Incontinence Part II
By the time we got home, the uncontrolled laughter and urination had subsided and I felt pretty nasty. I changed out of the really soaked diaper and showered. I spent my first catheter-free night wearing a diaper. Seemed sensible after the leaky day. Not comfortable. The plastic gets so sweaty it actually fooled me into thinking I had filled it up. I'm down in the bathroom at 3 in the morning earnestly pinching the absorbent pad and wondering why it wasn't wet. I spent the rest of the night wondering how an otherwise sane man would end up doing such a thing.
In the morning the diaper looked dry so I got brave and tried shifting to a pad. Way more comfortable though at night it was still strange, like having a few wadded up baggies stuffed between your legs. Amazingly, I seemed to be getting bladder control back. Sneezing tended to yield some unfortunate results and I had to concentrate a bit when standing up or sitting down. By Thursday I was going commando. At least I was going without pads. I settled on keeping an emergency kit close at hand. I prepared a bag that had two diapers, two pads, some clean rags, a pack of baby wipes, a few large plastic bags and a pair of lightweight nylon hiking pants. Four days on I haven't had to use the kit but I'm glad it's ready. Just in case.
So, if you're about to have your catheter removed, here are some tips:
In the morning the diaper looked dry so I got brave and tried shifting to a pad. Way more comfortable though at night it was still strange, like having a few wadded up baggies stuffed between your legs. Amazingly, I seemed to be getting bladder control back. Sneezing tended to yield some unfortunate results and I had to concentrate a bit when standing up or sitting down. By Thursday I was going commando. At least I was going without pads. I settled on keeping an emergency kit close at hand. I prepared a bag that had two diapers, two pads, some clean rags, a pack of baby wipes, a few large plastic bags and a pair of lightweight nylon hiking pants. Four days on I haven't had to use the kit but I'm glad it's ready. Just in case.
So, if you're about to have your catheter removed, here are some tips:
- Wear dark colored pants. Hides any stains.
- Prepare a kit as per above.
- Anticipate zero bladder control for at least 24 hours after the catheter is out.
- Change your disposable diaper early and often.
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