Trusting your protection

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Knowing when to change can be tricky. I always want to maximize the capacity of my diaper but many times this will lead to small leaks. I wear a boxer brief over my diaper. Too many times when I try to avoid leaks I’ll take off my diaper and realize I could have waited longer. Hard to answer your question.

 

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@justej
That’s the name of the place! Thank EJ, I thought you had told me about that vendor. Very well made product.

 

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Trial and error from pads to pull ups of different quality and types is what I had to do as leakage has progressed over the years.I am utilizing Abena M3 pull ups to be secure enough that product will not leak unless penis is off to the side and I will only have a slight leak occasionally. Expensive products by Abena but well worth it for me to be confident in the product that is not going to leak.

They also make bodysuits and I have one still, some 20 years later and still going strong.

 

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I struggle with this too. I have worn maximum absorbency and leaked after only three pees. I have yet to find a brand that will last me more than a few hours. At night I have to set an alarm halfway through my sleep to change into a new diaper so I don’t wake up in a wet bed. I have tried depends, tena and a knock off brand. I may need to start looking at the online sites to see if those are better quality. If anyone reading has any suggestions let me know!

Lots in this conversation talk about Megamax by Northshore. We can't get them easily in the UK as you have to take out a mortgage to get them shipped here. Abena's Abriform are an excellent day pad and their L4 should cope with a night's use.

 

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Thank you for the response. I think one of my issue is honestly the fact that I’m such a small guy. Unfortunately they don’t make very many good quality smaller diapers. I also am not sure how a diaper is actually supposed to fit . I like using Dry247 but they are so expensive and they run out of stock of there small size a lot. Also does anyone know where I can get more onesies. I currently have two that I wear as undershirts bc they are tank tops. I would like to find a T-shirt version that looks more like a regular T-shirt that I would not need an outer shirt. Is there anyone to really tell when you need change before they start leaking?

Try Abena bodysuits, they are really well made. Their Abriform are available in child sizes as well as small adults.

 

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I was unaware that Abena made bodysuits I use the Abriform Diapers where do you find the Abena bodysuits?

Thank you for the response. I think one of my issue is honestly the fact that I’m such a small guy. Unfortunately they don’t make very many good quality smaller diapers. I also am not sure how a diaper is actually supposed to fit . I like using Dry247 but they are so expensive and they run out of stock of there small size a lot. Also does anyone know where I can get more onesies. I currently have two that I wear as undershirts bc they are tank tops. I would like to find a T-shirt version that looks more like a regular T-shirt that I would not need an outer shirt. Is there anyone to really tell when you need change before they start leaking?

Try Abena bodysuits, they are really well made. Their Abriform are available in child sizes as well as small adults.

 

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I use the Abrifom L4 24/7 and it works quite well

I struggle with this too. I have worn maximum absorbency and leaked after only three pees. I have yet to find a brand that will last me more than a few hours. At night I have to set an alarm halfway through my sleep to change into a new diaper so I don’t wake up in a wet bed. I have tried depends, tena and a knock off brand. I may need to start looking at the online sites to see if those are better quality. If anyone reading has any suggestions let me know!

Lots in this conversation talk about Megamax by Northshore. We can't get them easily in the UK as you have to take out a mortgage to get them shipped here. Abena's Abriform are an excellent day pad and their L4 should cope with a night's use.

 

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I was unaware that Abena made bodysuits I use the Abriform Diapers where do you find the Abena bodysuits?

Thank you for the response. I think one of my issue is honestly the fact that I’m such a small guy. Unfortunately they don’t make very many good quality smaller diapers. I also am not sure how a diaper is actually supposed to fit . I like using Dry247 but they are so expensive and they run out of stock of there small size a lot. Also does anyone know where I can get more onesies. I currently have two that I wear as undershirts bc they are tank tops. I would like to find a T-shirt version that looks more like a regular T-shirt that I would not need an outer shirt. Is there anyone to really tell when you need change before they start leaking?

Try Abena bodysuits, they are really well made. Their Abriform are available in child sizes as well as small adults.

It's in their catalogue. I hope they are still making them. They used to make the best fitting plastic pants too but I don't think they sold many and those got discontinued. I will go have a look and see what I can link for you.

 

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I was unaware that Abena made bodysuits I use the Abriform Diapers where do you find the Abena bodysuits?

Thank you for the response. I think one of my issue is honestly the fact that I’m such a small guy. Unfortunately they don’t make very many good quality smaller diapers. I also am not sure how a diaper is actually supposed to fit . I like using Dry247 but they are so expensive and they run out of stock of there small size a lot. Also does anyone know where I can get more onesies. I currently have two that I wear as undershirts bc they are tank tops. I would like to find a T-shirt version that looks more like a regular T-shirt that I would not need an outer shirt. Is there anyone to really tell when you need change before they start leaking?

Try Abena bodysuits, they are really well made. Their Abriform are available in child sizes as well as small adults.

It is in their mail-order catalogue. Click on the small picture and it should blow up to full screen for you. You can always call them to ask if they still make them as the mail order catalogue is 2016-2017 version. There is no updated catalogue to my knowledge. Hope that helps.

 

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interesting I haven't seen a catalog from them thank you

I was unaware that Abena made bodysuits I use the Abriform Diapers where do you find the Abena bodysuits?

Thank you for the response. I think one of my issue is honestly the fact that I’m such a small guy. Unfortunately they don’t make very many good quality smaller diapers. I also am not sure how a diaper is actually supposed to fit . I like using Dry247 but they are so expensive and they run out of stock of there small size a lot. Also does anyone know where I can get more onesies. I currently have two that I wear as undershirts bc they are tank tops. I would like to find a T-shirt version that looks more like a regular T-shirt that I would not need an outer shirt. Is there anyone to really tell when you need change before they start leaking?

Try Abena bodysuits, they are really well made. Their Abriform are available in child sizes as well as small adults.

It is in their mail-order catalogue. Click on the small picture and it should blow up to full screen for you. You can always call them to ask if they still make them as the mail order catalogue is 2016-2017 version. There is no updated catalogue to my knowledge. Hope that helps.

 

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You can also look at preventa wear and some other vendors that specialize in garments for people with challenges. xpmedical.com carries the abena shirts too.

 

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For me it took a while to find the right product. What I found was that the amount I actually leak during a day is more than I initially thought and that if you get a product which just caters exactly to your leakage it's more prone to let you down and let out smells, unless you want to change multiple times a day.

Whilst my issues are really quite moderate compared to others, the only product I truly trust is the plastic backed Tena slip as it holds enough to go without a change during the course of the working day and the plastic backing is a lot better for containing smells. So ultimately my advice would be to get higher absorbency than you think you need. I thought at first 'oh it's only a few dribbles after using the toilet' so a male guard would be fine for a day but find that the wetness indicator on my Tena Slip Maxi tells me it's time for a change after around eight hours or so.

 

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How long did it take for you to trust you diaper I don’t trust them not to leak and have a hard time telling when I need to change. Once it’s wet even after a little void. Do you guys use plastic pants or onesies or anything. I do not like wearing plastic pants as they to me are uncomfortable, but without them I have absolutely no trust and any Diaper I have tried. I like the onesie As it seems to diaper sag. It also prevents the diaper being visible when I bend over. What does everyone use and how do you gain trust in your products

Takes a while. I trust my Better Dry to take 2 large wettings or 4 to 5 small ones. My urge IC can have me flood a full bladder and lost 12+oz or I can have bladder spasms 2 mins after urinating and leak 2oz. Over time you learn to be able to feel how saturated it is and how far you can push it. I never try to get "just another hour" out of a diaper if I feel like I could be ready for a change now. It's not worth the risk.

A lot of diapers say they hold 3000 to 5000ml, but they just absolutely DO NOT. That is the ISO capacity for how much fluid the absorbant material can hold when spread out all over the padding in a low flow rate manner. In real life all your urine hits one spot and you're moving around a lot, and sitting on the wet padding where it could "press out".

Diapers are supposed to catch and contain accidents, not be worn until every square inch of the padding is saturated. A good diaper (better dry, abena M/L4, Dry 24/7 etc) should be good for 4-6 hours of wear, safely, for someone consuming normal amounts of water. If you drink a lot more fluids than the average person you need to account for that. I rarely push a diaper more than 4-5 hours.

 

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Great point MikeJames. I always plan for a mid-day(shift) change and love when I do not need it. Dehydration is horrible for skin and overall well being. But over hydrating causes multiple changes in short time frames. The key is to find the balance of intake and output, understand the materials in use, situational awareness to the ability to change, and confidence. That last part cannot be under estimated. Life happens and sometimes not the way we want. Confidence to deal with it, knowledge to address it, and grace to deal with the unexpected is what life is about.

 

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A lot of diapers say they hold 3000 to 5000ml, but they just absolutely DO NOT. That is the ISO capacity for how much fluid the absorbant material can hold when spread out all over the padding in a low flow rate manner. In real life all your urine hits one spot and you're moving around a lot, and sitting on the wet padding where it could "press out".

That explains a lot! I've always suspected that this was the case as I was surprised the first time the wetness indicator for my Tena 'Maxi' product started to change colour at the end the working day. I thought that with my mild issue it would never happen.

 

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Great point MikeJames. I always plan for a mid-day(shift) change and love when I do not need it. Dehydration is horrible for skin and overall well being. But over hydrating causes multiple changes in short time frames. The key is to find the balance of intake and output, understand the materials in use, situational awareness to the ability to change, and confidence. That last part cannot be under estimated. Life happens and sometimes not the way we want. Confidence to deal with it, knowledge to address it, and grace to deal with the unexpected is what life is about.

Agree...hydration should be "proper" "for you". Most IC people start to intentionally dehydrate themselves to have less accidents and most quickly learn how bad dehydration can be. It makes urine much more concentrated which smells worse and is harder on the skin. "over hydrating" would dilute urine but produce so much more of it. I just drink when I'm thirsty and let the cards fall as they may. Once I learned to trust my protection and figure out how long each diaper would realistically hold up I was able to manage really well. It's still hard sometimes when you don't know where you're going and what the bathroom situation will be like but my basic rule of thumb is to change about every 4 hours. Even if the diaper isn't really ready to be changed, it's good just to get your skin a few mins break and let some air hit that area.

 

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@MikeJames good advice, cheers Phil

 

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@MikeJames and @wetdad hydration is very important! I found that out last fall, when due to under-hydrating I developed a kidney stone. That was painful but, fortunately, it passed. I don't think that I was intentionally under-hydrating but it is too easy to fall into a routine where you can keep drier by drinking less. That probably was going on since my prostatectomy 5 years ago. Since last fall I have been more careful about proper hydration and been able to do so even better over the last two months because of working from home. What I've discovered is that I am significantly more incontinent than I had thought. I can get away with a couple changes of Depends Fit Flex during the morning and early afternoon but by late afternoon, I need heavier protection and have been wearing NorthShore GoSupreme pull-ups. The latter work great for me.