Looking for advice on bladder incontinence products

Hi Kyle,
I'm so sorry that you had that bad incident that caused you to have incontinence! How awful for you! I'm 79 and also have incontinence; probably due to age. I use Poise pads and put toilet paper on them. Then when I leak, I can just remove the toilet paper and the pad will still be dry. Poise has various sizes so you can find the one that will work best for you. I wear one pad at home with the toilet paper, but when I go places I wear two pads and the toilet paper also. I get Poise pads through Amazon on their Subscribe and Save program. With that program you get 15% off and free shipping. You can also get other items on that program such as toilet paper, cleaning items, paper towels etc. with the same offer of 15% off and free shipping. The Poise website also has coupons available to print out.

I limit how many places I go at one time. That way, there is less of a chance of having an accident in public. Before I go places I also limit the amount of liquid I drink and try to drink as little liquid when I'm out as possible. However, you have to be careful not to get dehydrated. Drink a lot of water when you return home so you are certain you are not becoming dehydrated. Winter is much less stressful because you can wear a long coat that hides any visible unexpected leaking.

There are some medications that can be injected that will stop the leaking. I had that done and didn't leak for 9 years. However, the leaking finally returned and now they don't use that medication any longer. They have some new medications to stop the leaking but the doctor said they only work about 80% of the time. So, I decided at my age, I should just live with this condition. It could be something worse. At least it's not fatal.

I hope things get better for you. Let me know if you have any questions. I'll say a prayer for you.
PML

Hi @kyle1976 and pml,

I feel your frustration too. I have overactive bladder and bladder spasms and when the spasms come, it’s like you said, I have very little time (none really) before a large rush comes out and can easily overflow my pad before it can get absorbed. I can go through several pads and pants in a day. I also use Poise pads after trying many others including the huge “mattress” ones you referred to. I get the Poise Discrete #7 in the long length. Yes they’re expensive but they have worked the best. They are pretty flat and look like they won’t be enough. But they hold a lot of liquid and will puff up and not leak. It has something that turns into a gel and holds the moisture away from your skin. Of course if I have a “gusher” nothing can stop it from overflowing. It just comes too fast. Check out some of the discussion under “Botox for Urinary Incontinence”. It has worked for me the one time I did it and have decided to get another treatment after the first one wore off. But you should try other options first if you haven’t already (pelvic floor exercises, meds, biofeedback, stimulators). Check back with any updates and if you have any questions about the Botox treatment please let me know!

Hi @louisy,
I'm sorry you have incontinence also. It's not fun! However, like you, I use the Poise pads and they work very well. I get them at a discount on Amazon with their subscribe and save program. You get 15% off and free shipping. There are other things in that program that you can buy to save on also.

I had the Botox treatment and it worked for 9 years. But then it stopped working and when I went back to the University of Washington Medical Center, they said they weren't using it anymore. They had some other things but said they didn't work that well. So, I'm just back to wearing pads and hoping I don't have an accident!

At this point I'm just leaving it all up to God! He made me and he can cure me!
PML

@pml wow you used Botox for 9 years? I didn’t know it had been used for this problem for that long. I wonder why they said it didn’t work and stopped offering it. And I wonder what the better things they found were? Doesn’t sound like they showed much compassion for you or did I read that wrong. I’d hate to think that the brilliant medical minds out there couldn’t find a reliable treatment for (mostly) women who suffer with incontinence every day. It’s a huge barrier to leading a happy normal life as we attempt to maintain our hard won dignity. Many blessings to you.

Hi @louisy,
You are right. They didn't have much compassion for me. Also I think the fact that I'm 79 made a difference also. I've noticed that since I've aged and also when my husband was alive, (he was 83 when he died.) they aren't eager to treat older people. Although you'd think they would be interested in treating older people because they often have the good insurance that will pay the bill and lately hospitals etc. seem very focused on the money!

I hope things work out for you with your incontinence. You are smart to use Poise. They are the best pads. I use them also.
I'll say a prayer for you.
I wish you the best.
PML

@pml thank you for your prayers. I’d check with another urologist about getting the Botox treatment again. I’ve not heard about any other treatments and my urologist I’m sure would have told me if there were other options. I hope you find a concerned and helpful provider who genuinely cares about your quality of life!

Oh dear. I gave you the wrong brand of pads! I suggested Poise Discreet but actually I had switched to Always Discreet #7, longer length. Sorry about that! Poise are good too for sure but I’m loving the Always product.

@louisy
Have you tried a Rx for Mybetriq . My Dr. tried me on 25 mg and that worked for a long time, but he changed the Rx to 50 mg of same..
I still wear a pad, but only have to “go” every 2+ hours and usually have time. Pad protects in case, but at least thick pad isn’t required when on Rx.

@macie46 no I haven’t tried that one unless it’s the brand name of one of the generics I tried. There were 2 different meds but neither worked and I had side effects. Can’t remember the names. I’ll look up this one. I’d much rather take a med than have this treatment. Thank you for the great suggestion!

@macie46
Mybetriq worked for me for a while - I was in heaven. But then it stopped working. I have not tried any other medication.