Depend Incontinence Guards/Incontinence Pads for Men/Bladder Control Pads, Maximum Absorbency, 52 Count,Packaging May Vary

I started using Depend For Men Guards 17+ years ago, shortly after radical prostatectomy surgery for very aggressive prostate cancer. That was 1996 and I was 52 years old at the time. Mine was a classic case of the cancer being removed but the patient leaking; and I've continued to leak since. While I've tried virtually all available brands of absorption pads in the past, I find that Depend Guards work the best for my circumstances. For that reason I've stuck with these guards through all of their various changes and modifications over the years. Frankly, while there is still plenty of room for improvement, they have advanced considerably during that time and IMO are the best deal going for my use.There are several suggestions I'd like to offer for others using or considering using these guards. These are things that I've discovered, during my almost 2 decades of use that have greatly improved my quality of life,..** First and foremost, this new version, IMO, absorbs much more fluid than past versions and contains it better than in the past. Also, the new version seems to have much improved odor control over previous Guards. That is especially appreciated during long wear times.** Personal fluid leakage varies from day to day, even hour by hour. It is up to the user to monitor themselves and change pads at necessary intervals to prevent the pads from becoming overly saturated and therefore start overflowing.** My pad use sometimes varies radically, depending upon fluid/food intake, exercise, alcohol consumption, sleep duration, medications, wellness or illness, etc. Sometimes a pad may last me for 12 to 15 hours and other times a change is warranted every 3 to 4 hours. Failure to monitor leakage, and act accordingly by changing the pad as needed, may lead to embarrassing circumstances..** Pad performance is very poor when used in boxer-style underwear.** Pad performance is so-so to poor when used in loosely fitted jockey-style shorts** Pad performance became quite good when I switched to bikini-brief style underwear. This type of brief rides much lower on my abdomen, provides a good pouch for the pad and my 'package' to rest in, and generally provides excellent support of the pad close to my body. This combination catches virtually all leakage and generally prevents leakage around the already much-too-narrow pad. It also tends to keep the pad positioned where I put it rather than where it wants to wander off to.. Using the bikini briefs also allows me to place the top of the Guard up along the elastic waistband of the briefs and further helps hold everything in place.** When I plan to be active, out in a crowd or social setting, or may be sitting in unusual positions, I wear the bikini-brief underwear as above and use TWO PADS inside the pouch. The 1st pad I place on the left side of the pouch, opposite the right side where I normally dress myself. The 2nd pad is moved as far to the right as possible while still keeping the pad adhesive completely within the underwear. The 2nd pad in tends to overlap the 1st pad and allows the two pads to act as one wide pad. I can wear this two-pad arrangement for a full day of active use and typically only need to change out the right-side pad when it becomes saturated. The more active I am the fewer pad changes are required. Plus, this method also provides much improved pad coverage in an active environment. It may initially take several attempts to get the two pads placed properly, but once this is figured out this system works exceptionally well, at least for me.** Discarded Guards can normally be wrapped using the adhesive strip protective cover from the new pad to secure the rolled-up old pad. The little bag the new pad comes in will usually also hold the used pad until it can be properly discarded.** Always keep spare Guards handy unless you have your leakage figured out quite accurately. A Guard or two can easily be carried in a pocket.** Being "OCD" or "anal-retentive" as my wife says, I typically write down on the package the day I open a new package of 52 pads so I can monitor the usage rate for future ordering. Currently my rate of use for a package of 52 Guards runs between 10 and 15 days. Therefore I know that I'll typically use 2 or 3 packages a month. This allows me to monitor pricing and order for future needs when the pricing is low. I prefer to keep at least a 2 or 3 month supply on hand.Other uses: I always pack an emergency bag or back pack of some sort in my vehicle when venturing away from home. In it I carry spare meds, other emergency items I may need and always a decent supply of First Aid stuff, "just in case".. These pads, and other similar pads, have MANY potential applications in emergencies. They can be used as absorption pads or sponges for blood or other fluids. They can be rolled and used under a tourniquet to slow or stop blood flow. The backs of these pads are plastic and along with the adhesive material can be used to temporarily stop air leakage in the event of a puncture wound to the chest cavity. With duct tape or medical tape the pads can be incorporated as a bandage for various parts of the body.. Use your imagination. Typically I'll have at least a dozen of these guards in any emergency bag I have in the vehicle. In addition to emergencies, these Depend Guards work well as absorption pads in men's underwear..UPDATE: 17 July 2016 - It is now TWENTY YEARS PAST MY PROSTATE CANCER SURGERY. I continue using the Depends Guards as my primary absorption pad. They continue to work quite well for me.. I am, however, evaluating another pad that is giving promising results. That is the PREVAIL MALE GUARDS, MAXIMUM ABSORBENCY pads also available on Amazon. The PREVAIL MALE GUARDS are almost identical to the DEPEND GUARDS FOR MEN, with the exception that they are slightly thicker than the Depend's Guard with more absorbent pad. The Prevail guards appear to hold a considerably larger quantity of leakage than the Depend's Guard. This is an advantage in that it reduces the chance of mishaps, but the Prevail Guards also weigh more when at full capacity. That additional weight may become problematic if the underwear is not up to the chore of supporting the added weight. I continue to evaluate the Prevail Male Guards and the jury remains out on the final decision..Allow me to also thank those who have posted their kind and generous comments over the years regarding this review. This is a "touchy" topic for those with the problem and I'm happy that my comments have been a help to so many people. Over time I've found that by following my own advice here that my quality of life is quite good and remains that way simply by being aware of my problem and staying on top of the situation. After 20 years of coping with it, it is now pretty much 2nd nature to me to be vigilant in preventing mishaps.. I hope that others with similar challenges can find the same peace of mind as they learn to adjust to the changes in their life caused by incontinence and learn to deal with those changes accordingly. Best wishes to all in their quest to control life's little problems.. ;)UPDATE: 2 November 2016 - I have been experimenting with the PREVAIL MALE GUARDS,https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005HB0FRU/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1for several months now.. I find them to be superior in most aspects verses the Depend Guards For Men..The Prevail Male Guards:- are about the same size, weight, and dimensions as the Depend Guards For Men- absorb significantly more leakage than do the Depends- control overflow much better than the Depends- have a longer and much stronger adhesive strip to hold the pad in place- cost slightly more than Depends but usage rate is much lower than the Depends; the cost about balances out between the two.- are just as convenient to use and dispose of as the Depends- in my opinion, are a superior product to the Depend Guards For Men, Maximum AbsorbencyI hope this information helps make life more comfortable, and dry, for others who use these types of products..

as described. works great. has adhesive strength.

This product supersedes other products of the same. Absorbency, durability make this product a quality item. Worth the $

The product is great but sadly the driver delivered it to the wrong address. My apartment number is 102 and it was delivered to 202.The product is superior to off brands.

Perfect for the occasional drip or ten!

Product does what seller says it does.

Great quality for the price

The 168 count is not as absorbent as buying the 1 or 2 box count.