VA diapers

[Slomo]

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.

[Valentinesstuff]

I'm in Illinois, I just got two cases of Attends "Ultimate Absorbency" briefs. My Primary Care Provider is new to the VA and not a native speaker. Her attempt got me a case of Attends underwear. Someone from another team called me and got me these. They are crap. I'm not sure who you need to talk to. You might try the pharmacy or find a long term doctor or nurse that knows the system.

[Slomo]

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.

[Valentinesstuff]

There's a part of me that wants to track down the Attends design team and make them wear and use what they designed for a month or two or hundred.

 

After about three hours it was literally falling off my body. I did find a use for the case of pullups they sent me. I wear one over the brief to help hold the brief on.

[Slomo]

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

[Slomo]

Just bumping this thread as I'm still hoping someone out there has a tip or trick to get decent diapers through the east coast VA.

Heck, I'd be willing to hold my breath till I get them- if I thought it would work.

[Valentinesstuff]

My problem is that I don't even know who to talk to. My Dr is new to the system, some nurse from another team managed to get me the Stands Ultimately Useless Briefs that I have. I wonder if Patient Advocacy could help. I am half tempted to write my Congressman or Senators.

[Slomo]

51 minutes ago, Valentinesstuff said:

My problem is that I don't even know who to talk to. My Dr is new to the system, some nurse from another team managed to get me the Stands Ultimately Useless Briefs that I have. I wonder if Patient Advocacy could help. I am half tempted to write my Congressman or Senators.

Just to confirm, you're on the east coast correct? And you are talking about having better diaper than the useless crap, correct?

I do know the west coast va has a different contract/supplier, which allows for special or drop orders. No such luck on the east coast, where I can get diapers, but they're all useless.

[Valentinesstuff]

11 hours ago, Slomo said:

Just to confirm, you're on the east coast correct? And you are talking about having better diaper than the useless crap, correct?

I do know the west coast va has a different contract/supplier, which allows for special or drop orders. No such luck on the east coast, where I can get diapers, but they're all useless.

I'm in the Midwest, Central Illinois.

[Slomo]

6 hours ago, Valentinesstuff said:

I'm in the Midwest, Central Illinois.

Awesome, and what brand were you able to get? Something at least like Molicare or Seni? And dare I hope it's Megamax or Betterdry?

[Valentinesstuff]

4 hours ago, Slomo said:

Awesome, and what brand were you able to get? Something at least like Molicare or Seni? And dare I hope it's Megamax or Betterdry?

Attends Ultimate Useless Diaper. 

https://www.healthykin.com//p-5200-attends-ultimate-absorbency-briefs.aspx?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20756320035&gbraid=0AAAAADw-o9YxuxGfuLJp84nKsWDtdS7aM&gclid=CjwKCAjwprjDBhBTEiwA1m1d0q1brzduWtmcAXJvAdTmsmBLe6A8QxjAfsEu7BlpL8o68oHiAS2pGxoC14AQAvD_BwE

 

Admittedly that is the cheapest I saw with a quick search.

 

Yes they have one giant "tape," they are hook and loop. The machine that folds in the side panels is so inconsistent that it is difficult to tell if it is fully unfolded. The single tape is nigh impossible to get fitted correctly and after a couple of hours it is literally falling off your body. They might work on comatose dehydrated patients, but I would not put money on that.

[Slomo]

19 hours ago, Valentinesstuff said:

Attends Ultimate Useless Diaper. 

https://www.healthykin.com//p-5200-attends-ultimate-absorbency-briefs.aspx?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20756320035&gbraid=0AAAAADw-o9YxuxGfuLJp84nKsWDtdS7aM&gclid=CjwKCAjwprjDBhBTEiwA1m1d0q1brzduWtmcAXJvAdTmsmBLe6A8QxjAfsEu7BlpL8o68oHiAS2pGxoC14AQAvD_BwE

 

Admittedly that is the cheapest I saw with a quick search.

 

Yes they have one giant "tape," they are hook and loop. The machine that folds in the side panels is so inconsistent that it is difficult to tell if it is fully unfolded. The single tape is nigh impossible to get fitted correctly and after a couple of hours it is literally falling off your body. They might work on comatose dehydrated patients, but I would not put money on that.

Bummer. Yeah, that's been my experience too. I can get them, but they're all so cheap I'd rather buy my own.

I'm still hoping someone out there has managed to get half-decent diapers from the east coast VA. Anyone?

[LotisFlower]

Hello, I’m on the west coast and it’s the same story here.  I have been issued the cheap Tranquility brand briefs which are practically useless for heavy wetters.  
 

The VA here issues the cheapest crap they can source.  Im grateful for their trying to help, but I have been buying Northshore Megamax for sleeping as they’re the quality I need overnight.  
 

 

[Slomo]

10 hours ago, LotisFlower said:

Hello, I’m on the west coast and it’s the same story here.  I have been issued the cheap Tranquility brand briefs which are practically useless for heavy wetters.  
 

The VA here issues the cheapest crap they can source.  Im grateful for their trying to help, but I have been buying Northshore Megamax for sleeping as they’re the quality I need overnight.  
 

 

Go back to your VA PCM, and let them know Tranquility isn't absorbent enough and you need something better. They may insist you try several other different brands first, but eventually you should be able to get a drop shipment set up. Then you'll be able to get something like Betterdry, Northshore Megamax, or whatever your favorite brand is (within reason of course).

[Valentinesstuff]

I ended up talking to a Patient Advocate and explained the situation. He got me in touch with someone, I think is in the pharmacy department. He got me some Tranquility Smart Core.

 

These are much better than the Attends that I had previously gotten, although they still aren't very good. I asked if he could send me a list of available products, which he said he will do. I am hoping that they have something that is at least plastic backed. 

[Valentinesstuff]

I heard back from the guy at the Peoria VA Pharmacy. He says they have 4 Tab Style large diapers in stock at the warehouse. Attends Complete and Attends Advanced. The Tranquility pictured above. And one that was just listed as "Diaper Adult Large Extra Absorbency" (sure sounds military issue), he included a hand written note "Above is Fit Right (warehouse noted lowest quality of the 4 listed)" That would be saying something, as the Attends I was sent were literally falling off of me after a couple hours of wearing at my desk and not using.

 

Sadly it appears that the Tranquility are the best of the lot. They at least stay on for a decent amount of time. I don't think I'd trust them if I was out and about though.

 

I guess it's time to write my Senator. Somehow despite her being Veteran, I doubt she's using what the VA provides.

[Slomo]

I too am fighting the VA to get diapers. And yeah, they only want to give me the cheapest, thinnest, crap they possibly can.

I have gout, kidney problems and pre-diabetes, so I absolutely need to stay well hydrated. But I also have Nocturnia so I pee 2/3 of my daily intake in the 8 hours I'm asleep. At least I have convinced my VA urogist I need something with at least a 5000ml ISO rating.

Unfortunately the local system my VA uses doesn't allow for entering in non-formulary diaper prescriptions. Nor does it even allow for a pharmacy consult. And of course the pharmacy has already pushed back, saying that I need to try even more of their crap diapers first. 

 

[Slomo]

I was thinking about this some more. We seriously need to start complaining to the VA patient advocates in our area. I've done it several times in the last 30 urars, but nothing has changed. But if enough of us do it, something just might happen for our benefit. So...

Calling all Veterans. Contact your local VA clinic and ask to be transferred to their patient advocate. Let that person know we are being denied the medical equipment we need. Let them know the pharmacy or supply distributor for the VA is dictating what we can and cannot get. And often enough they are doing it against our doctors own wishes too. Let them know that forcing inferior diapers onto us is literal neglect. 

[Valentinesstuff]

I just found out that I will now be charged for Medicare Part B starting Jan 1. So I will be paying for something that I previously did not so the Government can more funds from one account to another.

[Valentinesstuff]

I just got a "case" of 96 Molicare Premium Elastic 8D cloth backed diapers. I put the case in quotes because 72 appears to be a retail case. I got two oversized boxes with two packages of 24 diapers each.

 

These have a strange design, and I can see what they were trying to do. Sadly they failed.

 

 

The front panel is only slightly larger than the padding. When I was first opening the diaper, I thought it was a pad to stick in underwear. The rear side panels are normal sized, but have long elastic tabs to pull around your waist and Velcro to the front panel. The elastic isn't really strong enough to hold the diaper in place. It fell off in the morning as I walked to my bathroom. 

The sizes are also very large. I should have asked for a medium, not large. Most medium diapers fit, but are not comfortable, large fit better. These though are way bigger around the waist. 

They are single tabs on each side, but are very lightweight.

[Slomo]

Bummer. Why does it seem these diaper manufacturer's think less is more? And why does the VA think this kind of crap will work for everyone?

[Valentinesstuff]

2 hours ago, Slomo said:

Bummer. Why does it seem these diaper manufacturer's think less is more?

For the same reason that they think the flimsy elastic that they use will hold their products up.

 

2 hours ago, Slomo said:

And why does the VA think this kind of crap will work for everyone?

I gave an AB friend one of the Attends Pullups, diapers and Tranquility SmartCore diapers the VA sent me, this was his response 

Quote

Having briefly touched some of these, wow. Our vets deserve better. Yeesh.

I told him I was working on it.

[Slomo]

17 hours ago, Valentinesstuff said:

I gave an AB friend one of the Attends Pullups, diapers and Tranquility SmartCore diapers the VA sent me, this was his response 

I told him I was working on it.

I don't remember of I posted it here, but after my request for a thick diaper, the VA sent me Attends and Depends pullups as well. Insult and lack of care aside, I too only needed to take a look at them to know how bad they were.

I actually decided to save anyone else from having to use them, by tossing them in the trash. And when the trash person came, by they actually stopped to look at what was in the 8 cardboad cases. They paused to look at their phone (presumably to look them up). And after a minute or two they proceded to toss all of the pullups into the garbage truck. Because even the garbage man recognized they were just that bad.

[Valentinesstuff]

I heard back from the Head of the local VA Pharmacy, who is still trying to get me some NorthShore diapers. It seems that NorthShore isn't NorthShore for Federal Government concerns. She believes that she will be able to get them eventually, but the VA is currently in the process of changing to a new electronic record system and that will most likely end her ability to direct order them from NorthShore.

 

On the other hand she is sending me some sort of diaper cover.

[Slomo]

9 hours ago, Valentinesstuff said:

I heard back from the Head of the local VA Pharmacy, who is still trying to get me some NorthShore diapers. It seems that NorthShore isn't NorthShore for Federal Government concerns. She believes that she will be able to get them eventually, but the VA is currently in the process of changing to a new electronic record system and that will most likely end her ability to direct order them from NorthShore.

 

On the other hand she is sending me some sort of diaper cover.

At least it sounds like your pharmace is actually trying to get you the duapers. My VA pharmacy seems to have gone into a full denial of goods inngeneral. I'm probably gonna have to appeal their decision to an appeals judge or something.

It's crazy how inconsistent the VA is just based on a veteran's location alone.