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.

A Crazy Week with My Incontinence

This week was crazy with my incontinence issues. I do not even feel like crazy is the word to describe it. I am going to give a brief overview of what happened.

1. On one day, I had diarrhea six times. I had to change my diaper eight times during one workday because of it. I also got a terrible diaper rash as a result. Oh, it was terrible. It hurt so badly.

2. I have been urinating too much. I have been saturating my diapers a lot quicker than I normally do. I still am. I am not sure why.

3. I pooped myself one time while talking to a coworker. I was discussing business while it was happening. I felt real self-conscious about it but was glad nothing smelled. He did not even notice. If he did notice any change in my facial expressions, he never said anything. I hope I did not make facial expressions to give away that something was wrong. I also pooped my diaper while working on my government issued computer. Because I work with classified information, I can never leave that computer unattended. I was troubleshooting the computer and trying to shut it down. Because of all the encryption programs, it was taking some time. I really had to poop badly and was hoping I'd make it to the toilet. I squeezed my butt cheeks together and tried so hard not to lose control. It did not work at all. I messed myself. As soon as the computer was shut down, I locked it in my desk drawer. Then, I ran to the bathroom and changed my diaper.

What a pain. Seriously. What a week. I hope things calm down soon.

I Am Not Sure I Ever Want to Complain Again

I do not know that I can ever complain about having my condition again.

There is this lady who had cancer and ended up losing her large intestines. Because of this, she has to wear a colostomy bag. If that is not bad enough, her bladder was damaged during the surgery. As a result, she cannot pee on her own anymore and has to be emptied using a catheter.

And I cry about having to wear a diaper.

At least my stuff works. At least I do not have an incision in my side and have to wear a bag that can bust or fall off if not careful. And at least I can pee without assistance. I mean, I just go in a diaper. I do not have to worry about dying or getting these terrible infections because my bladder cannot empty. Sure, diapers give me UTIs and yeast infections, but that is minor in comparison with what this lady has to endure.

While I do not like to wear diapers per say, having to wear diapers is a walk in the park compared to someone with those problems. My heart goes out to that lady. I am not going to mention her name here because she would be horrified. I do not want to embarrass her anyhow.

I Love the New Tranquility Smart Core Diapers

A week ago, I received some samples of the new Tranquility smart Core diapers. I loved them so much that I ordered a full shipment and changed my personally delivery plan to these diapers instead of the Slim Lines I was receiving prior.

The Smart Core diapers are right up there with the Tranquility ATN diapers but they have the cloth backing instead of the plastic. Just recently, I have taken a liking to the cloth covered diapers and have forsaken the plastic because they are not as noisy and do not make me sweat so badly.

For a while, Tranquility only made the Slim Lines with the cloth out cover in my size. They are awesome but not quite as absorbent as the Tranquility Smart Core. I liked the absorbency of the Tranquility ATN diapers but did not want to continue to get them because of the plastic. But when I heard about Smart Core--I heard about them from a member in my support group, I just had to try them.

I must say that these adult diapers are the absolute best ones with the cloth outer covering. They do not leak and quickly take the moisture from my skin. They also contain agents in them to keep fungal infections and bacterial infections at bay as well as chemicals to keep PH balanced and control odor. Best of all, they are not even nearly as expensive as the Tranquility ATN diapers, and I do not have to change them as often as the Tranquility Slim Line diapers. With the Tranquility smart Cores, I feel more confident and comfortable.

Tranquility is an awesome company. Tranquility diapers are made to fit people of all body shapes. Some brands are only designed to fit people with a specific shaped figure, such as an out-glass figure, and they do not work for others who do not have that specific that the diapers are designed to fit. With Tranquility, there is no guesswork, and you can get these diapers and feel confident that they will work and fit well.

I recommend Tranquility Smart Core diapers to anyone who needs to wear diapers.