Tena For men

...of research led me to Tena for Men.

These are the male equivalent of panty liners, I guess, but much more absorbent. They come in two absorbency levels, 1 and 2. The price per box is the same for both, but a level 1 box contains 12 and a level 2 box contains 10.

There is no indication anywhere of how much liquid can be absorbed by each level, so I opted for level 2 to be on the safe side. My estimate is that a level ...
...is not for you, but Tena do have solutions for bigger problems.

Now comes my one major gripe, and it's nothing to do with the product itself:

Why do chemist's shops insist on putting male incontinence products in the same display as sanitary towels and tampons? I mean, it's bad enough having to buy the things in the first place, without having women shoppers in the store look at you as if you were some kind of pervert, ... more

"For goodness' sake, " said Mrs. Slarti, "that's the fourth time you've been this morning, and you got up twice last night."

I knew where this conversation was going. As a 50+ year-old bloke I figured that perhaps it was time I got my prostate checked out. I put thoughts of Billy Connolly's description of a prostate exam out of my mind and dutifully trotted to the doc. I described the symptoms to her and answered a barrage of other questions. Then the much feared digital rectal examination, where 'digital' means 'latex gloved finger' and plenty of KY. Not nearly as bad as Connolly made out, in fact nothing to it apart from a slight feeling of embarrassment.

Then arrangements for PSA and urine tests and an appointment for two weeks time. "Oh, and Mr. Slarti, I'd like you to keep a bladder diary. Record times and volumes when you pee and record how much you drink"

Two weeks of peeing into an old measuring jug later... DRE was normal, PSA was normal, no bladder infection. However, Doc was none too impressed that I was peeing only an average of 190 ml at a time.

"You have an unstable bladder Mr. Slarti, and you need to re-train it to hold bigger volumes".

This, I was informed, involves holding on after the first urge to go for increasing periods of time. Over time the bladder will become accustomed to holding more.

At first, things went extemely well. Then a discovery: there's only one urge more powerful than that brought on by a running tap, and that's the one when you stand up after sitting down for quite a while with the pressure building. Phew! Just made it that time.

Thank you for reading this far -- I'm about to get to the point, honest. Time to get some protection in case of minor leaks. A bit of research led me to Tena for Men.

These are the male equivalent of panty liners, I guess, but much more absorbent. They come in two absorbency levels, 1 and 2. The price per box is the same for both, but a level 1 box contains 12 and a level 2 box contains 10.

There is no indication anywhere of how much liquid can be absorbed by each level, so I opted for level 2 to be on the safe side. My estimate is that a level two pad would handle around 20-30 ml total, but don't take my word for it. If your problem is complete emptying of the bladder then this product is not for you, but Tena do have solutions for bigger problems.

Now comes my one major gripe, and it's nothing to do with the product itself:

Why do chemist's shops insist on putting male incontinence products in the same display as sanitary towels and tampons? I mean, it's bad enough having to buy the things in the first place, without having women shoppers in the store look at you as if you were some kind of pervert, rummaging around among the Lillets and Always.

Back to the product:

Expect to pay around £4.99 for a box in the high street. They are cheaper over the net (£4.60-ish), but you need to take postage into account. Mail order does, of course, eliminate the embarrassment factor. The overall cost to you is going to depend on how many you need. Certainly it would make sense to use one level 2 pad per day rather than 2 level 1 pads.

The pads themselves are indiviually wrapped in thin plastic in a package about 5 inches square and 1/4 inch thick, so easily concealed in a jacket pocket if you need to carry a spare.

They unfold to a sort of triangular shape. In fact the best way of describing it is as a codpiece shape. A waxy paper strip is removed from the back to reveal adhesive strips that secure the pad to your underpants. The adhesive is sufficiently resilient to allow to to remove and reattach the pad to find the most comfortable position.

Note: you do need to be wearing close-fitting underpants to use Tena for Men.

In wear they are comfortable enough, but you are aware of the presence. I have not found them to be in any way visible as a bulge or whatever.

In action they do exactly what is required. Any urine is quickly wicked away by capillary action to a polymer gel that can hold many times its own volume of liquid, so leaked urine is not held against the skin.

Tena for Men incorporate 'odour control'. My sense of smell was ruined by years of working in a chemistry lab, but Mrs. Slarti tells me there isn't a problem. Don't know how it would cope with asparagus though ;-)

I originally forgot the following couple of points:

1. They don't rustle when you walk around, so all-in-all nobody need ever know...
2. Used pads fold up nice and small (without dripping !) for disposal.

They are certainly helping me tackle my problem with confidence, and I would imaginge that they would be ideal for men who suffer the dreaded 'after dribble' or stress incontinence.

One more thing guys: if you think you may be peeing a lot more often than you did, or you are having to get up often in the night, go and get yourself checked out. A doc's finger up your bottom is less embarrassing than shopping in the sanitary towel section, and may well save your life. 

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