Tripp, Although I was a bedwetter until I was about 6 or 7 years old, my long-term incontinence issue is the result of a surgical mishap when I was 14 years old (in 1956). I bled excessively after the surgery and then developed what started out as a urinary tract infection but which spread to other parts of my body and nearly killed me. I ended up spending 3 months in hospital. I eventually recovered fully except for the fact that my bladder control has been seriously impaired ever since. I had to wear cloth diapers with plastic pants during my first three years of high school, which was a nightmarish experience. However, my urologist told me to do what nowadays are called Kegel exercises; and I got to the point where I could generally go without a daytime diaper by the time I was in my last year of high school provided I was close enough to get to a bathroom within 30 minutes or so when I needed to urinate. Things went on like that (a diaper at night but not usually during the day) until I was in my forties. At that point my overactive bladder and progressively worsening urge incontinence required me to go back to wearing a diaper 24/7/365. I’m 76 now. So I’ve been in diapers 24/7 for over 30 years now. Initially, I of course wore cloth diapers with plastic pants, but I switched to disposables when they became secure enough to rely on to keep the outside of my pants dry during the day. I really appreciate the way in which disposable diapers have been progressively improving over the past decade or so. I agree with other long-term incontinent people who say they have adapted to the need to wear diapers as a routine part of life. I’ve been able to live a reasonably successful professional and personal life despite my incontinence.
