Once the catheter is out, what types of incontinence undergarments are most comfortable, absorbent and unnoticeable?

  1. I used the Depends disposable underwear for a few weeks.
  2. Start with some fairly thick pads but don’t buy very many of them.  I found that I graduated to smaller pads quickly and was using only panty liners after about 4 weeks.
  3. One pack of ‘Tena Men’s Regular Absorbency Pads’ are fine to begin.  If you can’t find the men’s, the unisex work fine (or even sanitary pads in a pinch).  You may not even need them – he was pretty much dry when the catheter came out.  These are expensive – don’t buy what you may not need.  You can always buy more if he needs them.
  4. I had no leaking.  I would have small discharges during the day so wore a Depends for Men pad that was adequate to get me through the day and a clean one at night. Later, a much smaller pad and about 5 – 6 weeks out – nothing. Occasional small discharges still happen but not enough to count.
  5. As for incontinence stuff after the catheter is removed, I always used women’s pads.  They are cheaper than men’s and worked just as well.  My prostate cancer urologist recommended using a jock strap.  I was told to stick the pad to the inside of the jock and lay my penis up against my belly.  The tightness of the jock puts pressure on the underside of the penis where the urethra is.  It provides a bit of mechanical advantage while trying to regain control.
  6. After the catheter comes out I used the Depends Guards for men, also a smaller pad from “Serenity” I think.
  7. A few woman’s (not a few women’s- get them from one woman) menstrual pads – don’t be shy, the big ones, they’re smaller, cheaper than incontinence pads and can be added to the diaper and changed more often.
  8. We knew that he would need to wear a pad to the doctor’s office, when the cath was removed.  But, when he very first strained with a bowel movement, there was some leakage around the catheter.  So I had to run to the store right then, to get pads.
  9. When he got the cath out, he was worried about leaking during his sleep, so I put a rubberized sheet under his sheet on his side of the bed. But it was evident after 2 nights he was not going to need it.
  10. There is a shelf full. I used ‘Tena Serenity for Men.’
  11. After catheter removal you may want to consider a waterproof mattress pad – he had one “accident” at night but it was minor.
  12. After the catheter was removed, (after about 10 days) I was continent enough to not leak while sleeping and during the daytime, I replaced the pads with 3-4 Bounty paper towels, folded into 1/4’s that were held in place with my shorts, and replaced them as needed.  After a couple of weeks, I only needed to replace them a couple times a day.  After about 6 weeks, I was totally dry, except for times of stress, like coughing, or sometimes just standing up after sitting for a while.
  13. I used the Serenity pads. They were triangular in shape and fit in my underwear. I didn’t have much incontinence problem even in the first few days. I was changing the pads a few times a day in the first week because I am fussy about hygiene issues.  I preferred underwear that gave me a narrow waist band that wasn’t tight on my incision.
  14. I bought diapers for the first night’s use. They gave me solace, but made me crazy. They were too hot and awful itchy. The diaper thing lasted one day. After that, ‘Poise’ pads. Warning – cheap ones leak.
  15. I worked at the office after cath out – I used TIGHT jockey shorts with a ‘Poise’ pad and carried an extra in my back pocket and a 3rd in my front pocket. Then, I doubled the underwear – I wore a second pair of tight briefs over the first. After a while I went to one pair of bvd’s and a ‘Poise’ pad. The leaky ones with the loose bvd’s would leak down the leg.
  16. You may need something to cover the bed. I got one from the hospital in case of leakage after catheter comes out.
  17. A plastic sheet to go under the bed sheets and protect the mattress once the catheter comes out. A large plastic garbage bag might work in a pinch.