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Girlsaylor Asked August 2019

Which incontinence products for a temporary situation?

Since I have bladder spasms plus IBSD, and BAM, I live with bowel and urine urgency. I manage by keeping bladder emptied, and three medications for the bowel conditions. Imperfect solutions for control, but best medical science has for us at present.


Upcoming surgeries, total hip replacement, then once recovered, both knees. I expect being slowed down with walker post-op, initially, I could have issues making it to bathroom on time. Incontinence- Gah! this is so embarrassing!


Okay, I know a few have had the incontinence issue post-op.


I’m one of the unlucky ones with non-stop bladder spasms, plus IBSD and BAM. So as to prepare for the slow hustle to the bathroom, post-op, guess I should have some Poise Pads on hand? Or some type of pull-ups? Not going to have laundry help so don’t want to be having to change the bed first night home. Is there a tried and true brand, given I’m not wanting to purchase a few to try, for a temporary situation?


Also, recommended bed pads to protect my brand new mattress? I have a waterproof mattress pad, topped with a regular quilted cotton mattress pad, then sheet, already. Since I won’t have somebody to help change bed if I have an accident, thinking I need something either disposable or a washable pad type. That I will be able to slide or lift my scary behind onto? Anybody have experience with these? As it’s not long term, I don’t want to be purchasing several different products to try out. And once home, waiting for mail order delivery won’t help first few days. Good suggestion for pads or pull ups brand?


Also, I have a brand new king mattress, won’t have any help changing sheets. Need to protect the bed. Currently I do have a waterproof mattress pad on the mattress, with a second quilted cotton mattress pad over that for added insurance, then sheets. Do you caregivers have recommendations on bed pads I can put on top of all, and be able to get my scary behind onto, without bunching up into a useless wad, with me having limited ability to lift my rump onto it when I first get home?


And that’s the poop, lol.

rocketjcat Sep 2019
Since this will only be a temporary issue, I strongly suggest you throw vanity to the wind, and use the type of incontinence products they used with Mom at the NH. Not the pretty pull-up types...the kind with the sticky side tabs. With these you won’t have to remove shoes and slacks to change them, just rip the sides apart while sitting on the toilet, fully clothed. Your mobility after surgery will be limited and the bending and removing slacks and shoes will be tough. They will even be easier to get on if hubby has to help, or if you’re really down and out and they have to be changed on the bed.
Girlsaylor Sep 2019
Thank you, and absolutely correct! weaned myself off hydromorphone 48 hours after discharge, to 2.5 Mg Oxycodone for 48 more hours. I waited until the bowel function resumed, before adding back my INSD and BAM medications, and sure enough, the urgent diarrhea came back with a vengeance, I knew it would, but as I’m high risk for the ileus blockage thing, couldn’t risk necrosis. Two days of diarrhea til I got it stopped, got dehydrated, despite working hard at staying hydrated. That’s how bad the diarrhea is with the combination IBSD and BAM. I struggled getting to the bathroom quickly, but with my plan in place, got through it. It’s a stinking shame that I receive no medical guidance from the surgeon for how to get this medication smoothed out post op. I only know that every additional day on opioid painkillers is that much more risk for persons with the combined bowel conditions, not to mention I have had three hospitalizations for diverticulitis. The last thing I need is a case of complicated diverticulitis or a blockage.

So, now, I’m struggling through having only Tylenol, plus baby aspirin twice per day as blood thinner, and Celebrex once per day. Honestly, it’s poor pain relief. Might as well be eating skittles. But so far, not eventful, if you don’t count the low heart rate from the anesthesia and pain meds, low oxygen saturation from the low heart rate, dehydration from severe diarrhea, and pain.
HoustonPat Sep 2019
If you are a male can I would suggest looking into condom catheters. You can place them yourself just as you would a condom and it has a tube at the end that connects to a urine bag -which you can purchase comparable to a hospital grade one. The bag can be reused and the catheter can be used a day or two -as long as you clean yourself well in between uses. this would allow you to sleep through the night without wetting diapers or running to the bathroom. These have been a lifesaver for our family as we deal with my aging dad. He can no longer move his arm to get the urinal through out the night and we had to wake up several times a night to wait for him to pee into it. He would not sleep well because he had to call out to us..we would not sleep well because we had to go to the room and wait on him to finish peeing....This lasted at least a full year until I stumbled upon these!!! Highly recommend these to anyone caring for a male adult with incontinence issues. You can buy the best diapers for overnight use but they will still be wet in the morning and that means your skin will break down and create ulcers. Condom catheters work at least 90% of the time we use them. They may occasionally come off during the night, but hey if 6 nights out the week you are completely dry overnight that's good enough for us.....Medicare and secondary insurance covers the cost of the supplies for this !

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geoblue Sep 2019
Walgreens carries large packs of disposable bed pads. They are 36 x 28 and plastic backed with a thin absorbent pad on one side. Wish they had the double sided tape on the back side to keep them in place. Found I can cover them with a towel and dad can move around a lot and they stay without the sticky tape. BJs club also carries depends and their own brand which is better in some ways. Hold more volume
Girlsaylor Sep 2019
Another good source. Thank you! I did order one of the PeaPods large mats, but a second one is outside my budget. I have two of the doggy washable pee pads as well. It will have to be enough. I’m out of money, with all the hurricane supplies and prep.
Isthisrealyreal Aug 2019
You can order online and have them delivered from Sam's now. Just wanted to let you know they do that and you can get free shipping on orders over a certain amount.
Girlsaylor Aug 2019
Thank you! I’ll have to check into Sam’s Club, didn’t know delivery was an option.
dlpandjep Aug 2019
God bless you.  This must be so difficult - but you seem to be coping well.  I have just one word of advice:  You say you have the mattress pad on top of the waterproof cover.  Mattress pads are usually fairly thick and get heavy when wet.  If you have an accident, you'll be washing the sheets as well as the mattress pad.  I know it isn't as comfortable having the waterproof cover just under the sheet, but it makes clean-up much easier.  Also, get some "Chucks pads."  They're washable and found at your local home health store.  If you have a caregiver when you get home, ask him or her for some.  You can also put one on your favorite chair (just in case you fall asleep and have an accident).
Girlsaylor Aug 2019
I’m basically on my own here. Hubs is about as helpful as a turd. But I’m getting things all set up. Thank you for the suggestions! So much thought goes into these responses. And I appreciate that!
MargaretMcKen Aug 2019
I'm not sure if you are male or female, but for either there are mini-urinals. The men's variety is what they use in hospitals. The female version has an open cup-shaped funnel that pops onto the men's version. The male one is easier to use lying down. The female one might drip a bit, but is fine if you can stand by the bed with something to hold onto. Then a nappy bucket by the bed to tip the urine into, with a lid for smell. For bowel issues, I'd recommend wearing a pair of close fitting briefs over the top of the Depends. Perhaps not briefs, boy leg or something, preferably with some elastic around the legs (I'd do the sewing for you if I could!). I have a few problems myself, and I find the two layers are easy to pull off together, and keep the mess better contained. And it's a good idea to try the other suggestions for pads, pants etc . Best of luck.
Isthisrealyreal Aug 2019
Putting baking soda in the bucket is a great way to kill the odor.

We do this with a 5 gallon bucket when we are camping in a cabin that is to far from the facilities to go in the night. You never even know we have that in the cabin and emptying is easy. Quick rinse with a cup or 2 of water and add more baking soda, all set to go.

I know TMI.
cwillie Aug 2019
I imagine that bladder spasms lead to sudden, large accidents, I don't think any of the pads are going to be able to handle that. If you haven't been shopping for incontinence products lately you may be pleasantly surprised, they have come a long way. Always Discrete are probably the nicest brand we tried and are available at most major retailers.
Girlsaylor Aug 2019
You are somewhat correct on the large accidents. The best way to manage bladder spasms is a combination of an antispasmodic medication, which I currently take, plus frequent toileting, to keep the urine volume down. As soon as I have any sensation at all that there’s some urine, I have to go immediately. Anticipating this management isn’t going to be enough post-op, will have to observe bathroom runs every hour or so, every time I get up. So, if I can’t control stopping the stream, when I’m spamming, at least I can keep the possible amount down enough to maybe contain in incontinence pad or brief. The difficulty will be the slow walk to the potty. I have a bathroom right next to the bed, so don’t need a bedside commode, small house.
i shall try the Always Discreet. Thank you!
Isthisrealyreal Aug 2019
My dad was a big guy and I found that the Sam's club brand was the best for him. They have all the latest technology and no plastic around the legs to torment you with.

You could not even see that he was wearing them and he never had any leaks.

I noticed the other day that the price has gone down by 10.00 a box. 40 bucks for a box of 85.

They also carry bed pads, but I never used those.

Good luck with your surgery and recovery. May God guide the surgeons hands.
Girlsaylor Aug 2019
Thank you! I’m not a Sam’s Club member, as my shopping is dictated by having normal sized product offerings, not bulk, plus I require a mobility shopping cart, in order t shop for us. Once I put oxygen and purse into basket, bulk sized products simply don’t work for me, sadly. I have two of the washable pet pee pads, cloth on one side, plastic on the other. Machine washable. I may look to see if there’s a larger size available. So many things we all deal with. Especially pee and poo predominate our convos, lol.

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