incontinence/24/7 new in 24/7

[Lorenzo]

Hello,

I am new to this forum.
I hope this is the right place to introduce myself.
I am French and do not speak English well
I am very happy to have found this forum where I have learned a lot about learning about incontinence and the different paths that members have taken.
I would like to sincerely thank all those who share their journey, their personal story, their path.
It is very helpful for a beginner like me.

I am 56 years old, single, asexual with no interest in sex.
I have become impotent. There are only a few erections left in the morning.
Since the age of 25 I have had trouble holding myself back from peeing for a long time. With age this has deteriorated and I have to go to the toilet about ten times a day. At night I wake up between 2 and 3 times to go. I sometimes have accidents at night but it is still quite rare.
Until now I have always managed to get to a toilet in a short time. I still have to think about it. It's very tiring, I never have a free mind especially when I go out of my routine habits like going to places I don't know. It's also annoying for the people with me when I have to make a long drive.
I often think of wearing nappies to relieve myself mentally from the pressure of always being near a toilet, but also to make my nights safer.
Until today I never dared to do it.
I thought long and hard about it and made the decision to start my journey to the 24/7 port. It has been 15 days now.
I want to be relieved of this pressure, to live better, to have a free mind, to let go and let things happen naturally.
This journey will only tell if wearing nappies 24/7 is manageable and if it is the best thing for me.
I'm sorry if I'm confused, I have so much on my mind
Lorenzo.

[Hannah YMS]

Welcome, @Lorenzo! Your English is pretty good, I understood all of it.

Wearing nappies 24/7 is an absolutely valid way of managing your toileting needs. Many of us have given up the toilet in lieu of nappies precisely because it makes our lives easier, often in more than one way. And that's only talking about comfort and security. Wearing nappies 24/7 is also great for kink, whatever style yours may be.

Again,welcome to the forum. We have a great bunch of people here to share our stories and journeys and we would love to hear more about what you have to say!

[Lorenzo]

Thanks a lot @jonbearab 

I am very new to 24/7 diapering. I had a lot of prejudices and apprehensions. I must say that I am very pleasantly surprised by the comfort and security that the nappies provide.
I am just discovering this new world and I hope I will have many more pleasant surprises to come.
Letting go in the nappy has not been a problem for me, I don't feel any difficulty with it. I can pee standing up, sitting down and lying down. The hardest part for me is walking.
My main goal is to accept myself as incontinent and let things go.
Do you have any advice on the best nappies to wear?
Is plastic trousers really a plus to limit leaks?
If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them.

Lorenzo.

 

[Wet Knight]

PVC plastic trousers are uncomfortable to wear. There are several manufacturers who make clothes for people who like walking in the country and their clothes have a waterproof layer between the lining and the tough outer layer.

The waterproof layer is breathable and therefore much more comfortable than PVC. Clothes like these do not show any leaks from your nappy and the lining of the trousers will absorb a small amount of leaks.

They are very comfortable to wear in the winter, but probably a little hot in summer.

 

 

 

 

[Hannah YMS]

2 hours ago, Lorenzo said:

Thanks a lot @jonbearab 

I am very new to 24/7 diapering. I had a lot of prejudices and apprehensions. I must say that I am very pleasantly surprised by the comfort and security that the nappies provide.
I am just discovering this new world and I hope I will have many more pleasant surprises to come.
Letting go in the nappy has not been a problem for me, I don't feel any difficulty with it. I can pee standing up, sitting down and lying down. The hardest part for me is walking.
My main goal is to accept myself as incontinent and let things go.
Do you have any advice on the best nappies to wear?
Is plastic trousers really a plus to limit leaks?
If you have any questions I would be happy to answer them.

Lorenzo.

 

If you're going to go all the way, I recommend cloth nappies at night. And cloth nappies when you are home to save money. Out in public, I'd wear the best disposable money can buy, usually a high end Rearz, Megamax, or Trest.

And for me, plastic knickers are a must. They should be polyurethane laminate (PUL) knickers though. Disposable nappy or cloth nappy, PUL knickers will definitely save you from a lot of leaks.

[Lorenzo]

Thank you very much @Wet Knight @jonbearab for your advice. It will be very useful for my future purchases.

I drink a lot of coffee water and juice as recommended in the 12 month programme. I pee a lot (about 20 to 25 times a day).
At the moment I am using cheap nappies that I can easily get at the supermarket. I have to change them between 6 and 7 times a day. During the day this is not a problem but at night I don't get up to change and I leak. Cleaning is not fun. I have to make sure that this happens as little as possible.
I need to do what I can to make wearing nappies as painless as possible and learn to deal with the ones I can't avoid.
To date, night leaks are the main one I have encountered.
Lorenzo.

[Hannah YMS]

56 minutes ago, Lorenzo said:

Thank you very much @Wet Knight @jonbearab for your advice. It will be very useful for my future purchases.

I drink a lot of coffee water and juice as recommended in the 12 month programme. I pee a lot (about 20 to 25 times a day).
At the moment I am using cheap nappies that I can easily get at the supermarket. I have to change them between 6 and 7 times a day. During the day this is not a problem but at night I don't get up to change and I leak. Cleaning is not fun. I have to make sure that this happens as little as possible.
I need to do what I can to make wearing nappies as painless as possible and learn to deal with the ones I can't avoid.
To date, night leaks are the main one I have encountered.
Lorenzo.

Then it seems all you need to do is switch up your diapering routine. Double-cloth nappy layers should easily take care of night time leakage. Use of cloth nappies after that are just bonus. Cloth + PUL knickers are my goto at this point for night time protection and works very well. The downside is laundry. If you can do, or don't mind, laundry, this option might be viable for you.

[Wet Knight]

17 hours ago, Lorenzo said:

Thank you very much @Wet Knight @jonbearab for your advice. It will be very useful for my future purchases.

I drink a lot of coffee water and juice as recommended in the 12 month programme. I pee a lot (about 20 to 25 times a day).
At night I don't get up to change and I leak. Cleaning is not fun. I have to make sure that this happens as little as possible.
I need to do what I can to make wearing nappies as painless as possible and learn to deal with the ones I can't avoid.
To date, night leaks are the main one I have encountered.
Lorenzo.

 

Presumably your mattress is protected,  buy a couple of 1M X 1M washable bed pads, and don't worry about leaks at night.

[Lorenzo]

22 hours ago, jonbearab said:

Then it seems all you need to do is switch up your diapering routine. Double-cloth nappy layers should easily take care of night time leakage. Use of cloth nappies after that are just bonus. Cloth + PUL knickers are my goto at this point for night time protection and works very well. The downside is laundry. If you can do, or don't mind, laundry, this option might be viable for you.

Thanks for the advice.
For the moment I'm going to stick with the cheap disposable nappies until I get used to the changes and get a good routine.
For the night I'll double them up until I get my plastic pants.

I will then adjust the different types of nappies for different times of the day (daytime and nighttime nappies).
I would follow your advice for the night time nappies. For daytime I'm thinking of going for Abri Form L4 or Betterdry Day which seem to be good value for money.

 

6 hours ago, Wet Knight said:

Presumably your mattress is protected,  buy a couple of 1M X 1M washable bed pads, and don't worry about leaks at night.

This is something I had indeed foreseen.
I ordered a mattress cover and 2 washable bed pads.
I received them yesterday and used them last night. It is much more reassuring to know that the mattress is now protected. I'm looking forward to the delivery of the plastic pants for extra security at night.

Lorenzo.

[Hannah YMS]

19 minutes ago, Lorenzo said:

Thanks for the advice.
For the moment I'm going to stick with the cheap disposable nappies until I get used to the changes and get a good routine.
For the night I'll double them up until I get my plastic pants.

I will then adjust the different types of nappies for different times of the day (daytime and nighttime nappies).
I would follow your advice for the night time nappies. For daytime I'm thinking of going for Abri Form L4 or Betterdry Day which seem to be good value for money.

 

This is something I had indeed foreseen.
I ordered a mattress cover and 2 washable bed pads.
I received them yesterday and used them last night. It is much more reassuring to know that the mattress is now protected. I'm looking forward to the delivery of the plastic pants for extra security at night.

Lorenzo.

I've done pretty well with the L4 in the past, best advice is change before you think you need because when you roll it up after a change, it can leak. BetterDry is decent. My favourites so far are Megamaxes and Dry 24/7.

[PuraVidaDip]

43 minutes ago, Lorenzo said:

Thanks for the advice.
For the moment I'm going to stick with the cheap disposable nappies until I get used to the changes and get a good routine.
For the night I'll double them up until I get my plastic pants.

I will then adjust the different types of nappies for different times of the day (daytime and nighttime nappies).
I would follow your advice for the night time nappies. For daytime I'm thinking of going for Abri Form L4 or Betterdry Day which seem to be good value for money.

 

This is something I had indeed foreseen.
I ordered a mattress cover and 2 washable bed pads.
I received them yesterday and used them last night. It is much more reassuring to know that the mattress is now protected. I'm looking forward to the delivery of the plastic pants for extra security at night.

Lorenzo.

I think the higher end disposables can be a waste especially if you have multiple Bowel Movements. Depends on the situation. 

[Hannah YMS]

5 minutes ago, PuraVidaDip said:

I think the higher end disposables can be a waste especially if you have multiple Bowel Movements. Depends on the situation. 

Agreed. Many bowel movements, use cheaper diapers. Less, use premium diapers.

[Lorenzo]

I do not plan to become incontinent #2 but only #1. I have had 3 bowel accidents since I started the program. I was surprised because I didn't feel them coming on and once I started I let them finish. It wasn't unpleasant but I'm really not ready for #2.

[Hannah YMS]

Bowel accidents are more likely to increase as you untrain, tho still preventable. If you're just wearing 24/7 and not untraining then train on keeping in #2 but release #1 when appropriate.

I do hope that you stop having unwanted accidents though!

[Lorenzo]

I didn't know the difference between letting go of pee and poo (at the time it happened I was in the concentration of relaxing my sphincters).
Since I started the programme I have been drinking a lot of liquids. In a short time the poop has become softer. Perhaps this has something to do with it?
I have also noticed that I have to poop more often. Before it was once a day and now it's three times. They are all 3 less voluminous.

[Lorenzo]

Hello,
A small update.
Overall, everything is going very well. The conversion, at this stage, is less complicated than I thought it would be.
During the day I can pee very easily by relaxing my sphincters.
As soon as I feel the urge, the urine flows very quickly.
I notice that I pee more in the morning. It is almost continuous, about every 5 to 10 minutes. The volume of the pee seems small but repetitive.
The night is totally different. I wake up 2 or 3 times to let go and I feel like the sphincter is strongly locked. I have to relax it to let go.
I can pee in any position but walking is the least easy.

This morning I had my fourth pooing accident. After breakfast I went to the toilet to poop as I always do but this one was smaller than usual. About 2 hours later I had a sudden and urgent urge that I couldn't hold back for more than a minute. It all went in the nappy with a larger volume than in the morning.
Did others experience the same thing on their journey?

Lorenzo.

[Lorenzo]

A little update on my 24/7 journey.
I have been wearing my nappies 24/7 for over 2 full months now.
The first thing I would like to say is that the nappies give me real comfort, security and peace of mind.
I don't have to worry about peeing anymore because I just let things happen.
The second important thing for me is to have found nappies that I can trust and that can absorb my pee for a minimum of 4 hours so that I only have to change at lunchtime when I am at work and that can last a whole night.
This is perhaps the most important thing for me to be able to relax and let go without fear of major leakage.
I use super seni quatro and Ondex ID slip maxi.
I have found a changing routine that works for me and I have no difficulty changing in public toilets.
I can have a few leaks but I am responsible for them because I waited too long before making a change.
One thing I've discovered is that I appreciate wearing a heavy wet nappy so I delay changing outside of work ... and that's when small leaks can happen.
Leaks can happen at night depending on my position. If I sleep on my back or stomach I'm fine, but if I sleep on my side that's when leaks can happen. This is not a problem because my mattress is protected and there is a waterproof sheet on the bed.
I think I've made some progress during the day because now when I feel the need to pee it comes out without me feeling like I'm allowing it. I just relax and let it happen. Sometimes I am vaguely aware that I have to pee and he comes out. I become aware of it when he starts to come out.  
At night it's a different matter, I wake up every time I pee but there is very little time between the urge and the moment it starts to flow.
I have occasional poo accidents but they are rare (about once a week).
I feel like my bedroom has a slight urine smell despite changing the sheets and airing the room. Have I forgotten to do something to avoid it? 
I don't feel like I'm having bladder spasms as many have described here.
Overall everything is going very well to continue wearing 24/7 and moving towards incontinence. I don't see any major inconvenience at this stage.

[oznl]

On 9/9/2022 at 1:31 AM, Lorenzo said:

Leaks can happen at night depending on my position. If I sleep on my back or stomach I'm fine, but if I sleep on my side that's when leaks can happen. This is not a problem because my mattress is protected and there is a waterproof sheet on the bed.

I feel like my bedroom has a slight urine smell despite changing the sheets and airing the room. Have I forgotten to do something to avoid it? 
 

Hi Lorenzo.  I think these two problems may be related.

I have been "24/7" for more than 3.5 years and so now wet the bed frequently.  Every disposable I have tried leaks in bed for me at some time.  I think it is these small leaks onto bedding and clothing that can cause odour problems.

I have found that wearing a "nappy cover" over a high quality nappy in bed has made bed-wetting safe for me.  My favorite is this:

https://babykins.com/products/kins-lined-6-mil-double-terry-vinyl-pant-20300dltv

About once per week, there will be some small leak and these covers will deal with that.  My bed is always dry and I am not noticing smells.

Leaks became less common after my body adapted to using nappies and I started to pee much more often (perhaps at about 1 year) but in smaller amounts leaks STILL can happen.

[Lorenzo]

Hello Oznl,

Thank you very much for your answer and advice.

I will take your advice and see what is available in France regarding nappy covers.
I am in a phase where the amount of urine is less but I pee a lot more often.
The nappies are better at absorbing small amounts and are less prone to leakage but it still happens mostly in bed.

I would like to try the Foley catheter to be able to urinate continuously and get a realistic idea of permanent incontinence. I'm looking into this because some people say it's a guarantee of a urinary tract infection and others say it's not a problem if the hygiene measures are followed.
I'm a bit confused about this but I really want to try it.
Is there any advice on this?