We have run into an unexpected issue with my MIL's incontinence underwear. She has been using the XL Assurance brand from Walmart for 2-3 years now and they've been great until recently. She has begun complaining that they are tight around her stomach. We checked compared to some older pairs we still had and they haven't changed. MIL has changed.
She has been slowly losing weight over the past couple years (about 3-5lbs a month) and we think the loose skin on her stomach is filling up the waist of the underwear more. She’s cutting the sides to let her stomach overhang but she’s still uncomfortable. She wants to go up in size to XXL, but I’m not sure that will be effective as she may leak from the legs.
Any suggestions for brands or generics that work well for loose stomach skin or bigger stomachs in general? Preferably the pull-up style and currently only for bladder incontinence. She’s 5’ 180lbs and bigger around the bottom if that helps. Figured I would ask before throwing money at random small packs of other brands to try out.
Also, any suggestions on where to get samples of incontinence underwear? I was looking at a highly suggested website mentioned elsewhere, but the samples were for regular diaper styles. I haven’t delved much into name brand websites for samples quite yet.
Matilda
We have an appointment with her GP to check on her lower abdomen. The pressure sounds like a separate issue. She had complained about the pressure a few times in the past couple months and we thought it might be trapped gas which it very well may be. But she’s been complaining a lot more often as of late. She is on morphine for pain and experiences chronic constipation so we want to make sure she’s not impacted, has a UTI, or somehow developed ascites which would mean a much bigger problem. Her blood work a few months ago was fine. She is on lactulose for constipation but may need an adjustment in dosage.
As far as the weight loss goes, this is monitored by her doctor. She’s been overweight for decades and fell for a lot of fad/yo-yo dieting in the past. She switched to a mostly vegetarian diet a few years ago and has kept to it with great success. She’s lost about 70lbs over the past few years. We are having some struggles with her using Carnation Instant Breakfast as a meal replacement more than once day, but we’re actively trying to help her meal plan in a way that is balanced and nutritious.
Good luck!
Using mens is a good idea. But remember boys diapers and girls diapers are different. Boys pee in the front so more padding in front. Girls pee towards the back, so more padding there.
So many seniors lose their appetite. My mom barely ate as she aged. I cooked all of her favorite meals and she still didn’t eat much.
Maybe there is another reason for them feeling uncomfortable. I would rule out new medical issues such as bloating, constipation, water retention. I don't know why the regular weight loss, but whatever is causing that may be causing other symptoms of discomfort.
Near me they have a "donor closet". People or stores donate unused extras, which are sold at a deep discount. You can get samples, smaller packs or inexpensive larger packs.
In hindsight, I would have kept everything my Mom didn't use. Everything seemed to have a use later, as she deteriorated.
Incontinence tea. 🌝 My Mom suffered from the worst incontinence our care agency had seen. Bell's Lifestyle bladder tea. All natural and very good for you. It is guaranteed, and they aren't kidding. We did just 1 mug per day. After 2 weeks, pure magic! Only $20-30 per month. Hot or cold, pleasant taste. My Mom didn't like tea and resisted it, but we also pushed water, so she soon saw the tea as a nice alternative and looked forward to it.
Best of luck and God bless!
Most of them will list waist size and it might be that one of the men's would fit better.
It might also be that a Tab brief would fit better than a pull up one.
The same is true for men’s shoes. Some women buy men’s shoes to get a better fit.
My daughter had a friend that played on her volleyball team. She was 5’ 11” tall and wore a size 11 shoe. She could never find her size in the women’s section of the store but always found her size in the men’s section.
She automatically started shopping for her athletic shoes in the men’s department of the shoe store.
Why don’t you try the next size up in the same brand? Just buy one package to see if the size works for her. Your mom will let you know if they aren’t fitting her properly.