Incontinence products questions: Pull-ups vs. diapers, pads and guards

I still have a prostate. I had some problems with incontinence that required fairly large pads for a while. Now I use the smallest pad available. It took me a while to figure this out, but I found that a jockstrap works the best for me to hold pads in place. I wear underwear over the jockstrap.

OK-that's really good to know. Do you wear loose boxer shorts then?

I'm 7-8 months post RARP. Had moderate leakage at first and i was using 2-3 Depends protection guards for men per day. I am healing well with just a little leakage, maybe a teaspoon a day or so. What works for me now is 1 depend guard for men cut in half, taping the exposed edges, then putting that half guard conveniently into my shock doctor jock strap. It is pulled close to skin to get protection, no leaks with no slipping. No one can see it and it gives me confidence throughout the day. Hope this helps!

Thanks for that-and a photo too! That seems like a great solution....you could wear that with boxers even.

And, yes, confidence, that's is a big deal.

I ordered pull-ups and pads for post-op just to be safe. I didn't need either, and was lucky to have dodged that bullet, so don't buy too many until you know for sure. Afterwards I donated them all to a local nursing home that was glad for the donation. I kept some pads around for just in case, and I did use some while I had my catheter in because I opted for no underwear to keep the pressure off and instead wore break away shorts and sweats and I kept the catheter disinfected and lubricated so it makes a bit of a mess if you don't have something there. Good luck and I hope you also end up fully continent after surgery!

Wow-that is amazing. You sound like the exception, but I'm incredibly happy for you.
I do have a pair of breakaway sweats and ordered a few jockey briefs one size up because it sounds like it will be a bit crowded with tubing and abdomen swelling.

Hoping for a similar outcome-thank you!!

I honestly don't know what diapers are. I wore pull ups for a brief period because "I am a big kid now". 🙂 Retaining some dignity is important. Good luck and don't forget to have a good laugh every now and then.

@chippydoo I'm laughing now!

I’ve used Tena maximum absorption pads (buy on Amazon) for 4 years. I also wear an incontinence clamp (Weisner clamp also bought on Amazon) which I cannot recommend highly enough. With the clamp I need, at most, only one pad a day mainly because I don’t wear the clamp at night. The combination of the two has been brilliant.
Note: It’s advised to wear the clamp for only a couple of hours at a time. I found this is overly conservative, probably as a protection against liability for clamps improperly used or ratcheted too tight. I wear it for 18 hours with no ill effects. This is not a recommendation, just a heads-up. It might not be right for everyone. I do change the position of the clamp after peeing so the pressure hits a different area of the blood vessel on the underside of the penis.

Thanks for the advice on the Tena maximum pads. I decided to just go with Tena because so many people recommend them. But, it's hard to know which ones to use.

Thanks for the heads up on clamps. Sounds like it has worked really well for you. My surgeon did make a specific comment not to use clamps post surgery, but I suspect that is for people during initial recovery. I suspect having the clamp as an option for later care if you need it later is wonderful. Thanks so much!