Keeping Odor At Bay with Bowel Incontinence

I have had some questions about how to get rid of the odor when you have bowel problems. Well, since this is a popular question that my readers keep messaging me about, I figure just may as well answer it here.

1.       If you want to remove odor from your stools, take Nullo tablets. These act as an internal deodorant and will take away odor in approximately two weeks.

2.       You need to drink a lot of water and eat more vegetables than you do meats. Meats really make your bowels have an odor.

3.       Use fragrant sprays and powders if you do not have allergies to them. Home Delivery Incontinence Supplies has some awesome sprays in different scents that you can buy. You spray your diapers with these before you put them on. This also helps to mask that embarrassing odor.

4 To keep your trash can smelling fresh, spray air freshener in the trash bag after you have changed it and before you put any diapers in it. I have found scents, like apple cinnamon, pumpkin spice and just plain old cinnamon really good at keeping the smells down.

5.       When you change your diapers, tie them up in plastic bags. You can purchase trash bags for small trash cans and keep them on hand for diaper changes, go to Babies R Us and purchase the box of plastic bags especially for diaper disposal, use your leftover plastic shopping bags or use any other old plastic bags you have lying around the house.

These tips are excellent at keeping away the stares and the whispers. People will not even know you have a problem.

Reflections on a Past Experience

I will tell you a story that involved me sticking up for someone being teased only about three years ago or so. I was at my friend's daughter's Head Start facility, waiting for her to get out of her class. There was this little boy, maybe about three years of age, who was still in diapers. I heard the teachers talking out in the open about it. They said his mom sent him in diapers because some medication he was on was giving him diarrhea. The little boy was crying because he needed his diaper changed, and one of the teachers harshly said to him in a loud voice, "You need to wait and be quiet. You should not even be wearing diapers anyway. You're too old."

 My heart ached for the boy because I knew how he felt, and the poop was likely irritating his bottom, especially if it was diarrhea. I had enough of this bullying and ignorant behavior, and I was determined to show these moronic teachers that age does not determine when someone does or does not wear diapers. I was unable to stand by any longer and watch this go on and walk away and do nothing. I am not one who can stand by and silently watch injustice. I have to get involved. The Bible says so, anyway.

 I jumped up from where I was sitting, swung my diaper bag over my shoulder and opened it up. I pulled out one of my diapers in full view, saying, "You know? I got an F in toilet training! I am 26 and still have to wear diapers. I have a medical problem. I can't control my bladder at all, and I sometimes poop myself. So, stop bullying that little boy and change his diaper, so he can be comfortable. I know how it feels to sit in diarrhea when I do it on myself and can't get to a place to change fast enough. If I knew who his parents were, I’d tell them how you are treating their child. You should be ashamed of yourself!" I said it loud enough so all the parents, staff and anyone else could hear, and I swung my diaper around in the air, so all could see it. Everyone was silent. I had the attention of all in the waiting area.

 Seconds after my outburst, the boy was taken into the bathroom and changed. Other teachers and parents came up to me and asked me about how incontinence impacted my life. I politely answered their questions. I also got a number of comments from other parents and teachers about how brave I was and how I’d be one who stands up and makes changes for the better someday. I also got a few hugs from some.

I felt so proud of myself. Not only was it a teachable moment, it was a moment when I could stand up for someone who was helpless and could not stand up for himself. Children are the most helpless people of them all, and I cannot stand by and watch one get mistreated without doing something.

An Update About My Week

This is a post that is an update for the last week of September.

Hello to all of my readers. I definitely did not forget about my blog. I still love all of you guys and have a lot to tell you. I have just been too sick and busy. The sick part is because I am on my treatment to get my Chronic Candida under control, and the treatment makes me feel horrible. The good news is that I am nearing the end of it, and I feel good. Hmmmmmmm, where to begin.

1. I had a crazy week with the bowels again. Yup, that sometimes happens. I had diarrhea like every single day. I do not understand, my bowels pick the time they want to act up, and they do it for no reason. I did try to eat different foods and I tried taking different things out of my diet. Yeah, it helps some, but not totally. I still have bowel issues, and when they want to act crazy, they do. Just when I think I have this problem licked with some special diet, I realize just how much I really don't.

2. The Diabetic-like urinating has gone away. While my bladder is still very much overactive—that will never be cured unless some cure is ever found, I have stopped urinating as much as I have been previously. My urine also does not have the sweet smell anymore, probably because the yeast and harmful fungal bacteria is dying off in my body. I am glad to not be filling up a diaper every two hours. And yes, it is no exaggeration. I was really filling up good, absorbent diapers every two hours, and that is not the norm at all.

3. I have been pondering what I am going to do with my Stigma Warriors channel on YouTube. I established that channel to help shed light on diseases and conditions that are highly stigmatized. I just have to plan out how I am going to get things done. I need someone to help film for starters. I do know what I am going to talk about, though, for my first few videos. And incontinence will definitely be discussed, obviously.

That is all for this week.

A Detailed Update

Sorry it has been several weeks since I have updated this blog. I have had a lot going on in my life. My grandfather had open heart surgery, and he was doing badly for a little while. He had the surgery in the beginning of October. Before that, I was feeling sick, so I just had enough strength to go to work, come home and go to sleep. I had that chronic fatigue going on again. It never fails.

Nothing really special has happened, though. I am still having serious issues with my bowels. I had diarrhea most of the time, but I had some constipation mixed in. I did not go to the bathroom for four days straight, and it was painful. I thought I was going to have to go to the clinic if I could not get myself to go. I took some meds, and I finally went.

So, I am going to add some posts that I have been meaning to post over the past few weeks. I am going to share some experiences from my past and am going to provide some useful tips. So, I hope you enjoy reading.

O, and I forgot to let all of you know that I do not have Diabetes. That is some real good news! My problems are due to problems that my Chronic Systemic Candida has caused. I did get some antifungal meds from the doctor and am sticking to a strict diet. I am doing much better now with that.

An Unfair Request

As many of you know, I am blind. Because I am blind, this makes me slightly more dependent on people than I like. For example, I need to depend on people to get rides places because blind people cannot drive. The rides thing is going to be the subject of this post. This post is going to be a bit of a rant, so brace yourself.

I was talking to a good friend of mine about how to handle diaper changes on road trips or on long car rides that take an hour or more. She told me that I should just be patient and wait until the driver wants to pull over because asking to pull over every time I want my diaper changed will get annoying, and the chances of me getting invited to go on trips again will likely be nonexistent. My friend said that family and relatives would get annoyed as well and will not really be too big about stopping all the time because they want to get where they want to go. She also told me that if the driver is the type who wants to drive straight through and not pull over, it is okay to ask to pull over once or twice but not to overdo it.

So basically, I am being asked to patiently sit in a wet or messy diaper all for the sake of being polite.

I told her this was so unfair. She said that she understood where I was coming from, but she also proceeded to tell me that babies sit in their diapers all the time until someone can change them, and that is a fact of life for people who have to wear diapers. Then she ended it by saying that it would not kill me to sit in a dirty diaper for up to an hour.

I am not a baby, though. And I think it is wrong to make anyone sit in their diapers just for the sake of convenience or politeness. It is so easy for people who do not wear diapers to say that is what babies and incontinent people should do. I so bet that if they had to wear a diaper, they would not be singing the same tune. They'd beg to have it changed.

I understand not changing a wet diaper right away. They are designed to hold a lot. But as for a soiled one, it should not wait if it does not have to wait. I think it is wrong to expect someone to sit in a dirty diaper when they have the power to pull over the car but are just being lazy. It is so selfish to expect this of babies and incontinent people. How would they like to sit in it?

You would think I would be able to sit in it without any trouble. After all, I have worn diapers for many years. You think I would be used to that by now. But I am not. And sure, I can sit in it if I really have to, but why would I *want* to?

What do you guys think? I am interested to hear your take on this matter. You can state your opinion either way. If you are on the side of my friend, please state why you support this view. Also, explain your reason for supporting my view if you support my view. I look forward to your comments.

Wednesday, August 21, Was Not a Good Day For My Bowels

Wednesday was already a tough day. I ended up over sleeping due to feelling ill because of the medication I am taking to get Chronic Candida under control. I ended up working late to make up for going in late, so I could get the full eight hours in and not lose any money. On top of that, I had a nasty situation occur while changing a really messy diaper.

My bowels were acting up real bad that day. They were runny, the consistency of baby food. I pooped myself real bad, and I went to the bathroom to change in a hurry. I took the diaper off carefully, but mess still got everywhere. It dripped out all over the floor. It also got all over my dress shoes.

I was horrified. I had this huge mess to clean up and had to think fast about how I was going to do it. I was going to get some wet paper towels, but that idea had to go when someone came into the bathroom. So, I set to cleaning myself up, taking off my dress and then cleaning all the mess off the floor and my dress shoes with toilet paper in the nude. The last thing I needed was for my dress to get into the mess. When I got everything up that I could, I used all of my diaper wipes I had with me. Then, I sprayed some of my perfume, so nobody would know. I did not want anyone to have even a hint that something had happened.

When I was certain the lady was out of the bathroom, I put back on my dress and went out of the stall to get a bundle of dry paper towels. I dried up the floor and my dress shoes. When I was done, nobody knew what had happened to me. I was glad. I was not in the mood to deal with any snide comments if people wanted to make them out of ignorance.

Flying Tips for Incontinent People flying to, From Or in america

I felt like contributing this post for people who wish to fly on a plane. I have come up with these tips based on my own personal experiences flying and having to deal with security protocols and such.

1. When you carry diaper rash cream with you, make sure your tube is three ounces or less. If it is not, your cream will be confiscated and thrown away. You always want to carry diaper rash cream with you in case you get that lovely thing we call a diaper rash so suddenly. We are prone to those if we have to fly for some time because it is terrible to try and change a diaper in a plane bathroom. I do not even try because the space is too small. I always wait until I land to change my diapers.

2. Do not carry a large pack or box of baby wipes with you if you do not want to be hassled. When a bunch of wipes are stuck together, like in a pack or a box, it looks like liquid on the scanner. You will be asked to dump out your bags and be subjected to scrutiny. What you need to do is carry some travel sized packs of wipes or a small wipe contain of wipes that you would put in a diaper bag. Or, you can get the individually wrapped reassure wipes from HDIS by calling 1800-269-4663.

3. Make sure your bottle of baby powder is not any bigger than eleven ounces. If the powder is more than eleven ounces, it will be tested with a certain chemical by TSA staff. No, they will not destroy your powder, but they will dump a bit of it on a special test strip and dump your bag to make sure there are no threats. Travel sized or medium sized bottles of powder are more ideal for flying.

I hope that you find these tips helpful. I had to learn these the hard way. Thankfully, the guy checking my stuff was really cool. He and I chatted, and he explained all the protocols to me. I am glad he explained things because I can now share that with you.