Male incontinence pads

[kimamey]

I'm currently in the UK where I've been since September 2020 and I've been planning on coming back to see my wife again for some time but things keep changing. Early last year for a while I couldn't leave the country then I was waiting to see if the quarantine of 15 nights would be eased and there was the Phuket Sandbox which looked a possibility until the one night whilst waiting for a test result came along and that was perfect. I planned to spend Christmas with family in the UK and then fly out before New Year. Then I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and had that removed at the beginning of November. All went well but now I have to wait and hope the nerves that control my bladder movements repair themselves. In the meantime I'm using pads. They are quite big ones which I need if I'm out walking but at the moment I cut them in half at other times. I think I can organise around my flight and one night in a hotel but I'd rather not have to deal with longer if I can help it so I'm hoping the Test and Go scheme is reinstated soon. 

 

The pads I'm using at the moment are these.

 

https://www.id-direct.com/ukb2c/en/product/iD-Form/iD-Form-discreet-(53cm)-Normal_5310155280.html

I think the 53 cm is overall length but the absorbent part is about 45 cm.

 

I've looked online and I think my wife is looking as well for something similar in Thailand. I've seen some Tena ones that look as if they might work but there are other makes that I don't recognise. It would be a bit insensitive to hope someone has experience of this but if anyone does I'd appreciate any recommendation. This should improve but I'm aware that it takes time.

 

[Crossy]

Interested too, as I'm some age related "leakage" issues. Rather less than would need those mega-pads, but whatever is available.

[Sheryl]

I am not aware of any pads specifically for men but there are a wide variety of  adult diapers and related products of varying thickness  including ones that are built into disposable underpants.

 

There are also a wide range of sanitary pads for women that would likely work, they range from very thin "panty liners" to much more absorbent pads and everything in between.

 

Although the product you list is labelled "unisex" I don;'t see anything in it that really differs from the various female sanitary pads on the market. And they'll be cheaper.

 

[kimamey]

8 minutes ago, Crossy said:

Interested too, as I'm some age related "leakage" issues. Rather less than would need those mega-pads, but whatever is available.

Before my op I had slight leakage issues and I just used women's pads most of the time but also the Tena men's ones and they do fit in the right place a bit better. They were good for slight leaks around my catheter tube before I had it removed.

[kimamey]

7 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

I am not aware of any pads specifically for men but there are a wide variety of  adult diapers and related products of varying thickness  including ones that are built into disposable underpants.

 

There are also a wide range of sanitary pads for women that would likely work, they range from very thin "panty liners" to much more absorbent pads and everything in between.

 

Although the product you list is labelled "unisex" I don;'t see anything in it that really differs from the various female sanitary pads on the market. And they'll be cheaper.

 

These are the ones they provided in the hospital so I'd already tried them and I'd seen them sold direct and on Amazon but I hadn't heard of them before that. My guess is that female ones would probably be OK and I'll be able to try different ones but I just wondered if anyone had experience of the ones in Thailand. Obviously smaller ones are easy to find as they are in the UK but larger ones usually need to be ordered although there is a specialist shop near me that supplies them I think. 

 

Overnight I'm pretty good and just sitting around isn't bad either so long as I visit the bathroom regularly but walking is a problem and that's when I really need the larger ones. As I said I often cut them in half which was something I was told many men do although I might try finding smaller ones as sometimes the filling comes out of the cut ones.

 

One suggestion I did find on a forum for men with prostate problems is if you're going out and will need more capacity is use a larger one but with a smaller one on top. At the front obviously.  It's easy then to just remove the smaller one leaving a dry larger one in place. I've manged to do this easily sitting in the car as I can just put my hand down to remove it and put it in a bag for disposal.

[MrMuddle]

Hi. I'm currently post prostate op, and using diapers, or nappies as we Brits call them. They are readily available in many sizes, I use size XL16, for 35 to 50 inch waists.  Big C, Lotus, Makro and 7-11 all stock them. Good luck, I'm exercising every day trying to get my nerves to repir themselves!

[kimamey]

2 hours ago, MrMuddle said:

Hi. I'm currently post prostate op, and using diapers, or nappies as we Brits call them. They are readily available in many sizes, I use size XL16, for 35 to 50 inch waists.  Big C, Lotus, Makro and 7-11 all stock them. Good luck, I'm exercising every day trying to get my nerves to repir themselves!

That's something I've seen but not considered using and the idea puts me off a bit which is stupid considering what I'm using anyway.

My exercise consists of walking although that's more difficult now that it makes me leak. I'm fine walking a long distance but the pad get's soaked and can be a bit heavy. Still hopefully it won't be forever. I'm doing my pelvic floor exercises as well. I assume I'm doing them properly. I've been using the 'Squeezy for Men' app which helps although I'm not sure why, it just seems easier to concentrate when you don't have to keep count.

All the best to you and thanks for the reply.

[Sheryl]

16 hours ago, kimamey said:

These are the ones they provided in the hospital so I'd already tried them and I'd seen them sold direct and on Amazon but I hadn't heard of them before that. My guess is that female ones would probably be OK and I'll be able to try different ones but I just wondered if anyone had experience of the ones in Thailand. Obviously smaller ones are easy to find as they are in the UK but larger ones usually need to be ordered although there is a specialist shop near me that supplies them I think. 

 

Overnight I'm pretty good and just sitting around isn't bad either so long as I visit the bathroom regularly but walking is a problem and that's when I really need the larger ones. As I said I often cut them in half which was something I was told many men do although I might try finding smaller ones as sometimes the filling comes out of the cut ones.

 

One suggestion I did find on a forum for men with prostate problems is if you're going out and will need more capacity is use a larger one but with a smaller one on top. At the front obviously.  It's easy then to just remove the smaller one leaving a dry larger one in place. I've manged to do this easily sitting in the car as I can just put my hand down to remove it and put it in a bag for disposal.

Disposable adult diaper pants (thin) with a sanitary pad (of whatever thickness is desired) on top would work fine for this and you'd then be abel to use the pants for several days.

 

Looking at the picture I can't really see anything special in the design that would differ from female p[ads. May just be a marketing thing.

[NancyL]

The OP might invest in the net pants promoted on the same website page as the pads he currently uses.  A snug pair of undies could help to hold in place some of the alternatives available in Thailand.

 

Or simply a pair of snug "whitie-tighties" with an incontinence pad held in place with one safety pin could work.

 

There is a difference in absorbency between pads intended for menstrual flow and those designed for incontinence.  He should try ones intended for incontinence first.  The ones meant to be used as inserts in adult diapers would good candidates.

 

Pull-up diapers are available, although they don't fit tight.  However, they could be a candidate with an insert.  

 

[kimamey]

3 hours ago, NancyL said:

The OP might invest in the net pants promoted on the same website page as the pads he currently uses.  A snug pair of undies could help to hold in place some of the alternatives available in Thailand.

 

Or simply a pair of snug "whitie-tighties" with an incontinence pad held in place with one safety pin could work.

 

There is a difference in absorbency between pads intended for menstrual flow and those designed for incontinence.  He should try ones intended for incontinence first.  The ones meant to be used as inserts in adult diapers would good candidates.

 

Pull-up diapers are available, although they don't fit tight.  However, they could be a candidate with an insert.  

 

Yes I'm using net pants as they help to hold everything in place. I only realised how good they were when I decided to leave them off.

[kimamey]

7 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Disposable adult diaper pants (thin) with a sanitary pad (of whatever thickness is desired) on top would work fine for this and you'd then be abel to use the pants for several days.

 

Looking at the picture I can't really see anything special in the design that would differ from female p[ads. May just be a marketing thing.

I think that these come up when searching for male pads as they are unisex. They are a bit bigger than I need a lot of the time which is why I sometimes cut them in half but if I'm out walking where I get more leakage then the fact they go further back means that fluids run down but don't come to an edge where it can seep out.

 

It will be easier for me if I can avoid any quarantine other than one night to wait for a test result so this isn't welcome.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1246563-test-and-go-unlikely-to-return-until-mid-year-at-the-earliest-pre-registered-test-and-go-still-valid/

Making predictions into mid year seems a bit strange so I'm hoping it's just the usual Thai official making sure they are noticed. If not it gets a bit more difficult. I've spent enough with Gulf Air that I should hopefully be able to upgrade to business class which will make things a bit more comfortable. If I had to use something like the Phuket sandbox I wouldn't be able to use Gulf as they don't fly there. I don't know if any of the new sandboxes involve transferring from Bangkok as that would solve that problem.

[kimamey]

On 1/13/2022 at 10:33 AM, Crossy said:

Interested too, as I'm some age related "leakage" issues. Rather less than would need those mega-pads, but whatever is available.

I don't know your situation but the leakage might be due to not emptying the bladder properly due to prostate enlargement. When mine was checked I had a very weak flow and after drinking to fill my bladder I released about 230ml but still retained 310ml which shocked me.

[simple1]

OP: I have been managing similar issues. As you're experiencing excessive leakage when walking you may like to consider self administering a catheter prior to your walk to drain the bladder. You can purchase online in conjunction with the sterile gel. Should your excessive urge / leakage start to impact your quality of life, as it did with me, you can have a sacral neuro modulator implanted, some info below. Note that if you wish to research, the device must be suitable for potential future MRI scans in your country of residence.

 

www.medtronic.com/us-en/healthcare-professionals/therapies-procedures/urology/sacral-neuromodulation.html

 

 

[kimamey]

4 hours ago, simple1 said:

OP: I have been managing similar issues. As you're experiencing excessive leakage when walking you may like to consider self administering a catheter prior to your walk to drain the bladder. You can purchase online in conjunction with the sterile gel. Should your excessive urge / leakage start to impact your quality of life, as it did with me, you can have a sacral neuro modulator implanted, some info below. Note that if you wish to research, the device must be suitable for potential future MRI scans in your country of residence.

 

www.medtronic.com/us-en/healthcare-professionals/therapies-procedures/urology/sacral-neuromodulation.html

 

 

I still have catheters from when I had to self catheterise prior to my operation. I've never heard this being suggested so I've always assumed it's not a good idea. Obviously When I was doing this it was very quick to insert and then remove again very quickly. I'm not sure how this would work as normally catheters that stay in have a balloon to keep them in place. The ones I used did have provision for attaching a bag so it would just be case of making sure the end didn't come out of the bladder. Walking is when I have the most leakage but as it's not that long I can usually cope pretty well. I was really thinking of flying and then the supply of pads if I need to quarantine for more than a day. I'm probably worrying unnecessarily but I was just trying to plan for the worst.

 

It's early days I suppose so I probably just have to be patient but I do have a key worker who I can contact so I could ask them if there is anything I could do. There are urinary sheaths which looked an option but it seems there can be a problem keeping them on given they need to be the right size and even without erections the penis can change a bit. Apparently if it shrinks then it no longer fills the sheath which can stick together forcing urine back out.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

[The Hammer2021]

Adults nappies/diapers sold as adult "pampers' from big pharmacies but cheaper  bought on line.

[simple1]

5 hours ago, kimamey said:

I still have catheters from when I had to self catheterise prior to my operation. I've never heard this being suggested so I've always assumed it's not a good idea. Obviously When I was doing this it was very quick to insert and then remove again very quickly. I'm not sure how this would work as normally catheters that stay in have a balloon to keep them in place. The ones I used did have provision for attaching a bag so it would just be case of making sure the end didn't come out of the bladder. Walking is when I have the most leakage but as it's not that long I can usually cope pretty well. I was really thinking of flying and then the supply of pads if I need to quarantine for more than a day. I'm probably worrying unnecessarily but I was just trying to plan for the worst.

 

It's early days I suppose so I probably just have to be patient but I do have a key worker who I can contact so I could ask them if there is anything I could do. There are urinary sheaths which looked an option but it seems there can be a problem keeping them on given they need to be the right size and even without erections the penis can change a bit. Apparently if it shrinks then it no longer fills the sheath which can stick together forcing urine back out.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

FYI regarding catheterising prior to walk / flight, I do the procedure prior to going to sleep otherwise I'm woken during the night by "urgency". It's quick and easy to do, no bag required, but must be hygine aware to minimise the risk of bladder infection.

[kimamey]

5 hours ago, The Hammer2021 said:

Adults nappies/diapers sold as adult "pampers' from big pharmacies but cheaper  bought on line.

Looks like I should  be ok getting what I need. I thought I probably could as they would be needed for prostate removal in Thailand. My main issue is if I have to go into quarantine for several days I have to bring more with me which is inconvenient but not the end of the world.

[kimamey]

23 minutes ago, simple1 said:

FYI regarding catheterising prior to walk / flight, I do the procedure prior to going to sleep otherwise I'm woken during the night by "urgency". It's quick and easy to do, no bag required, but must be hygine aware to minimise the risk of bladder infection.

That's interesting. I'm aware of the need for hygiene from using intermittent catheters before my op. 

I'm interested in how the catheter stays in during the night unless it's the sort with a balloon. Also if there 's no bag is the catheter so you can empty into a container to avoid the time taken to get to the toilet where the walking would likely make it difficult to prevent the flow.

 

Sorry to ask such personal questions but it just looks like this might be something that could help depending on the situation I find myself in. Sitting on a plane probably isn't going to be too bad but airports tend to involve a fair bit of walking both to get to and from gates and to avoid boredom during longer stopovers so it may help there. It's great exercise though. 

[simple1]

2 hours ago, kimamey said:

That's interesting. I'm aware of the need for hygiene from using intermittent catheters before my op. 

I'm interested in how the catheter stays in during the night unless it's the sort with a balloon. Also if there 's no bag is the catheter so you can empty into a container to avoid the time taken to get to the toilet where the walking would likely make it difficult to prevent the flow.

 

Sorry to ask such personal questions but it just looks like this might be something that could help depending on the situation I find myself in. Sitting on a plane probably isn't going to be too bad but airports tend to involve a fair bit of walking both to get to and from gates and to avoid boredom during longer stopovers so it may help there. It's great exercise though. 

To clarify I use the catheter to drain my bladder, then remove in order I can get an undisturbed night sleep. I do not experience leakage 24x7, but I do drain my bladder if I'm going out as to reduce the risk of embarrasement as I have experienced leakage when I drink alcohol.

[Sheryl]

18 hours ago, kimamey said:

It will be easier for me if I can avoid any quarantine other than one night to wait for a test result so this isn't welcome.

https://aseannow.com/topic/1246563-test-and-go-unlikely-to-return-until-mid-year-at-the-earliest-pre-registered-test-and-go-still-valid/

Making predictions into mid year seems a bit strange so I'm hoping it's just the usual Thai official making sure they are noticed.

 

The official who said this was a high ranking person at the Ministry which will be instrumental in this decision so it was more than just a prediction. It was a statement of intent.

 

Now, government can and often does change its mind, but historically the Thai government has been much quicker to impose travel restrictions than to lift them and has tended to keep them in place long, long after they made any sense.

 

I would be surprised if "Test and Go" or anything like it were enacted before mid year. In fact I am working on the assumption I will have to quarantine next summer after a planned trip then.

 

I would also not assume that the Phuket Sandbox will remain in place. It may but it also may not.

 

With COVID restrictions I find that whenever the opportunity to go somewhere or do something important to you opens up it is best to grab the chance as it may not last.

 

So if visiting Thailand is really important for you, you might do best to change flights and come in via Phuket Sandbox now.

 

 

[NancyL]

9 hours ago, kimamey said:

That's interesting. I'm aware of the need for hygiene from using intermittent catheters before my op. 

I'm interested in how the catheter stays in during the night unless it's the sort with a balloon. Also if there 's no bag is the catheter so you can empty into a container to avoid the time taken to get to the toilet where the walking would likely make it difficult to prevent the flow.

 

Sorry to ask such personal questions but it just looks like this might be something that could help depending on the situation I find myself in. Sitting on a plane probably isn't going to be too bad but airports tend to involve a fair bit of walking both to get to and from gates and to avoid boredom during longer stopovers so it may help there. It's great exercise though. 

Ask for wheelchair service from the airline when you make your reservation and confirm it.  Be clear that you can do "transfers" yourself and walk around on the aircraft, but you simply have difficulty with long walks in the airports.  I do this and get priority treatment at the check-in gates, immigration, etc when traveling.  Besure to give the wheelchair attendants tips if that's acceptable in their country.  (I did some research and learned it was a real no-no in Japan, for example.)  Some airports have special lounges for people in need of "special services", like wheelchair service.

[kimamey]

6 hours ago, simple1 said:

To clarify I use the catheter to drain my bladder, then remove in order I can get an undisturbed night sleep. I do not experience leakage 24x7, but I do drain my bladder if I'm going out as to reduce the risk of embarrasement as I have experienced leakage when I drink alcohol.

Actually that's what I used to do before my op because the enlarged prostate stopped the flow. Now there's no prostate it flow fine. It's just the leaking that's a problem. 

[kimamey]

38 minutes ago, NancyL said:

Ask for wheelchair service from the airline when you make your reservation and confirm it.  Be clear that you can do "transfers" yourself and walk around on the aircraft, but you simply have difficulty with long walks in the airports.  I do this and get priority treatment at the check-in gates, immigration, etc when traveling.  Besure to give the wheelchair attendants tips if that's acceptable in their country.  (I did some research and learned it was a real no-no in Japan, for example.)  Some airports have special lounges for people in need of "special services", like wheelchair service.

I did think of that as I was writing about walking although it's something I would avoid if I could. 

I think tipping in Bahrain isn't the thing to do. I got a funny look when I tipped the guy from room service. Late when I used Uber I noticed there didn't seem to be an option to tip on the app.

[kimamey]

4 hours ago, Sheryl said:

 

The official who said this was a high ranking person at the Ministry which will be instrumental in this decision so it was more than just a prediction. It was a statement of intent.

 

Now, government can and often does change its mind, but historically the Thai government has been much quicker to impose travel restrictions than to lift them and has tended to keep them in place long, long after they made any sense.

 

I would be surprised if "Test and Go" or anything like it were enacted before mid year. In fact I am working on the assumption I will have to quarantine next summer after a planned trip then.

 

I would also not assume that the Phuket Sandbox will remain in place. It may but it also may not.

 

With COVID restrictions I find that whenever the opportunity to go somewhere or do something important to you opens up it is best to grab the chance as it may not last.

 

So if visiting Thailand is really important for you, you might do best to change flights and come in via Phuket Sandbox now.

 

 

I did notice that it refers to 'a senior official' and I wonder what that means as it seems a bit vague. Normally if it's the head or deputy or one of the deputies they tend to use a name. I wonder if this might be a bit of a kite flying statement to see what the reaction is. I can't imagine the tourist ministry or those working in tourism are too happy.

 

At the start of all this the Thai government acted very quickly unlike the UK government  now it seems to have reversed. The UK shut down travel from South Africa and connected countries but when it became clear Omicron was already in the country most restrictions were lifted. Thailand seem to have waited until Omicron was in the country and then put in restrictions. The middle of the year is a long way away and I can't see how it's possible to predict that far ahead although as you say that won't necessarily stop them. 

 

If it wasn't for my condition I was planning to fly out between Christmas and New Year so this is a bit of a blow. Without my current condition then quarantine wouldn't be such an issue. I was also trying to fit in with my next PSA test and a planned  visit by my wife in April. Unfortunately she's going for promotion and there's doubt about what she might need to do around that time. I may try to see if I can have the test done in Thailand as that would avoid the same problem you have of needing to quarantine again.

 

Ain't life fun ????

[billd766]

I find that this is a very interesting and useful topic, and something rarely talked about,

 

I am 77 and at this point, although I pee a lot I can usually manage to get to a toilet in time. During the night I usually go for a pee every couple of hours, but rarely an emergency time. My bladder seems to wake me up in time but I can see that there will be a time that it doesn't. Hence my interest in the topic.

 

I know that I can buy incontinence pants in BigC and Makro but I had not thought about buying online, I presume through Lazada.

[kimamey]

Just thought I'd give an update. 

 

I arrived in Bangkok on the 9th. The flight via Bahrain wasn't a problem and I was amazed by how dry I was despite a lot of walking around airports. After my negative test result on the 10th I had to wait for my wife to arrive that evening so I did a reasonable amount of walking and again very dry. Very much a relief to be honest.

 

It has got a little worse in the last couple of days but not too bad. Fining pads is a problem as the information on many here doesn't seem that good even with my wife translating. the length and sometimes the width but the absorbency is a bit more difficult. I've got some that seem to have the length and the  a 3 where I would expect an absorbency rating might be and then a couple of Thai letters after it. I asked my wife what it said and she told me "3D". Seeing as it wouldn't work if it was 2D I think this might be related to absorbency. I saw some incontinence pants in Tesco (sorry Lotus's) that had a 6 on it that the wife told me was absorbency so maybe I'm getting somewhere now. I'll try Big C next.

 

Today we also went to the local temple to measure for granite name plates to place on the holes in the temple wall were the bones of recently decease relatives are placed plus her younger brother who died long ago. Then we went to order them. Bloody hell this is fun isn't it?  Who needs beaches, beer and girls eh. ????