Progressively worsening incontinence

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After dealing with bed wetting until my late teens, I thought I was past those days after many years of being dry at night. In my early forties, I started having the occasional accident again. I'm forty-seven now, and over the past five years it progressed until I was averaging 3-4 wet nights per week. Ultimately, I resorted to wearing tabbed briefs to keep the bed dry and save my wife from having to get up when the bed needed changing. I'm not sure that was such a great idea in retrospect, because I'm now consistently wetting just about every night and rarely wake up. I suspect that I've just gotten used to wetting since the brief keeps me from feeling the wetness.

If that weren't enough, I started having episodes of OAB. It was infrequent and controllable at first, but has increased to the point that I've had to start wearing protection during the day. I've tried a couple of medications, and although the urges seem to be less frequent, they are stronger and when they occur it is impossible to clinch long enough to get to a restroom. When it happens, my bladder spasms and completely empties. I'm trying to go the restroom frequently, but am still having an accident just about every day.

I'm still in the beginning stages of trying to find out what is going on. I have a brain MRI this week to see if there is a tumor affecting the pituitary gland due to some questionable blood work. While I certainly hope that there isn't anything there, the thought of not having a specific diagnosis that could be causing this is also a major worry.

I never imagined that I would have to wear a diaper everyday and worry about keeping my pants dry. Basically, this sucks.

 

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Youve come to right place to talk about this, the main thing is you are geting a thorough medical work up,.. Feel free to come discuss the situation here. Maybe get some good advice on how to manage the changes and at the very least a place to vent. This has to be time of frustration and it does suck.

 

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I would agree once you start wearing night time protection things often esculate. My continnence nurse warned me of this.

 

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I’ve noticed that since I’ve been wearing diapers to bed for the past few months that I wet more often, 4-5 nights a week. I started wearing due to severe sleep apnea and having OAB. Now my apnea is better I still wear due to fear of soaking the bed. I don’t know if it’s all psychological but I put a diaper on every night.

 

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I'am in the same boat wear a diaper most all the time.

 

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Same. Better to have dry pants than wet ones. Will never risk it.

 

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Have you told your Doctor? If so have told you to not wear them? I want to give them up but then I’m also afraid to to not put a diaper on. If I don’t I don’t sleep well due to the fear of soaking the bed.

 

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I wouldn't dream o going to bed without a nappy and plastic pants

 

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Have you told your Doctor? If so have told you to not wear them? I want to give them up but then I’m also afraid to to not put a diaper on. If I don’t I don’t sleep well due to the fear of soaking the bed.

I was told it was entirely up to me but once you get used to wearing nappies you will loose bladder control much quicker.

 

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Same. Better to have dry pants than wet ones. Will never risk it.

so true

 

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Ben if day time in continence isnt an issue i suugest you use a water proof matress protector and a cloth pad on the sheet. Keep a couple old bath towel and plastic bag next to the bed if you feel tourself peeing and wake enough to know it use the towel to catch the majority and bag it up.
It seems there is a trending concensus here that using diapers causes the mind to not acknowledge the nocturnal urination so it happens more often.

 

[Archives1]

similar progression for me. I think using diapers for bedwetting probably did make it worse since I stopped waking up....it's probably why it went from 3 to 5 nights a week to every single night, but at that point, what difference does it make? Waking up in a dry vs wet diaper doesn't really matter to me, as long as the bed is protected, I'm good....and I sleep so well now.

I also have OAB with urge incon. bedwetting was the first symptom. I'm 39 and in diapers pretty much 24/7. I can get by at home with a pullup or sometimes just regular underwear as the bathroom is like 10 steps from anywhere in the house. I generally have 1 to 2 minutes to get to a restroom when the urge hits or I'll lose it. I too never thought I would be in a situation at this age where I had to worry about keeping my pants dry and wearing diapers.

I just try to remind myself that things could always be worse.

 

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As frustrating as it is, at some point you just get used to it, and wearing a diaper becomes second nature.

 

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Exactly, I sleep 1000% better now that I found a couple really good briefs and decent pull-ups for while out. Just thankful some companies make really decent products now and even try to keep the prices semi within reach.

 

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I have to agree with everyone else. The problem does seem to escalate. I used to wear protection just at night. Now it is both day and night. It seems I have become more dependent on wearing absorbent products.

 

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I am diapered 24/7 and require a heavier diaper I had to have my doctor write a letter of medical necessity to get my supplier to provide me with a heavier diaper I am currently using Abena Abriform L4 my incontinence did get worse over the years when Medicaid first started supplying my diapers they were using the Prevail briefs which at that time they were sufficient but as my absorbency needs increased and as Prevail stopped making plastic-backed diapers I had to find a different diaper over the years I have used Prevail, Secure X-pLUS, Attends, Molicare, Wellness Briefs, Confidry 24/7 and a few others I have never had any luck with the cloth-like covered diapers only the plastic-backed seem to work for and the most comfortable and secure

 

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I wear pull-ups around the house. I’m wearing one because I just ate and am putting off taking a shower hahah.

But if I go out you’d better bet I’m wearing a taped diaper and some kind of cover.

I’ve been incontinent for 5 years and it has taken a lot and I mean a LOT of Trials and tribulations to figure out what works for me. If you look at the board you will see many of them. I only recently discovered my diaper covers were too small and were causing leaks. I bought the next size up and it’s been smooth sailing since then. And I discovered pull ups don’t work for overnight for me. And it took wearing one to bed and waking up on a soaked mattress.

You’ll find what works for you just give it time.

 

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I seem to be the exception to the rule. My daytime problems are all over the map (always wet) but at night, there is no pattern. Sometimes I wet, sometimes I wake (but don't always get to the bathroom) &sometimes I am dry in the morning. I don't take chances with protection, though- I am always wearing at night, and some level of padding during the day. If I'm going out, I always wear a brief, and with rare exception, it is wet before I get home.

 

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As frustrating as it is, at some point you just get used to it, and wearing a diaper becomes second nature.

Very true. Totally used to it now.

 

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similar progression for me. I think using diapers for bedwetting probably did make it worse since I stopped waking up....it's probably why it went from 3 to 5 nights a week to every single night, but at that point, what difference does it make? Waking up in a dry vs wet diaper doesn't really matter to me, as long as the bed is protected, I'm good....and I sleep so well now.

I also have OAB with urge incon. bedwetting was the first symptom. I'm 39 and in diapers pretty much 24/7. I can get by at home with a pullup or sometimes just regular underwear as the bathroom is like 10 steps from anywhere in the house. I generally have 1 to 2 minutes to get to a restroom when the urge hits or I'll lose it. I too never thought I would be in a situation at this age where I had to worry about keeping my pants dry and wearing diapers.

I just try to remind myself that things could always be worse.

That's what my wife always tells me.