Misconceptions concerning Men’s Liberty

A few months back we attended the Los Angeles Abilities Expo and it was a true learning experience for us. Meeting new people in different cities across the U.S. and helping them find a better solution to manage their incontinence can be truly rewarding, especially since most of the time we are working from our home office and don’t get to meet our patients face-to-face. But, one of the most important things we learned from speaking with our patients was that the terminology we use to describe Men’s Liberty can be confusing. Now I know the Liberty can be confusing for new patients because the design is revolutionary and it probably doesn’t look like anything you’ve seen before. But it’s design is honestly what makes it special. So let’s take some time to address a few of the common misconceptions many patients have about the Liberty.

Misconceptions about Men’s Liberty

1. Hydrocolloid IS NOT glue:

Hydrocolloid is a medical adhesive made from completely biodegradable, food grade materials. Unlike glue, it contains NO latex and is NOT plastic based. This allows hydrocolloid to be very skin friendly. It is often used to treat burn victims due to its gentle adhesion to the skin.

2. The Integral Collection Chamber:

Many patients ask “what will happen when the pouch fills up completely? Will it just pop?” The answer is simple, No. Liberty has been on the market since 2006 and we have never had a single report of a pouch bursting while being used by a patient. The Liberty has undergone extensive testing and the integral collection chamber has been tested to hold up to 4 psi without bursting open.

Now that may not sound like much, however, to put that into perspective you could have a 200+ pound man stand on top of the pouch and it would not pop. Yes, we have filled the pouch up and had the heaviest guy in the office stand on it (he’s a little more than 200 lbs but we don’t tell him that). The resilience of the pouch comes from the fact that there is no glue used to hold the pouch together, it is actually “welded” together to form one cohesive piece.

3. The Anti-Reflux Valve:

The next misconception is that once the pouch fills up completely, the urine will start to back up and reach the tip of the penis; this could cause skin irritation and health complications. However, the anti-reflux valve solves this problem, once the urine enters the pouch it cannot go back up.

To put this to the test, I personally tried this during my own in-office experiment the other day. I took the Liberty and filled it up with water to capacity. I then stood on it, turned it upside down, squeezed the pouch, shook the pouch. But no matter how hard I tried I could not get the water to come out of the pouch. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need to empty it when it gets full. It’s designed to hold approximately 8.5 fluid ounces (250 ML).

So that’s what I learned at the Abilities Expo – is there anything I left out? Any questions or misconceptions you’d like to burst? Let me know in the comments and I’ll answer them next time!