Slomo

I've had that issue as well. They "want" you to have enough pee still inside your bladder when you show up. Before the scan they will have you pee into a funnel and measuring cup. It logs how fast you pee, and how much. Which can be an indicator for any problems.

Then they do the ultrasound scan to see if any pee is still inside your bladder or not. 15-30ml of residual pee is normal, but more would not be and could also indicate where any problems might be.

That's what they want though. What they will get may not be the same thing. Though if you can, do try to show up needing to pee at least some. The more diagnostics you can go through, the better the chance they might just be able to find your underlying issues.

Usually after the scan they will want to schedule a full urodynamics test next. Or possibly a cystoscopy. But that's for another thread and time.

On 6/7/2023 at 7:31 PM, Brian said:

UPDATE:  Today I finally got a hold of my my chart file and looked at it because I needed to see what was going on with a upcoming physical. Had to be rescheduled because of something that was going on that I wasn't aware of and so I had to reschedule it. The physical will happen tomorrow. Unfortunately, I also found out that my colonoscopy was scheduled for Monday the 19th, and apparently they were going to admit me on Sunday the 18th, which is father's Day. I understand that they wanted me to go in on that day, but apparently they had just stuck me there, and they had no idea that I didn't have transportation there, and apparently didn't realize that I always disabled, and that I needed help with the prep work and all that. Ohh I spent most of today on the phone with the GI specialist, my GP, the nurses, the nurses in the procedure area, and a couple nurses in the hospital. Now I guess they're working on setting it up so that I can be admitted on Sunday, and our local transportation provider will be put into service on Sunday to bring me up there, but I haven't heard the finalization of that yet. Once I get that taken care of, I'll just go up there on Sunday and I'll have the procedure done Monday morning and it won't be so bad. Doesn't even look like it's gonna be as bad as what I was under the impression it was going to be, because they're going to give me something that is similar to mirror wax in higher dose so that I can clean myself out pretty good.

The only thing that scared me was the fact that I didn't exactly know why they had stuck me in just anywhere on a Sunday, for that particular situation, and I wasn't sure if any of my medical team had realized that it was a Sunday they had scheduled me for. Our electronic system my chart ends up keeping notes from every single medical provider that provides me service, so anything that happens is updated within the system so any medical provider can log in and look at my notes in real time. The notes I got from the procedure nurse told me that they were working on that happening, so I shouldn't have that issue. So as long as I can get there, I have everything I need, and I do what I need to do, it won't be that bad.

I just hope that this thing goes off without a hitch: I realize that it couldn't be a pain in the neck, that I will probably have to deal with some stuff that might be a little uncomfortable, And the like, but at least once this procedure is done I don't have to worry about it for a few years. I have been assured that this will be easier for me than it would for my dad who had to have a tracheottery removed in order to have his done because they put the camera wire down the hole where his tracheotomy sat. I'm just a little surprised that they just stuck me in on a Sunday, and that I didn't even realize that it had been scheduled there, until I saw it this morning and I went, what the heck are they doing that for?

So the only thing I really have to be careful of is to make sure I'm not eating a bunch of seeds, and that I can drink as much liquid as I want prior to the procedure but I can't eat after midnight on Sunday. At least this way I will be able to have the procedure done, and I won't have to worry about it because when they're all finished, because all the coordination with a hospitalist in all the people involved, I will be able to get in there, have the procedure done, and then be able to come out, and I should be OK.

Thank you for all the information regarding your experiences @Slomo

Of course. And it IS weird they put you in on a Sunday. Most likely the scheduler who did that, didn't have the full reason for why. Glad you were able to get it sorted out though.

And yeah, when we say the prep is the worst part, take solace that the prep is no worse than a bad case of diarrhea. It's uncomfortable, and for sure annoying, but not painful. And yeah the prep solution they'll make you drink will taste just as you'll imagine it will. 

A very loose consensus is that bladder incontinence usually IS the symptom of something else. But what's causing it cold be a slew of different things. Sphincter muscle weakening as we age, neurolical disease, previous injuries- especially to the spine at L5-S1, birth defects, and the list goes on and on.

As the others have mentioned, it's great you're seeking help from a urologist. Just don't accept a diagnosis of OAB. That's doctor speech for "we recognize something is going on, but don't know what's causing it". And also be ready to not get a good diagnosis at all, as well as having one pill after another thrown at you. Urologist really love doing that just to see if something will stick. Heck, I went through several dozen different meds, and it took a dozen urologists over 15 years to figure out my problem. 

I don't want to discourage you, but be ready to get discouraged. Diapers may be your only real option moving forward, or they might not be. IF they are, know they won't end your social life as you know it. They are simply an aid that what will help you to continue your social life. And using the right diaper that stays comfortable when wet, and doesn't leak too often, goes a long ways to you not hating have to wear them.

I'll never admit to crying. NEVER! Though at first I sometimes had that same thought. Now though, I think to myself I'm glad I had a diaper on or that would have been a real disaster to cry over. I then clean up as best as I can, and move on without giving it a second thought.

Eventually in life you'll have to realize you can't dwell on what has happened. There's no changing that. What you can do though, is be prepared so the next time it happens you can be glad it was at least mitigated, and things won't be as bad as it could have been. In other words, always try and look for the brighter side of things.

On 6/3/2023 at 7:40 AM, John Davis said:

Slomo, I'm glad everything came out ok.😱  I fully agree re vague or inaccurate instructions.  I have received conflicting instructions.

As I have nerve damage to the anal sphincters, I have only limited sphincter control.  Any prep is a nightmare of continuous bowel accidents (in the diaper of course).  It is so bad I am debating not having another colonoscopy.  When I mentioned this to my gastroenterologist, he understood and, to my surprise, did not argue the point.

--John

I only have a vague feeling of that. I forgot to mention I did use my diaper a couple of times during the prep. Mostly because I was in the middle of something and not quite close enough to a bathroom, so I tried to hold it but couldn't. Having to deal with that liquid cleanup every now and again is bad enough, but every single time??? Yeah it's no wonder you don't want to deal with it again any time soon.

Well, it turns out taking the second dose of prep right before trying to go to bed is a bad idea. I found out afterwards there was still a bunch of poop left in part of my intestines. They didn't see anything worth noting, but because they couldn't see everything they want me back in a year for a redo.

When I saw the doctor in recovery he even mentioned it would have been better if I took the second dose when I woke up. Thanks doc, maybe then you should change those instructions I was given. Uuugh. Other than that, recovery was easy and quick. I was in and out in under 3 hours.

Then came the gas. Little know fact. During the procedure they use nitrogen gas to literally blow your intestines up like a balloon. It's needed so they can see everything good. But that can be painful to some hence why they knock everyone out. They do deflate you before you wake up, but still, there's always some left for you to pass thereafter. I didn't have it bad at all my first colonoscopy, but this one was much worse. Maybe because there was still poop in me, I don't know. The gas moving through me felt like massive pressure at points, which caused me enough pain to double over at times. Eventually it did pass though, and all returned to normal.

Got my prep done, and waiting for the procedure soon.

The prep drink was as horrible as expected. Chugged it then was able to wash my mouth out with too much water to drink. I started the first dose at 5pm last night, and the 2nd dose at 9pm. Was up past midnight having to constantly go, and (thankfully) woke at 3 am and 6am needing to go more.

I'm tired, thirsty and hungry. As expected. At least this will be a familiar walk in the park for me.

44 minutes ago, John Davis said:

I usually wear a BetterDry diaper.... I drink about 90+ oz per day.

That makes sense then. You're taking in about 50% more water than me, and needing to use about 50% more diapers (of the same type) that I do. Congrats on the higher water intake too.

On 5/27/2023 at 7:22 AM, John Davis said:

Interesting how long Slomo and Iken are able to last without a change.  I stay well hydrated and am a heavy wetter.  I usually need to change at about 6 hours and rarely risk going longer than 7 ½ hours.  However, on long car trips if I "diaper heavy" I usually can last for 12 hours.  Otherwise my changing habits are similar to Scarth.

--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.

That's my same experience too. Sometimes it comes up as a lighthearted joke, but it's almost never seriously discussed.

23 hours ago, El Chancho said:

An indwelling catheter is a closed system and to reduce or not be subject to UTI's you always have to keep that in mind.  I wear the collection bag for as long as possible because changing the bag can introduce bacteria.  I clamp the catheter before removing the collection bag and then attach the new one.  I don't use a night bag because that means every morning you need to change bags.  I always wear a 1000ml bag which is sufficient for overnight use.  There are several bags that size which are undetectable even wearing jeans and the bag is almost at capacity.  Also when I drain the bag I leave enough urine to keep air out.  The sphincter acts in the same way.  The bag is just a bladder outside of your body.  

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. 

Wow, 5 years IS a long time using indwelling catheters. I too went the near-permanant route you did. Though after 7 months I developed a sensitive urethra. Even the most smooth and lubricated catheters felt like sand paper to me.

After that I seriously started looking outside the USA to make me functionally incontinent. Almost went to a medical retreat facility in Mexico, except they wouldn't give me a guarantee they'd do the surgery. Even after a couple of telephone consults. It was a scenario where I'd have to first spend 3K booking everything, then bet if it would happen or not. So I ended up not going.

On 5/28/2023 at 7:24 AM, John Davis said:

It now is a few days after my acupuncture.  I have not detected any changes to my incontinence.

I may try acupuncture again, but with a different practitioner.

--John

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.

I guess I take an approach of both easy and time. I normally change in the morning about 1.5 hours after I get up. After I've done a little exercise and ate breakfast, and right after I normally take a shower. Then I change again about 14 hours later when I'm already undressing and getting ready for bed.

Also, a minor history lesson. The UK and Europe originally had naps or sanitary napkins used by women for their periods. They adapted those napkins into nappies for babies. Or what we now refer to as reusable cloth.

The inventor of what we consider the modern disposable first called them boaters but quickly adapted the word diaper. 

So a nappy is reusable cloth, and a diaper is disposable plastic. But yeah, they get incorrectly mixed up and used interchangeably by a lot of people.

Agreed 100%. Being able to admit to others you need diapers, and being able to openly talk about it is a huge step forward. Just as much as admitting it to yourself.

I'd also add that anyone who refuses to use the word Diaper are feeding into the stigma that diapers should be avoided at all costs, they are not for adults, somehow wrong and giving up, you name it. By simply mentioning them by the correct name we are fo4cing that stigma to be dispelled.

I used to try out a bunch of different things, meds, diapers, etc. I've since found what works nearly perfect for me, so why keep looking to fix what isn't broken. That said, ALWAYS have a backup plan. Diapers get change around and "improved", or outright discontinued all the time. Already knowing what you can fall back on is a big stress reliever.

On 5/20/2023 at 4:30 AM, emily1890 said:

my life has a lot going on (most of it bad)

 

sound from my diaper is the least of my worries

 

I know it's loud, I even hear it myself sometimes

Take solace it's not as loud, or recognizable, to others as it is to us. I actually outed myself once because the crinkling of my diaper was so loud to me I was certain a friend I was walking with had to of heard it too. I asked if he could hear that too, and his reply was hear what. I said that plastic noise, and he was like oh yeah I hadn't even noticed but what is it, a candy wrapper or something. To which I then told him it was my diaper betraying me. 

In hindsight I probably could have gotten away with saying it was, but I'm glad I hadn't. He took it all in stride without batting an eye. And later on he even asked me for advice, as his own father was becoming incontinent and depends wasn't cutting it.

On 5/20/2023 at 10:35 AM, emily1890 said:

going in your diaper when the weather is warm and sunny

 

you're all ready uncomfortable because of the heat and the humidaty, and then boom, you have a dirty diaper to add to it.

 

it's a hot day today and I've done it 4 times. ugg

Yeah that's bad alright. Though you can top it by also adding when you're 10 minutes away from being done with working outside. You don't want to go change before finishing up, because that's when you can just take a shower. So you have to keep working while hot, sweaty, and now in a dirty diaper too.

Same here. I rarely leak in public too. Though when it does happen it's just an annoyance to me. But that's because I also wear a PUL diaper cover to contain any leaks, which help me notice it before the leak becomes outwardly noticeable. It's just a matter of stopping what I'm doing, removing the diaper cover, and changing my diaper. 

Before I started using Betterdry/Crinklz, and before I used a good diaper cover,  leaks were usually bad and happened at least once a week for me. Which was with using Abena L4 (the best on the market at the time), and I hated it. Those leaks were always noticeable and required a change of pants.

On 5/19/2023 at 11:03 PM, Zombie_Turtle said:

When did they come out with Betterdry?  I have only been using diapers for about 3 years and it was like a world was hidden to me before I started actively searching for answers and ordering things online.  After leaking several times with Depends Night defense (my first go-to before my issues got worse than they could handle) I got super frustrated and and started reading and searching more. Then I find online supplies, then I start to see all the baby print diapers, plastic pants and so on. popping up in searches, and blogs where people spoke about ABDL stuff but also a lot of useful information.  After getting over the shock value of it, I started learning a lot of tips and things I didn't have a clue about,  booster pads,  types of plastic pants, capacity ratings etc, Megamax, Betterdry...shoot, even how to not get diaper rash.    

It had to of been at least 3 years ago, maybe 5. Betterdry was released around the same time as Crinklz was though. Both are only available online too. They are the exact same diaper, except Crinklz has abdl prints on it, and Betterdry is plain white. I suppose it's possible when searching for a plain diaper, the one with prints on it came up too, so maybe you just skipped over it?

If you haven't by now, do give a single bag of them a try. They are thicker than any store brand, but it's worth it having something that works without leaking. If they fit and work good for you, only then consider getting them by the case.

Oh hello. I missed this post till now. So what happened that made you diaper dependent?

7 hours ago, david49 said:

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.

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.

9 hours ago, zzyzx said:

Ah, part of the reason I went with cloth diapers a long time ago.  Add layers to handle the needed capacity to get a good nights sleep....

Yes, it is only recently I'm able to consider disposable diapers for night time use - and yes, that is due to the ABDL community for both the diapers and higher capacity stuffers (sp?)....  I look for items that are functional in dealing with my issues and open to considering non-conventional sources....

Years ago, before high capacity disposables, I too had to switch to reusable cloth diapers. As a side sleeper, no disposable would hold up for me overnight. Even with a booster/stuffer. Then after after a month or two of switching my hips started hurting worse and worse. The added layers worked great to not leak, but the added bulk put too much of a lift on my hip. 

When betterdry finally the market it was all thanks to the ABDL community. And wow it was like a a godsend for me too. Now we have dozens of options.

I was at first, and with those old 1990s depends, I know for a fact people could hear them crinkling. Modern diapers a waaaay quieter. Though in a very quiet setting its possible someone could still hear them. Most anywhere else, forget it. People are so caught up in their own world they will not notice. Ever hear of the "gorilla test". Look it up on YouTube.

Like Brian, I too recommend PUL pants for mitigating the rest of that crinkling sound. Either Gary Activewear, or Northshore Trifectas. They are great at containing leaks (even with disposable diapers), help contain any smells, and do a great job muffling any sound.

Also, it gets easier with time. At some point you'll come to realize and fully internalize that diapers are not illegal, immoral, or even socially bad. They are necessary though, and anyone who has a problem with you wearing a diaper shouldn't be feared, they should be pittied. For it's their problem not yours. And once you get to that point you'll also stop caring even if they do notice.