Introductions - New Members Start Here

[Archives1]

Welcome to the forum. I have found this Avery supportive group, I hope you find the same Phil

 

[Archives1]

Glad to meet you Al, and its good you shared your whole situation. It is at least useful to know you have left no medical stone unturned so the forum is at least a sounding board to just be you. The reasons for our incontinence are as multiple as the stars in the sky but we benefit from knowing each others strengths and weakness as we get on with living. I am so hlad at least to know you are strong and able in most ways despite this and so sorry to think of the years of medical poking and prodding.

 

[Archives1]

@physlink @Maymay941 Thank you for the welcome. I've had a good, productive and enjoyable life so far despite my uncooperative bladder. Just want to be part of group that helps others do the same. Thanks again, Al

 

[Archives1]

Your balanced life out look is a pleasure to hear.
But venting is also quite understandable if it comes to that!!
Some folks come just the good company !

 

[Archives1]

@Maymay941 thank you again. From what I've seen so far yes there appears to be good people here.

Al

 

[Archives1]

Hi Al,
Was good to hear your history. Welcome, lots of good folks here and a safe place to hang out and talk about stuff. Mostly we are in similar boat if you will.
Glad you found our not so little corner of the cyberworld . I’m Jim and live in Maryland. Have neurogenic and overactive bladder. In my 50’s and live with my sweetheart and little dog.
Nice to hear from you.
Jim

 

[Archives1]

Yes

 

[Archives1]

Hi MayMay!

 

[Archives1]

Hello house am 42 female I was having a dream and during the period I realized i have been bedwetting . please I couldn't figure what is happeningam feeling sad

 

[Archives1]

Alpit,
Thanks for sharing your story. Pretty similar here. Neurogenic bladder without injury and they figure it was a birth issue as they cannot find any other cause. Wet at night forever and also leaked some during the day when younger that, like you, has progressed to more and more as I've gotten older. 24/7 now with quality disposables during the day and cloth with plastic pants at night.

 

[Archives1]

@donny4 yep and none of the doctors over all these years thought Neurogenic bladder until I was 34 years old. Heck I was still waiting to grow out of bedwetting.

 

[Archives1]

Glad the doctors are learning more these days. I was always told when I was younger I would just grow out of it...
That sure didn’t work so well...lol

 

[Archives1]

Yes I was in my 30’s also. I will admit I would have been extremely embarrassed to have that study done as a teen guy but it would have helped me understand the issue was beyond my control

 

[Archives1]

I’m 46 and 4 months ago I had some urinary hesitation, my urologist put me on an antibiotic because he thought I had prostatitis and I started leaking. Since then I’ve been on two different antibiotics, alpha blockers and had a cytoscope, ultrasound and urodynamic testing. My 3rd urologist wants to rerun all these tests, I’m also going to a neurologist and getting a lumbar MRI in case it is nerve driven. This has caught me so unprepared and I struggle everyday with managing it and the uncertainty of still not knowing the cause. I’m still working through each day trying to figure out how to manage.

 

[Archives1]

Hi Rupertino,
Thanks for your post. There is allot of good advice for daily life in the chat feeds. Also allot of us who are happy to listen, offer suggestions for what has helped us and just good old fashioned having a friend.
If you need protective pants, briefs, etc to help get you through the day there are lots of better items then what is at the store.
I like Northshore.com they (and folks here) have been great. Hope you can find them useful as well. Be sure to check out the feeds here and all that NAFC offers. Feel free to pm me also if you just want someone to chat with.
Hope this helps some.
Kind regards,
Jim in MD.

 

[Archives1]

Jrpoorman, thanks for the welcome. I’ve slowly figured out ways to manage over the last 4 months. Well sort of, just when I think I have a routine that works I have to change it because my incontinence worsens and the pads or time frames don’t manage it anymore. At first I hoped I could resolve it, currently I’m hoping it will just stabilize.

 

[Archives1]

@Rupertino hi there, I have had all the tests you mentioned and the meds you mentioned. My problems are a result of surgery and nerve compression in my spine many years ago. I have also had several hours of prostatitis. Feel free to pm me if you want to discuss further, cheers Phil

 

[Archives1]

Hi, I just had prostate surgery a cpl of weeks ago (a TURP) and incontinence (hopefully temporary) is one of the after-effects that I'm dealing with.

I've been using condom catheters successfully. For the most part, I'm back to living my normal life in spite of a fairly severe loss of control. I'm also doing kegel exercises. It may be too early to tell but I think they may be helping already.

I mostly wanted to help make people aware of the external (condom) catheter option. It's really been a blessing. The funny thing is, while I was still in the hospital after surgery, the only option they gave me for managing the incontinence was to start wearing a diaper (which wouldn't have been enough to handle the problem anyway). I came up with the external catheter idea myself, and the first nurse I mentioned it too actually tried to talk me out of it, and in not so many words let me know she thought it was stupid idea.

Lucky for me when she mentioned my idea to my doctor he approved of it, and the nurse that relieved her (and believe me, the relief was mostly mine) also thought it was a good option.

I'm basically writing all this because I figure if the first nurse they gave me didn't know anything (anything useful anyway) about external catheters and how well they work, and if my own doctor didn't mention it until I brought it up, could be that there are people here who haven't been given this information from their health workers either.

I have to tell you, a cpl of hours before they released me from the hospital after surgery, when it looked like diapers were the only option I was going to be given, I thought I was looking at who-knows-how-many weeks or months of waking up wet every morning, having to go to the laundry mat every day, and hiding from the world in between.

Thanks to the catheter option, my life is, as I mentioned above, almost entirely back to normal now. Hope all that helps somebody.

 

[Archives1]

They are a really good option for allot of guys, glad it is working for you. They can certainly benefit allot of males and they do make all sizes if there are parents looking for another alternative.

 

[Archives1]

A thought on the minus of diapers. We live with no garbage collection. We have to "save" our garbage, then transport it either 6 miles or 28 miles, to either a "transfer site" or the main dump. The collection site is not attended and has a sign, "honk for bears"! (Doncha just love it?!?) Lots of us just call the concept a dinner bell for bears. Kinda of a nuisance, but liveable, and we love where we live. Due to distance, hours of operation, etc, we tend to wait until the regular garbage cans are full. Not very hygenic, I suppose, and you have to protect them against bears (really); the smell attracts them, and garbage-habituated bears can spot a garbage can. They are good at breaking into a house to look for it, too. Nuisance bears like that tend to get shot. But now our garbage builds up faster - diapers are bulky, more gas for mileage to the disposal sites.
I've seen the stories about the hazard of disposable baby diapers at the dumps. No article I've seen includes disposable incontinence products, but they can be necessary for far longer than for a baby. Just saying.
So good for you, if you're using the external kind; console yourself with this thought. Tell that insensitive or ignorant nurse; you'll leave her with hanging jaw disease....