Still in Control
By Justin R.
For me, incontinence really just sort of came on gradually. I would be going about my day and realizing that I needed to pee, I would get up and would accidentally wet myself on the way to the toilet. It didn't start out with a large flow of urine, so at first, it did not really bother me, and I chose not to wear anything for it. But over time it became more consistent, and I chose to start wearing some incontinence underwear to keep my outer clothing dry and to not advertise to the world that I had wet myself by having a wet crotch. Now I just wear the incontinence underwear and do not worry so much if I cannot get to the bathroom in time. When I need to go at night, I no longer need to get out of bed and literally run to the bathroom, knowing that my underwear will catch everything.
My experience with wearing diapers has been mostly positive. That is sort of a weird statement; being incontinent is not something anyone should look forward to and I certainly would go back to not being incontinent if I had a choice. Having noted that, it does not seem to be an option for me right now and knowing that I have choices for keeping my pants dry and not embarrassing myself publicly by walking around with a wet crotch has actually been refreshing. So from that perspective, it has been a positive experience. The incontinence underwear has not revealed itself to anyone accidentally and leaks have been rare. I will go through two to three pairs of incontinence underwear a day and one at night. I have not had any issues with rashes and odor control has not been too much of an issue, or at least, nobody has said to me, "Hey, are you wearing a wet diaper?" or anything like that. In fact, discretion has been easy, and as noted, my incontinence has never been discovered by anyone unintentionally, and being the cheapskate I am, I will wear them and use them to capacity before changing.
I am still able to maintain a fairly active life, so I still jog in the mornings, go out for lunch and/or dinner with family or friends, and even teach youth on the weekends. Only I know my secret. Even flying several hours across the country has not been an issue. I suspect that other people have different experiences, but I do not feel that I have lost control of my life just because I have lost control of my bladder.