What kind of incontinence product after RARP ?
I know that incontinence has different levels but in general - with what kind of product one should start ?
There is an "underwear" type of products and than there are pads / guards. Do I buy both of them for my husband ?
Also, in your experience, how many a day one needs for a full incontinence (I have to expect the worst and be surprised with the better outcome, that is how my brain works *sigh and beside, I do not think that my guardian angel is "all there" since 1992 XP ) ?
And thirdly - is the sizing on those boxes correct or one should go a size up for a comfort ?
Thank you all in advance < 3
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My opinion may not be accurate. since I'm not in America.
But I've found the Molicare brand (if available) very good.
Tena are also very good.
I started with the Tena pants, but quickly moved to just underpants & pads.
Mine are 4-drop, for what it's worth.
But buy one packet of both - pants & pads to try out. Don't bother with light pads just yet. They won't be enough.
If you can, but one packet of Tena pants & one packet of 4-drop or more pads.
One thing that I have to say - that women never consider..... Tena offers pants in dark blue.
Buy them.
This is a major adjustment for a guy & anything white, that looks like a nappy/diaper will not go down well.
This whole experience is upsetting enough without feeling like we're in nappies.
So go with anything not white, if you can find them.
The emotional impact of this unwanted change isn't talked about enough.
How many? At my worst, I was going through 7 drop-4 pads per day.
But we're not robots & everyone is different.
Thankyou for caring enough to ask.
I am fine with ´Depend’. You can get them at CVS and Walgreens. I was completely incontinent for a few days and used 7-8 of them each day, plus a night one (also Depend). Buying a pack of disposable bed protectors is also advisable for the first few days if incontinence is 100%.
Now, after 1 week I am down to 3 briefs per day and have only little leakage at night. So, things do improve.
Thanks a bunch : ))) !
I bought quilted bed protective pads, disposable and non disposable. I guess disposable can be useful for chairs and a car rides - or am I really overestimating amount of possible accidental leakage out of incontinence underwear ? Does that ever happen - leaking out of "Depend" underwear ? I am really not worried about leaks but I know that my husband would be upset if he thinks that he messed up something. He is upset even when he accidentally gets something squirt on his shirt while eating even though I always tell him that he is funny to get so upset and that it does not matter at all. I do laundry almost every day anyways, actually I love doing it lol.
Peter, yes, actually I did think about color and was happy to see that Tena now has dark gray and blue briefs. Thanks for telling me though, small details sometimes mean a lot to a patient.
Topf - thanks for advice and I am so happy to hear that you are seeing improvement already - yeayyy :))) !!! Actually it is a GREAT improvement since you are really soooo early in your recovery : ).
Regarding size - should I follow instructions on the back of a beg/box or go one size up for comfort or is it better to have them on tighter side to prevent leaks ?
My wife bought me these for the car ride home after the catheter came out:
https://www.kmart.co.nz/product/puppy-training-pad-100-pack-42779612/
That girl does have a sense of humour... but they work & they're cheap.
I have one on our bed right now. But for some reason, I don't leak lying down at all.
Leaking out of the pads? Absolutely.
In fact, I take 3 changes of underpants/trousers to work.
And twice I've had to go home within 2 hours, cause I've leaked through.
A bit of an anatomy lesson: girls (presumably) pee straight ahead.
Guys don't - depending which way it's "pointing".
If it's pointing to the side, it can & will pee to the side of the underpants & pee onto the trousers.
Welcome to my world.
To combat that, I wear 2 pads first thing in the morning - a smaller pad put inside a pad large enough for Andre the Giant.
Overkill, but it works.
That's just for the first hour of the working day. For the rest of the day, it's just one 4-drop pad, changed every couple of hours.
Size-wise, I did buy a size one-up, but found it wasn't necessary.
Does Depends in the US/Canada offer free samples?
Depends New Zealand does.
https://www.depend.co.nz/free-sample
Good for trying them out.
I, like you, over prepared for the worse and was fortunate enough to not need it - but I used some of it anyway just as a precaution.
I got the quilted bed pads, which actually were very useful as my incisions leaked a bit for a while, it saved our very expensive mattress and an easy wash and they were as good as new. I also got Depends pads plus "overnight" pants. The overnighters where what I packed for my hospital stay, assuming I might have catheter issues (I did not). During the course of the "catheter days" I wore the pads, not because of incontinence, but because I was using medical grade lubricant where the catheter went it, and that creates a bit of a mess with your pants rubbing on it all day. After the catheter came out I donated the entire package of pants (less the one I wore obviously) and 95% of the pads (I bought a large-ish pack) to a local retirement home.
I kept the bed pads, I figured they would be good to have in the car when we went to the lake and had went clothes on.
The most important piece of kit I got: breakaway sweat pants and sweat shorts. It made working with and around the catheter monumentally easier.
I bought the pull ups, guards and the pads from Depends before my catheter removal 6 weeks ago. Also wanted to be prepared not knowing what would happen. I just use the pull ups with a shield - I rarely use the guards with the pull ups. Mainly now just to use them up. I usually only leak now when I go for walks or do yardwork. As for size of pull ups, I buy size large. I am 6’3” 225 lbs waist size 36-38. Hope this helps 🙂
I bought the Depends diaper style for the first 2 weeks and those worked well. I also bought the Bulky guards that slip into your underwear and wore those after my cath came out. I also bought the thinnest type guards and once the majority of my leakage was done I wore those as a safety measure. Get some of those pads for the Bed and couch and get the biggest size cause the small ones are useless.
Since I only dribbled and leaked I changed the diaper style depends in the morning after my shower and again before bed.
All good comments above. I'll tell you what I did different.
I was totally incontinent for 1 1/2 years post RALP. Totally, constant leaking.
First used Depends briefs for Men plus a heavy pad inside. That way I only had to change pads 6 to 9 times a day. I knew I was constantly flowing so had to go to BR every 2-hours to check/change pad (only pad).
The Brief lasted all day: 16 - 24 hours.
Soon I tried a store brand with the label "compare to Depends". And they did as good or better plus cheaper. Same with the pads, store brand was good.
Best of luck to you both and awesome of you to be so pro-active for him.
(PS now I have an AUS 800 implant and it's GREAT)
Tena is a good product you can also get booster pads (Northshore) that you can throw away easily ( not have to change your pants just pull them off and dispose in a restroom https://www.northshorecare.com/incontinence-products/diaper-booster-pads/northshore-booster-pads-contoured-diaper-doublers?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21335377888&gbraid=0AAAAAD_vIAQspl8OM3AUPRUwPUM0ekuHU&gclid=CjwKCAjwg7PDBhBxEiwAf1CVu3G_4mbSrCGbrXm1ky6p9hQ-SMx7x7xJKXy057GGJdRFTxCDMJPO9hoCVxUQAvD_BwE
Thank you all for finding the time to write and helping me with the preparations < 3.
I really appreciate that you went into details since those seemingly small and trivial facts are actually the ones that help me get the gist 😉 . When things are out of control having at least small control over logistics means a lot.
Sending hugs to all and wishing you nice and relaxing day < 3 ! : ))