 or 5 inches. The packet does not clear up the mystery of the gender of the intended user.

Are other readers equally clear about diapers, pull-ups or whatever other incontinence wear they use?

 

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I use tena slips, but I have no idea why they are called slips. I tape them on as tight as I can so that they don't slip. The NHS call them pads, which doesn't make much sense either. I didn't get on with the fixation pants you mention, I could never get the pad in the right place.

 

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I use tena pads and fixing pants sometimes at home and tena maxi slips at night

 

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I tend to agree that many products aren’t descriptive enough in how there product fits or what there made out of, or how truly absorbent they are. It’s very frustrating when you buy a product and it’s not as absorbent or doesn’t fit like they say it should. There are a few sites that do testing and publish the results and are quite accurate but more times than not the description is not even close to the actual product!!

 

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I agree that the terminology used is confusing. It takes a while of reading and looking at the different alternatives, but eventually it starts to make more sense. I do think it would be easier if the companies were more plain spoken about things, but it's a reflection of the deep embarrassment and shame people feel when they experience incontinence.

 

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tena maxi slips for me at night

 

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Wow! Do I agree with BarrySimpson94! For Men: First, i use "pads", women's pads. The men's pad look like a rounded "X" and didn't work for me. Even the store brand was exactly the same (Kroger must get them repackaged.) The ones i use look like a woman "sanitary" pad (That translates as a pad used for a period, menstration.) that is a long, thin, rounded rectangle, usually with a narrower section in the middle I don't know how anyone who uses "boxer" shorts (underwear) can use any of the pads that adhere, except you just introduced me to fixation pants. Look just like the ones we put over diapers when the kids were in diapers; don't remember the name. Extremely tight pants? With briefs for underwear, the women's pads work. In the grocery store, look for the sign "Women's Incontinence". I do have to use two at a time, not inserted as a woman would, which is with the narrow neck at the lowest part of the crotch. Adhere them starting just above the base of the crotch and going up. Not sure if it applies to all men, but you probably have to get close to one side or the other of the underwear (briefs). The second one is adhered similarly, except starts maybe an inch above the first one and diverges toward the middle of the underwear. I'm a lousy artist or I'd try to upload a drawing. Looks like a clumsy "V", with no opening. Yes, there is maximum overlap at the bottom, almost none at the top. The bottom gets the wettest, for me. I paid attention in the initial experiments, adjusted where to adhere them. 8 hours is supposed to be the max time, according to nurses, to avoid UTIs (Urinary Tract Infections). If I'm doing a heavy physical job involving bending or tossing around heavy firewood, i m may need to change them more often.
The question of the front opening? I know it's manly, but forget it. Grasp the edge of the underwear/briefs and pull towards the center to get them out of the way. It works for me. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
If it works, go with it. I don't have a really bad leakage problem, and women's "pads" come in multiple absorbency, (Which men's don't) marked with both a number and a series of ascending number of "drops" of liquid. Due to a separate circumstance, i had to move up from a #2 to a #3 for day-time use, but it mostly works for night, too. I've had one improvement - nights don't seem to involve total leakage anymore, so don't need the "brief" style, the shorts, the pull-ups.
Avoid beer! (Unlike coffee, it doesn't even have the courtesy to change color on the way through.) I do wake 3-5 times a night, naturally, just resist the tendency to roll over and go back to sleep. I get up and pee. I read here that some guys have to set an alarm clock, and that doesn't work at all, for some. Am using the "Poise" brand, the other big brand works, looks approximately the same. Poise has a cost-saving "box" with a lot more in it for less per pad. At least they do for the #3. The pads get bulkier as the absorbency number increases. Women survive that once a month. Men, having a lower pain tolerance and a higher embarrassment factor, can just suck it up. Right, women? The "bulk" doesn't really show; just avoid really tight pants i suppose. The higher the absorbency rate, the thicker the pad, and the longer it takes to get used to it. Like, about 2 weeks. Just be grateful it works.
There are other answers. Not all people can use the same answers. Right now, surgery isn't something I'm choosing. Keep subscribed to this website and the email newsletter for any new advice or news of new products. You are at the right place, as far as I'm concerned.