As a new parent, people would always have some sort of diaper advice. Some people loved Huggies, some preferred Pampers and the cost-effective ones liked Luvs. Most people had a preference based on experience, price or both. For something that has so much research and opinion, where is the information for adult diapers? Well, look no further. I am here to help. 

The first adult diaper would be Depends. You pay for the name. The coverage is good and it is pretty comfortable across the belly and give good coverage around the glutes. But the price can add up so looking for a cheaper option can be recommended. The Always brand has an adult diaper. Very comfy and good coverage. However, they advertise odor protection which means they smell good. And they kinda do in a weird flowery this-is-what-women-should- smell- like sense. I would not recommend this odor protection as the smell can disrupt your endocrine system. That’s a red flag for me. 
If you’re interested in not paying for the name, then let’s talk about the generic options on the market. Target generic. There is a lot of coverage over the belly. Too much really as I normally fold over the top so it is not sticking 3 inches higher than where I wear my pants. However, the Target generic is like the thong version of adult diapers. I feel like a sumo wrestler with my flabby butt cheeks and a very thin strip of diaper. Would not recommend this for active running as it will chaff the inside of your butt cheeks. The Walmart generic is similar to the thong strip of Target but the stomach fabric is looser and I did not like that. Again, the Walmart brand had a very aggressive amount of stomach coverage length and at some point, I also felt I could tuck my boobs into this underwear. Should I be excited for the 2-for-1 coverage or concerned that they think women need all this extra material? Meijer has a very good adult diaper. Cheaper than named brand and coverage is better than Target or Walmart generic. More aligned to an actual generic of Depends. Highly recommend these adult diapers. I even made a special trip to Meijer just for my diapers. They were sold out of my size. Rude. The sizing on the diapers are wild to me, though. A small is anywhere between size 8 to 16. I don’t know about you, but that seems like a very generous scope for a diaper. But I have not had a diaper fall off me yet, so I guess we’re good. And if you’re wondering if I still need to wear a diaper? Technically, sometimes. I like the psychological security it provides. But also, my body is still adjusting. Sometimes I will be walking and think it’s a toot, come home later to discover it was definitely NOT just a toot. Or the other night picking up my son from his school dance and having an immediate urge to use the bathroom. Umm, the carline was halfway down Eller road. Not getting to a bathroom anytime soon. But perhaps the biggest realization of why I still wear my diapers came last Friday. I took my youngest for a special lunch and during the lunch, my stomach was churning. I went to the bathroom. Felt better. Came back out and sat down with my son. Two minutes later, I go back to the bathroom. Stand up from the toilet, nope, sit right back down. Again, I feel better. My poor kid is just staring out the window watching the cars go by in the drive-thru while I spend a long time in the bathroom. I thought I could make it home from our lunch date. It’s not far. Apparently, all the stop lights were not working because of an electrical issue (Of course, right?) So here I am, again stuck in traffic but this time, I cannot hold it. This time, I acknowledge why I still wear diapers. Mentally, yes. But for situations like these when my body cannot control itself no matter how hard I squeeze. Or how frequently I went to the bathroom right before we left. We finally get home and we’ll just say a lot of cussing and a lot of bleach was used. Some tears. Do I feel embarrassed? Of course. Im a 41-year-old who pooped her pants. I could have not shared this and no one would have known any differently. But this is my reality. Remission doesn’t mean everything is magically better. It’s easy to gloss over the after effects like they are just minor things when in fact, they are major issues. So the extra support is needed, still. It’s only been 3 1/2 months into the 24 month target for equilibrium. Plus, every one needs a little extra support sometimes. Right? 

And this, friends, is one of my biggest takeaways from cancer. Everyone has something in their life that is a struggle and weighs on their hearts. A hard-to-understand kid, a marriage in crisis, a dying parent, a past trauma, a relationship in turmoil, a cancer diagnosis or another disease, a repressed emotion, money issues, a lost job or job opportunity, an identity crisis, menopause (omg!). The list is endless. Because no one escapes hurts or trials. If they say they do, I’m very impressed or I might believe that that can be a trauma in itself because of the lack of awareness. I am mindful of all my friends and family who loved on us while going through their own inner battle of hurts and confusion. I guess the benefit of my immediate battle was that it was pretty obvious: cancer. But through this journey, I have been able to go back to my little Lizzy and work to heal so many of my broken and bruised spots. I’m not perfect, not even close, but I’m emotionally healthier now than before my cancer diagnosis. I really, really wish I didn’t have to go through cancer. It was hard. It still is hard! I guess you could say my perspective continues to be fine-tuned and I hope my capacity for compassion continues to grow. Maybe even to being more of a hugger.

Liz