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I usually wear a BetterDry diaper (ISO 5,300 ml) with a BoostUps booster (max absorbency 1L). I wear a cotton pullup over the diaper, then usually PUL diaper cover. I drink about 90+ oz per day. I usually take a nap in the afternoon and that changes my body position for diaper absorbency (uses most of the rear part of the diaper). I use 3 primary diapers per day and a disposable pullup or cheap diaper as an "in-between" diaper to fill the gap between major changes. --John

What diaper are you using? And how may liters do you drink per day? Admittedly I barely stay well hydrated, at just over 2 liters of liquids per day. For me, after 14-16 hours, at worst, one Betterdry/Criklz diaper might be soaked halfway up the back. I usually won't get an increased chance for leaks till about then anyways, so that's how long I normally go for. Of note, each of my diapers is ISO rated to hold 148 Oz (4.3 liters) each. Real world rating tends to be 30 to 40 percent the ISO rating. Of most any diaper. So about 1.5 liters in 16 hours is about right for Betterdry/Crinklz. As a test I have been able to extend it to 24 hours in one diaper, but don't recommend that for skin health, smell, sagging weight, and not to mention the sagging weight.

On this note. I too never had a UTI from an indwelling catheter. Direct with my urologist at the Mayo Clinic, I asked him about it needing to be a closed system with a bag. And surprise, the answer is it doesn't have to be. He told me with one in place you CAN let the catheter drain directly into a diaper. Which I did (mostly for personal comfort and not having to lug a bag around all the time). However, this comes with a few BIG caviats. 1) You absolutely must stay well hydrated. This way your urine is constantly flushing out the catheter. 2) You absolutely must change your diaper no less than every 8 hours. This way bacteria doesn't have a chance to breed and become a problem. 3) Take cranberry pills or drink cranberry juice (not the mixed apple with flavoring stuff), or otherwise already be on antibiotics. For the obvious effect of reducing your chances of an infection. 4) ANY signs or inclinations of an infection and you need to go back to using a collection bag, a d follow up with your urologist. Or for worse, make a trip to the ER. And lastly 5) If you're someone who's prone to get UTIs in the first place, then don't even try doing this.

I once had a chiropractor who pronised the same thing. I went in for a herniated disc at (I think) L3. He claimed his treatement could include curing my at-the-time urge incontinence, so i went for it. He fixed my back with awesome results, but did absolutely nothing for my urges. I suppose alternative treatments may work for some people, but to me it was all snake oil. Though come to think of it, I never did try actual snake oil.

Hello, my name is David, I am 47 years old and I am writing to you from France. I hesitated for a long time to introduce myself and share my experience with you. I have been incontinent for 3 years now. At the time, I often had to urinate quite frequently during the day but I always managed to hold myself back and go to the bathroom. I still remember that horrible day when I had my first bladder leaks. it was a difficult moment for me because it was the beginning of my incontinence and I never thought I would be one day in my life. After examinations at the urologist, I suffer from urge incontinence . my life was completely turned upside down and it took me a long time to accept it. Over time, I finally found a balance in my life with my treatment (Vesicare) which reduced my urgent urges to urinate. unfortunately, I'm still incontinent and like most people here I have to wear diapers out of necessity. I took a long time to find suitable protection and I was very afraid of going out and having leaks. I now wear Northshore supreme briefs and despite heavy incontinence, I manage to live my daily life better, I feel protected and much less anxious. Even if the days are not always easy, I feel better. I hope to find answers for a better quality of life thanks to the forum; I hope my English is not too bad.🙂 David

John, I buy some of my diapers in a medical shop near my home, the other on the French website Diaper Minister.

David, where do you buy your diapers in France? --John

Yeah I completely understand that. At first it's not so much what type of incontinence you're dealing with, or how bad it is at first. It's just the fact you now need diapers, or a pullup, sometimes even just needing pads. Most everyone's first reaction is to try and fight needing diapers, no matter if it's a good or bad outcome, or even a partially good step in the right direction with horrible side effects. Once you can get past that misconception though, you can also accept diapers are an enabling solution. Then you can start looking at further improving your quality of life.

Hello, thank you for your messages. I feel the same. I no longer have any control over my bladder but the urge to urinate every 10 minutes has disappeared, it has been a real relief. Diapers … at the time I did not want to hear about it. Psychologically it was difficult but I learned to accept it. a lot of people think that I took the easy way out and that I could fight my incontinence a little more. in a sense, they may be right because without results, I lost motivation. I know this is not a solution to my problem but I cannot stay hidden at home. I need to wear and I have to wear diapers and finally with a little experience, I manage to live my daily life much better.

Welcome! Looking forward to hearing more from you.

Welcome. It sounds like you found a way to make your urges happen less often, but does the medication make the urges you still have less painful? I too started off with urge incontinence, but mine was so painful that even medication didn't help at all. I had other complications too, and ultimately chose to seek complete bladder incontinence. I can no longer hold any pee at all, but that means I no longer have any bladder urges too. And I went from needing diapers with painful urges and flooding my diaper, to a constant drip without pain but still needing diapers. In a way it's like digging deeper and to the side to get out of a tight hole. I'mstill a hole of sorts, but I'm much more comfortable. And I've seen a few others over the years that did similar. By oddly embracing incontinence, you can avoid that pain and inconvenience of flooding a diaper (and bad leaks). I'm not saying this is right for you (or anyone), but it may be worth considering if you're still having pain, urges, and/or bad leaks.

Bienvenue, David. Congratulations on coping very well with your incontinence. We look forward to hearing more from you. Your English is excellent. --John