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Resurrecting my old thread. My right knee has failed again, and it's back to hurting with instability. I've been following up with my old surgeon and he referred me to another specialist that does revisions. This one is going to rip out my old knee and put in an upgrade. I'm already scheduled for it in July, and of course will be bringing my own diapers with me.

Been there, done that. 1 being no control through 10 being full control, right? Look at it like this. Out of every 10 days, how many days do you have even minor bowel problems. That number is your 1-10.

Ha, them and every other penny-pincher that says which diapers will be supplied for which organization.

I've already talked to my primary doctor at the VA (she'sbeen there a while), and made a complaint about the lack of quality diapers with a social worker there too. It just doesn't seem to be possible to get anything decent through them.

For EAST coast veterans. Has anyone ever gotten decent diapers from the VA? And if so, how? I've tried a few times over the years, but have always been told I can only get what their pharmacy dispenses. I can get them easy enough, but what they have is all medical-grade crap you can't pay me to use. Please note. I am aware the WEST coast VA does allow for drop shipping via outside vendors. Unfortunately that is under a different contract, so it does me no good.

Adding to this. It seems to me all the major manufacturers of high capacity diapers are just re-hashes to the same old design. First it was a cloth-like outer layer, then more different prints, and then positional printing. And none of these "improvements" have changed the core functionality or fit. Why don't manufacturers want to stand out? To be know for having a great fit? And not just for a thicker high capacity or yet another print?

Does anyone else remember the old 6-tapes Depends or Attends? Their absorption was mediocre, but they always fit me perfectly. I never remember them sagging when wet, chaffing/rubbing too much, or comming loose. And they wouldn't leak untill thoroughly wet and/or I flooded them. So that got me wondering. With so many high capacity, and now super high capacity, diapers out there. Why don't any of them have a 6-tape design? One of their major flaws is they sag horribly when they get wet enough. And of course leak long before reaching even 1/3 of their rated capacity. So, wouldn't it just make sense their next improvement should be the addition of those tapes?

I was given an easy strengthening excercise, one you can do anywhere. Just clench you sphincter muscle as tight as you can, and hold it for 30 seconds. It's surprisingly harder than it sounds, and quite effective too.

That's good. I personally didn't find it uncomfortable at all. Was anything immediately noticable to you? Sometimes you don't really have to wait for the results to have a good idea of it.

Well it sounds like you're doing all the basic stuff right. Using better performing diapers that have a good acquisition layer and SAP. And also using wipes and barrier cream too. How often do you shower too? And how long have you had it? And lastly, have you considered it's not a rash, but a fungal infection instead? If not, go to the pharmacy and get some spray/cream for jock itch or athletes foot. Like Dr.Schols, lotramin, zeasorb, or even a store brand. If it doesn't start to noticably clear up in a couple of days with that, then it's time to see the doctor.

HA, that sounds more like she was talking about some new medication.

Not as contradicting as you think. Yeah she is advocating for the test, and yeah you're not going to like it. Both are true. In my experience, it's better to just go through with it. Because if you don't then the doctor will get hung up on not having the results. And then your treatment and diagnosis will stagnate.

I have, but your exact underlying condition will affect how well the botox will work (or not). What is your diagnosis, and what exactly is your urologist trying to treat for? For me, I had severe urge incontinence and neurogenic sphincters (both internal and external). Basically, I'd get a sudden and painful need to pee but when I tried to relax to go my sphincters would clamp shut instead. Resulting in my having to push and strain against much pain, for even a weak stream. So my urologist first tried botox in my bladder wall to try and reduce my urges and give me time to pee. It did greatly reduce my urges, but deadened my bladder muscles so much I had an even harder time straining to go. I ended up catheterized for 3 months before it wore off. A second round of botox was then used on my external sphincter. Except that one made my sphincter even less responsive to my urges, so once again I was catheterized for another 3 months. Ultimately, my solution was a series of sphincterotomy surgeries. Each surgery opened up one of my muscles just a little more. It took 3 to blow away my external muscle and permanently open it up. And at least 3 more for the same to my internal sphincter. Plus a bunch more for strictures that formed from all the sphincterotomies. Which also ended up including surgeries for removing my prostrate and an inch of my urethra to really remove the strictures. 15 surgeries in total, over a year and a half! But hey, I now constantly drip pee without any urges, straining or pain. Don't let me dissuade you from botox though. I've heard plenty of success stories with it. It normally does fairly good to reduce urges, and/or to make it easier to pee. Though do take note, it often will not be a complete fix and only helps to reduce symptoms. It only works for about 3 months, so repeat treatments will be needed. And the body adapts to botox, so each treatment will be less effective than the last. Try it, but consider it a short term solution. And even if it does work, keep searching for a long term solution.

Bummer. You don't normally get that, do you? And hopefully it was one of those "thank goodness I was already wearing a diaper" moments. I've had episodes like that myself. Usually from eating something that didn't agree with me, or being sick. Any idea what caused it for you?

Unfortunately, needing to rush to the bathroom like that can hit anyone, no matter how healthy their lifestyle may be. It's interesting Northshore picked it up so quickly, but he is a high profile celebrity.

I used to spend a lot more time worrying about my voiding. From pausing to deal with the painful urges, to the extra time needed to push and strain just to go. At its worst, I actually had an alarm set so I could try and go to the bathroom every single hour. Now though, I usually don't even worry about it unless I get the rare leak. And changing each diaper takes less than a minute. Much less time than what I used to spend trying to use the bathroom. Not to mention the lesser frequency of changing just 2 or 3 times a day. So for me, diapers have been much less of a distraction.

Be careful, some hotels will charge a hefty cleaning fee for a wet bed. Notifying the staff at or before checkin might not help avoid that fee, but getting a mattress protector added on will. Though plenty of hotels won't even bother with that. As such, I always bring 1 or 2 bed pads. I hav3 g99d washable ones, but disposable pads also work great for traveling.

Ah, another veteran. I'd say welcome to the club, but the board of vet appeals? You TRAITOR!! No, just kidding. The appeals board fixed me right up with a 50% when my assessment Dr wanted to assign me 10%. It was a process, but glad it was in place.

Yup. A diaper must be thick and absorbent enough to ensure you will not have more than a minor leak once every 1 or 2 weeks. Now re-read that and let it sink in for a minute. If you leak every few days, then you need a better diaper. Catastrophic leaks, yeah you REALLY need a better diaper. No item is worth buying of it doesn't do as advertised. So don't even bother buying anything from a drug store or food mart. Some medical supply stores sell half-decent diapers, but really you need to be looking online. Hence those really high ISO numbers being such a necessity. As for that added protection. I personally recommend PUL pants like Gary Activewear or Northshore Trifecta. They add a little support against sagging, a decent support against leaks, and a lot of support at silencing noise and smells. Plus they are incredibly durable, and easily stand up to machine washing (but not drying).

Seconded. A thin diaper that has leaked is WAY more noticable than a thick one that has done its job. And most everyone is more busy with their own lives than we think. A crinkle that is noticeable to us simply isn't to most others. And as for the exceedingly rare who might notice, so what. It turns out almost none of them even care. But for the one that does take exception? Pitty them for their insecurity and need to lash out, then move on with your own life.

Yeah, with so many makers for disposable, and the ease of them, cloth is definitely on the way out. It's unfortunate so many of the disposable diapers just plain suck though. I do recommend adultclothdiaper.com or even babykins.com. Both are well known and have great service.

Seconded on Northshore or LLMedical. But good luck getting your insurance to accept them. I mean, the often do. But insurance companies are notorious for making you work at getting half-decent diapers.

Dare I say, she is sort of becoming a celebrity. It's amazing someone is finally breaking through the stigma, but I never thought anyone could do it with popularity too.

Ooof. Sorry to hear that. I know you're still fighting to retain as much continence as you can. I want through that too, and wow was it....disruptive. And having to fight a cold or infection on top that can make it really hard to deal with. Hope you're able to manage through it ok.

I've had this come up a LOT in the past. Some doctor or urologist listens to my concerns/complaints, and the first thing they say is "you're too young to be experiencing that". And from there on I'm either dismissed or have to push past one road block after another with them (usually pills). So who else has had this problem, and how did you get past it? For my incontinence issues i kept having to fire that urologist and find a different one. It took a decade but I eventually found a urologist that listened to me. But recently I found the perfect comeback regarding a knee problem that could have also applied. I said "injuries and life don't care how old you are. They can come knocking at your door at any time, and pretending they aren't there will not make them go away". I then went on to say "I was severly injured at age 18, I'm 48 now. 18 wasn't too old then, and 48 especially isn't now". So oh joy, now I get to look forward to a second total knee replacement (same knee).