I’m 20 years old and have severe bladder incontinence. I have difficulty changing on my own and so my carer has to help. I have only recently had to change to an all on one and I feel really embarrassed having it changed. I have no feeling that I need to go and my flow is really heavy resulting in other products leaking significantly. How can I feel less embarrassed and more comfortable with having to have assistance in changing?
Hi there,
I have been using all in one adult nappies for over 30 years now to manage my incontinence, caused by a spinal injury. I am otherwise healthy and active and so not obviously/visibly ‘disabled’ (not that I would consider myself to be so, though I do use the disabled loo to change). In the last 10 years I have had a number of spinal operations/procedures and when in hospital have had to ask the nurse to change me, normally when I am really rather wet as I have no feeling of needing to go. I won’t say that it is not been embarrassing to have to ask for help…but it has been the response that has been the most telling. I am very lucky that I have health insurance and have never had any problems when asking for help when in a private hospital – no embarrassment, very understanding nurses who made no big thing of it. My one and only (hopefully) experience in my local NHS hospital could not have been more different. They could not understand why I wore ‘adult nappies’ (I get UTIs whenever I am catheterised, so avoid them). I asked for help to be changed and was left for hours in a wet nappy and a wet bed. They were overstretched and simply did not have the time. They could not supply any pads in the hospital and so my wife brought my own in. I also have regularly sessions with a chiropractor and acupuncturist and neither has ever made any issue of me having to wear ‘nappies’,even if I have wet during a session.
Hopefully your carer is as caring and understanding as I found the private nurses and others to be when I needed their help. I am sure it has been big step to have to start wearing all-in-ones to give you the protection you need but I have no doubt that your carer would just want you to be comfortable and confident to lead your life to your full potential and not be held back by needing help to change. After all, he/she is a carer and there to make your life better.
