ozziebee

Hehe, I do remember our last few convos descended into tech (including weather station tech), so yeah... lots of commonality outside of our hidden commonality. But, sadly, I'm a rum drinker, so no beers for me!

FYI, diapijay, pins aren't the only things available to affix cloth nappies - you should do a search for snappies, which are elastic grippers. Although marketed to parents of babies in cloth nappies, we can use them too. They tend to remove the slack that pins can cause, as they're elastic. I also had used pins to "backstop" the snappies, just in case one breaks. Also, you should experiment with various cloth folding techniques, as some work better than others. I am currently using the Newspaper fold on my pre-folds, so my nappy is triangle-ish, but not pointed. I am also using Boingo snappies, which are much shorter than snappies, but also have more strength, so I can get my nappies nice and tight against me. Over the top is a mesh compression pant, and over the top of that ensemble is my plastic pants.

Saying it's a TURBN, and not the full story, is wasting a urologist's time, and your money, and will lead to discussions by them for corrective surgery, which is not what you want to go down. They see and (imprtantly) ASSUME a "problem that needs to be fixed", as you're not telling them the full story. Which would lead to a bunch of embarassment for you, as you attempt to bullshit your way around telling them the truth. Like I said earlier, own it, and they will have no problem with that. Same as I tell doctors, when required, that I have had gender reassignment surgery. I own the fact I've had it, so they will not be surprised by what they find, and we can work through issues. I went to a urologist a few years back about leakage, and one of the first things I advised was I'd had that surgery. That then immediately framed the entire investigation and potential solutions for the doctors that saw me about it. We could see that my surgery had left scarring (strictures), and the anatomy down there wasn't right for my presenting as female to them. They didn't need to guess, and hav eme suffer through tests (that would have been futile). (PS: the above is given from a position of "I don't know how the US medical system works" - you did mention earlier about insurance effects)

I can, and I can't, pee whilst driving. If I'm driving down the highway and I get an urge, it pretty much releases. However, if I'm stopped at a traffic light, I can't pee. I attribute this to using muscles in my legs manipulating the pedals, causing other muscles elsewhere to change state, which won't allow my bladder to release. Same for walking. It is also very much a case of trusting one's diaper during the drive to not leak. If you have any concerns what-so-ever of your diaper leaking, you won't get a release... you'd have to force it...

Alternatively, own it. Reddy, you have already been quite strong with your view and dedication to having the surgery. If you need to see a Urologist down the track, own it. “What seems to be the problem?” ”I elected to have surgery to make myself incontinent, and have zero regrets. I’m experiencing some issues with pain on urinating, so I thought I’d get that checked out. Can you help me?” If you’re confident about your decision, they can work with that, knowing you’re not there to get a correction, or seeking reversal. Saves time, and embarrassment too.

There have been a few people saying that Reddy should already be wearing and using diapers, before his surgery. The post above about office appearances reminds me of the idea of setting expectations from those fellow workers that the change in clothing and outline pre- and post- surgery is an illusion. People pick up large change in someone, they don't pick up on a very slow change over time. Reddy goes to work one day with clothes that fit easily and show a slender outline, turns up to work a few weeks later with clothes that are now stretched to fit, and a puffy bottom - employees will wonder about it. They won't know what's happened in the interim, so tongues will wag. It is also a very good time to practice changing at work, even if you know you don't really need diapers right now. It's not wasted effort, as the experience will come in very handy when you've saturated a diaper part way through the day, and _really need_ to change somewhere - but where? Where's the bin? How do you hide the smell of a change? How do you get staff "trained" to ignore the backpack you've just taken into the toilet? You didn't do that before you went on leave... hmm... See what I mean?

Question for you - how long will you be down in Mexico post-surgery before returning home? Just wondering why only 10 diapers? I don't think it'd be comparing apples to apples in your voiding habit and diaper change schedule pre- and post- surgery, considering post- you'd be dripping and dribbling fairly frequently, so may need to change more frequently. This is especially if you're going to buy generic brands with very low capacities...

I've done some great trips with my caravan in tow, whilst nappied up. Pretty much completely disposables, as my current van doesn't have a washer in it to allow washing of cloth nappies. Doing some research at the moment for a new caravan, and most included washers are tiny little things (about 3kg max), suck up a fair bit of water out of the tanks, and use a fair bit of energy to power. Something to consider if one is off-grid not in a caravan park with access to mains power and water. I did notice on my last big trip that there are laundromats in most small towns, so those could be utilised. Yes, at a caravan park there's often coin operated washers and dryers. I wear cloth nappies at home pretty much exclusively now, and the washing requirement is well up there - every two days or so, depending on the amount of soiling and how long they've been on for. They also can get quite smelly too before a wash unless you take precautions. In a confined space like a caravan, this can turn it into a smelly sewer pit quickly... not nice sleeping in, especially in hot weather. I don't know about over there in the US, but here in Australia, caravanners tend to be very social, and it's not unheard of for people to get together at a central location in a park to drink, eat, and socialise, sometimes there's even a central firepit with damper/bread being cooked. Great fun! May be an issue if the social aspect gets in the way of drying out adult-sized cloth prefolds and pads on a clothes line.

I'm totally torn with my thoughts regarding your impending surgery Reddy, to be honest. I absolutely do not want to come across as a nay-sayer, as that would be totally hypocritical of me. You see, I submitted myself many many years ago (well before such thing became fashionable) to gender reassignment surgery, which is very much non-reversible. At the time I had to transition myself and my life in every way (legally, visually, emotionally), and live such life for a minimum 1 year before surgery became an option. I also had to consult with two psychiatrists, both of which had to agree to the surgery. I've not regretted that decision. Thus, I'm torn on whether I agree with the circumstances of this surgery. Don't get me wrong here, I too would love to have such surgery performed, preferably here in Australia. But it should be performed only under guidance and medical supervision, as Diaperman and others have alluded to the potential risks immediately after surgery, and long-term. What are red flags for me are some comments that Reddy has put here - things like not wearing diapers all the time but only on occasion, no 24x7 lifestyle, not wearing diapers to work, not flying down there wearing diapers, not really taking an abundance of diapers, suitable clothing, and other supplies for the days before and after the surgery, no real preparedness for complications (staying at the recovery centre rather than in a hotel room, not being up front with your docs so they can help if things go pear-shaped once you get back home, and potential additional financial outlay), and no family preparedness for the emotional turmoil you may experience once home. This to me points to a lack of long-term mental preparedness and experience in what it's like to wear diapers 24x7x365. Once the surgery is done, it's too late to begin the learning process for how to deal with diapers in the workplace, how many diapers does one need when out and about, or on holidays, or how much supply one needs at home. As a result, I'm concerned for the outcome, but I don't know Reddy, or his ability to cope with new life experiences. It seemed (on the surface) an impulse decision to go for it. However, I absolutely get the reason(s) why Reddy is doing this now. Yes, I am _totally_ jealous, and am eagerly looking forward to future posts on his experience, both pre and post-op. I think of reasons to stop myself from seeking such surgery, all the time. Yes, I've been 24x7x365 mostly for the past 6 years, building up a work history in nappies, going to doctors wearing nappies, going on holidays wearing nappies, flying cross country and through airport security etc, and the finality of such urethral surgery would be something I too seek. But, the gender reassignment surgery left me with a very short urethra, and some strictures and scarring down there. So I wonder whether such sphincterotomy would be even possible, and potentially difficult to achieve a successful and smooth outcome, and so the risk outweighs the potential "reward". Would I be making a mistake if I did have the surgery? No. Would there be different incontinence experiences to what I have now? Yes, absolutely, and I would need to change my strategy for dealing with those changes accordingly (for instance, I generally don't leak onto the floor when I'm naked after a shower, so how would I ensure I don't leak onto the carpet in my bedroom when getting dressed?) All I can say is "Go into this venture with eyes wide open". Fingers crossed for a good result!

I saw the curvature of the Earth on my most recent roadtrip, way out in western NSW. The road was dead straight (we'll get to this in a minute), and trees lined both sides of the road. As I was driving, I realised that the trees slowly dipped down to the horizon _way way way_ off in the distance, but didn't merge at the point where the road would be (there was a faint gap between the tree line on the left hand side, and the tree line on the right hand side). The road itself was flat. Wanna see? On Google Maps, do a search for the B71 Mitchell Highway between Nyngan and Bourke, in NSW, Australia. Apart from a couple of corners, the road itself is dead straight. For hundreds of kilometres. With Emu and goats lining both sides, just to keep said driver concentrating

There was a comment from either Ash or Bethany (I think when Ash woke Bethany up breastfeeding?) about whether there was some Little genome in Ash. I probably would have had Bethany do a blood test on Ash to see whether she's more Little than Amazon (thus her size), which would go a lot to explaining why Ash likes being treated as a baby, and not really fighting from her Amazon instincts to steer well clear of showing any Little tendencies. I bet Ash is 60% Little and 40% Amazon, but had been able to hide it well (as Amazons are stronger-willed), right up until she was a part of the experiment...

Yes, that is the problem that I find too. I’m now normally in cloth nappies, using snappies/boingo clips to hold the nappy in place, nice and tightly. Over that is a fixation pant, and over that is a pair of plastic pants. I tuck the leg elastic in under the cloth nappy. Over this would then be a onesie, and then my clothes. So taking all this off in a hurry to do a #2 is not a quick task. Thus, in the grand scheme of things, sometimes ya just gotta accept the bad with the good.

There are 4 ways you can go about the act of pooping your diaper: 1) Do nothing. Dont clench, dont fight it, just let it happen. This is similar to how you’d react when weeing - ignoring it, keeping things relaxed. 2) React like a toddler would. When you get an urge, you push it along at the first instance. I do this as I find it painful to try to fight and hold it. It does mean that I may be changing again an hour after a nappy change… 3) You fight the urge, clamp up, and attempt to hold it until scheduled nappy change, then allow yourself to do it. The problem with this approach is to how long your prepared to fight the urges and hold it - what happens if you get an urge to poop an hour after you’ve just changed? 4) You fight it like (3) above, and do it in the toilet at nappy change. I get uncomfortable and experience pain if I try holding for too long. I suspect that doing it toddler style may accelerate detraining bowel habits, as your body will eventually instinctively just push. As for cloth nappies, do you remember those bamboo liners that I suggested you and Oz try to help with wicking? Those bamboo liner sheets are designed for this purpose - lining the nappy so if you poop, you can peel the liner off the cloth nappy, dump the poop in the toilet, and dispose of the liner.

Hmm... this last chapter got quite dark, quite out the blue, which was thoroughly unexpected, given how sensitive and caring Amanda has been to date. Yet, she chooses a change table with restraints, causing John to lash out and have an anxiety attack. Totally not necessary a function I feel. She doesn't need to be cruel to him, and hasn't been to date - so why the restraints?

I do that all the time. Wake up in the morning and immediately wet. Also do this after naps too. If I wake up and not wet, no urge, nothing, does that mean my bladder is empty, signifying I’ve wet whilst asleep?