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Surgery or radiation treatment for prostate cancer can damage the bladder, urethra or sphincter, sometimes resulting in an initial period of heavy bladder leakage. Most men regain bladder control over time, but some experience an extended period of light-to-moderate leaks.
Dr Peter Hill, a chiropractor and prostate cancer survivor, is one of those men. After three and a half years managing his leakage with adult pull-ups, pads and even toilet paper, he found Confitex Technology’s now-discontinued ecommerce range Confitex for Men and got in touch unprompted, offering to share his experience on camera. What follows is his account, in his own words.
How did it feel realising you’d have bladder leakage after surgery?
“I was leaking quite a bit and it’s very frustrating to leak urine, you know. You don’t expect that in your 60s, you’d be incontinent, then you start leaking and it’s just not fun. At the beginning it’s just always there and you’re afraid to leak and it’s an uncomfortable feeling that you now don’t have control over your bodily systems that you used to have great control over.”
What was daily life like in the early stages?
“At the very beginning you constantly have to go to the bathroom. I was meeting my friends for dinner one night and I had to plan out where the closest bathrooms were, so I would leave my house and I would plan where’s the closest bathroom and I would stop at the first restaurant and go to the bathroom, get back in my car, stop at a Dunkin Donuts to go to the bathroom, and then eventually go and meet my friends at the restaurant and go to the bathroom right away.”
How would you describe your leakage now?
“My leakage now is not very often but it seems to be a little bit worse at night. Every once in a while I’ll still just spontaneously leak. If I yawn or if I clear my throat occasionally I might leak. But I leak consistently much less than I used to. I’m three and a half years out but every once in a while I do still leak.”
What did you use before Confitex Technology incontinence underwear?
“I had surgery on my prostate about three and a half years ago and used Depends for probably about a year, a year and a half. Then I used pads for maybe another half a year, and then for a couple of months I used toilet tissue.”
What made you switch to Confitex underwear?
“When I looked online I found Confitex, so I’ve been using Confitex underpants now for probably about a year and a half. They’ve really changed my life. Whether I’m biking or hiking or just going out to a restaurant, I feel much more at ease and comfortable not having to worry about pads or Depends or anything.”
What do absorbent underwear feel like to wear?
“You almost don’t even remember that they’re there, you’re just living your normal life. Confitex underwear feel just like any comfortable underwear. They look like regular underpants, they’re very comfortable, they don’t make noise and they do the job that I want them to do.”
How do you care for your incontinence underwear?
“What’s beautiful about them is I just wake up in the morning, put on my underwear like I would any other underwear, go about my day and don’t worry about anything. At the end of the day I put them in the wash with the rest of my dirty laundry, wash them and then reuse them the next day.”
How do absorbent underwear help when you’re travelling?
“I used to go on vacation, and before I used Confitex I’d pack dozens of Depends or dozens of pads, and then I felt very bad at the end because you have to throw them away and it’s bad for the environment. Confitex underwear has changed my life, made my life simpler and is better for the environment.”
Why did you decide to share your story?
“I’m hoping that, by doing this, other men can learn that using Confitex underpants is a great alternative to using pads. I really feel that Confitex has changed my life, made my life simpler and better for the environment.”
Key takeaways
- Prostate surgery can cause temporary or ongoing bladder leakage, even years on
- Dr Peter Hill managed leakage for three and a half years using Depends, pads and toilet tissue before finding Confitex
- He reached out to Confitex unprompted, wanting to share his story
- Confitex underwear feels and looks like ordinary underpants – comfortable, silent, no daily faff
- Care is simple: wash with the regular laundry, wear again the next day
- Switching cut down the waste and guilt of packing disposables for travel
- He shares his story so other men know reusable underwear is a real alternative to pads
- If you’re a retailer or brand interested in high-performance reusable incontinence underwear for men, visit our innovation page to find out more.
To hear a candid podcast interview with Dr Hill about his experiences with incontinence and other health issues after prostate treatment, visit the National Association for Continence (NAFC) website.
Dr Hill’s account reflects one customer’s individual experience. Content on this site is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
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About the author
Frantisek Riha-Scott, Founder and CEO, Confitex Technology
As the tech leader in reusable personal hygiene since 2013, Confitex designs and manufactures award-winning washable period and incontinence products for leading retail, pharmacy and healthcare brands worldwide. Frantisek has spent more than a decade working at the intersection of fashion design, textile engineering and absorbent hygiene manufacturing, and has worked directly with independent laboratories to shape emerging industry performance standards for reusable absorbent hygiene. He writes to help pharmacy category managers, hygiene buyers, purchasing directors and procurement leaders cut through the regulatory complexity and make supplier decisions with confidence. Connect with Frantisek on LinkedIn.
