There comes a time in many people’s lives when certain things no longer work quite the way they once did. Simple things we take for granted can become an ordeal, and embarrassment lurks around every corner!
Adults who suffer from urinary incontinence have to deal with the consequences of their condition every day. For some, age is the culprit - the muscles that control the urge to ‘go’ just aren’t holding up too well. Others may suffer from an infection, or the after-affects of surgery.
Women often have difficulty with urinary control after pregnancy - just ask any new mother what happens when she sneezes suddenly! Nor is it limited only to women - men with prostrate issues, taking heavy medication or even ones who suffer from certain neurological diseases can also be affected. All sufferers at some point end up at the same place, however - standing in the adult diaper aisle at the local store.
It’s hard, standing there. You try to pretend to be looking at something else at first; surreptitiously checking to the left and right to make sure no-one else wanders down the aisle before zeroing in on your true target. If anyone even acts like they are thinking about turning the corner, you instantly have to do a 180 spin and pretend to be absorbed in permanent hair color instead.
The sheer variety of incontinence products makes things even worse. The ‘underpants’ come in different sizes, have different ‘control’ areas for men versus women, and a myriad of other features. This makes finding the product you really need hard to locate when you are alternately jumping at every sound and fervently praying your next door neighbor doesn’t suddenly appear behind you.
‘Pull ups’ - that sounds like a toddler product useful for sleepovers. ‘Easy tear away sides’ - those definitely belong on a Chippendale dancer’s pants! ‘Ultra dryness protection with no-flow channels and patented wick away technology’ - who are they trying to fool? Adult diapers are adult diapers, and there’s not a whole lot you can do to fancy that up.
After you make your selection and stuff them under four boxes of cereal you will never eat, a beach ball on sale (it’s December), and two newspapers carefully and messily arranged, you head warily for the checkout line.
Of course, there’s only just one checkout line open when you finally reach the front of the store. There is also invariably someone you know standing in line ahead of you. In addition, incontinence products for some odd reason have frequent price adjustments applied, so the bar code almost certainly will come up as invalid when the cashier (who has been staring at you oddly while ringing up two identical newspapers, four boxes of Crazy Fruity Choco Crunch and a limp beach ball) tries to scan it.
As the call goes out on the loudspeaker for a price check at register three, you suddenly ‘discover’ you left your billfold at home and hurriedly exit the store, mentally calculating what it will cost you in gasoline to do your shopping at the next town over for the next few weeks.
This was the old scenario. Nowadays, fortunately purchasing such embarrassing items as ‘adult diapers’ doesn’t have to be humiliating! Companies exist that make it easy for you to buy online and have your necessary incontinence products delivered right to your door in a plain, brown box - nosy neighbors will be clueless and you’ll be embarrassment free.
