Dealing With Incontinence in High School

Dealing with incontinence in high school can be challenging at first.  Incontinence is a sensitive topic for some and even more sensitive with incontinence is combined with high school and all the pressures and things going on.  There are many ways of coping and dealing with incontinence in high school and which I personally have had to go through as well.  In this article, I will address many key issues and give many tips on dealing with incontinence in high school.

First, decide what level of incontinence you have.  There are different levels of incontinence and they will all effect how you, personally, will deal with incontinence while in high school.  Whether you are urinary, fecal, or both incontinent then there will be different issues to be addressed with each.  Also, the degree of incontinence of whether you might have accidents more often or how much do you wet or defecate.  These are all issues to take into consideration at first.

My second tip would be to wear a diaper to high school.  This may sound a bit surprising at first until you think about it in a mature way.  Dealing with incontinence requires a bit of thought on what you are personally more comfortable with.  A diaper can easily be concealed under clothing whether it is jeans or khakis mixed with a longer t-shirt or jacket.  Many high schoolers want to still feel 'cool' and your two basic options are wearing a diaper or wearing a catheter and attaching it to a bag.  Now, when I was in high school and dealing with incontinence I easily chose diapers because I would rather be able to conseal my diapers under clothing and be done with it rather than having a bag attached to my leg filled with urine.  This urine bag may not even be an option for you if you are fecally incontinent as well...in this case, diapers may be your only option.

A third tip would be to make, at the least, the school nurse aware of your incontinence.  They are bound by privacy laws and will protect your medical information.  Dealing with incontinence in high school can be facilitated by going to the school nurse and telling them that you are incontinent in which they will easily understand this situation as it is not too uncommon.  Typically, as they did with me, gave me a special pass that I could use if I ever had an accident or emergency in class and needed to leave the class and change my diaper.  Informing a responsible and mature adult such as the school nurse about your situation will not only make you feel better because you know somebody is there for you in case you need them while at high school.

Finally, don't let the 'diaper' thing lessen your self-confidence or in anyway effect your social life.  Most people surprisingly are understanding of having to wear diapers if its a medical condition.  Obviously, in a high school setting, one shouldn't parade your diapers around or tell everyone but your 'inner-circle' of friends may be a good place to start when you are comfortable so you do not always at first feel like you are hiding. 

At some point you have to be realistic with yourself as I was and accept that incontinence is now a part of your life.  And, dealing with incontinence in high school will require you to come to a realization of how to best deal with it in not only the most efficient and easiest way but also a way that allows you to live your life and not hold you back.  While, many of you are probably reading this article and think that diapers are not the answer or are just for babies, but think about this little fact...a recent survey conducted estimates that there are over 4 million people alone in the United States between the ages of 12 and 45 that still wear diapers.  With the US population being over 300 million, that is a pretty significant amount of people wearing diapers for that age grouping alone.  Think about it.  Dealing with incontinence in high school can be as easy as you make but it requires the right attitude, mindset, maturity, and a plan in place to coping with your incontinence.