JAMES IN HOSPITAL

James was a bright, popular ten year old boy in the 1950's. If you'd 
asked him, he'd have told you how happy he was. He had a loving mother 
and a dad who played football with him on Sundays after church which 
helped him practice the skills he needed for the school football team 
which played its matched every Saturday during the season with practice 
every Thursday after school. James enjoyed most lessons, but he lived 
for his football. It was the big match of the season – a real grudge 
match between James' school and the next primary school which between 
them always won the football trophy. This year it was all on this, the 
last match of the season. If James' school won, then they'd be the 
champions, but if the other school won, they'd steal the championship 
and James and the rest of the team weren't about to let that happen.

It was a vicious match with the referee having to show several yellow 
cards. James was just about to score when he was barged hard in the 
chest by a defender from the other team who also hooked his legs from 
under him. As James fell backwards, he instinctively put both hands 
behind him to break his fall. He fell across his wrists and both heard 
and felt both wrists snap as his weight bore down on them. As he fell, 
he heard the referee whistling for a foul. The game was stopped while a 
teacher ran into the school to phone for an ambulance. James' mum and 
dad ran over to him as he laid there desperately trying not to cry in 
front of the other team. The referee came over to see how he was and 
knelt down beside him. "You're a brave lad. That was an evil foul. I'm 
awarding a penalty and then I'll blow up for the end of the match. 
That'll leave your school two goals up if your mate can score, but 
you've won anyway." James gave a small smile at this wonderful news. It 
wasn't so bad: he'd not let his team down and they'd won the cup again. 
He laid there, covered by a blanket brought by the school secretary as 
they waited for the ambulance. His wrists really hurt and he was 
desperate not to show how much pain he really was in.

The ambulance arrived and James was given the black rubber mask 
connected to a cylinder of Entonox. The ambulance man held it over his 
nose and mouth and told him to take lots of deep breaths. He could hear 
the hiss and click from the demand valve as the mixture of nitrous 
oxide and oxygen entered his lungs. In a short time, his head felt like 
it would fly away and he felt as if he was floating. He was lifted onto 
a stretcher and carried into the ambulance. There his mother was asked 
to hold the mask over James' mouth and nose while the ambulance men 
fastened splints to each arm to support the fractures while they took 
him to hospital. He was taken to the Children's Hospital, although he 
couldn't remember much about the journey as the Entonox mask held to 
his face ensured that he stayed pain free on the gas. At the hospital, 
he was X-rayed and the doctor announced that James' arms were too 
swollen to set that day and that he'd be admitted to the orthopaedic 
ward for his arms to be set the next day and for a couple of days 
afterwards to give him chance to recover from the surgical procedure. 
His mother and father went with him on the trolley up to the ward where 
the accompanying nurse handed over the documentation and reported to 
sister about James and his admission. Sister directed them to an empty 
bed and then instructed two nurses to attend to James. The nurses came 
back with a trolley loaded with various items including a large rubber 
sheet and a bowl of steaming water. The rubber sheet was laid on top of 
the bedding and then covered with two thick towels. James was gently 
lifted from the trolley onto the towels and then his parents were 
politely, but firmly, requested to leave. They trolley on which James 
had been brought upstairs was removed and the curtains pulled around 
his bed. One nurse, the one with the kind smile, spoke to James, "I'm 
Mary and this is Gill. We're going to wash all the mud off you and get 
you into bed. I'm going to be your 'special' nurse and Gill is helping 
me clean you up a bit. All right, James?"

With that, the two nurse stripped James naked, being very careful not 
to hurt him. His genital area was covered with a dry wash cloth to 
cover his modesty while they washed him literally from head to foot, 
removing all the mud and rinsing him clean and spotless. "Good boy, 
James, that can't have been comfortable, " Mary said to him. "Gill, 
would you leave us for a moment, please?" Gill left the curtained area 
around James' bed and Mary sat down beside James. "James, I need to 
explain something to you. I know you're not a baby, but I'm going to 
have to put you in nappies and rubber pants. Every patient on this ward 
is wearing nappies and rubber pants because most of our patients have 
to stay in bed and that's the way the hospital deals with toileting 
from them. For some children, being in hospital makes them wet the bed 
at night so everyone wears nappies as the way we look after them." "I 
don't want to wear nappies 'cos I'm not a baby. I'm a big boy now. I 
don't wet the bed!" James wailed. "Yes, James, I know you're not a 
baby, but this is a hospital and this is the way all the children on 
this ward are nursed. Let me tell you a secret. Nappies feel really 
comfortable – you'll see! Please don't fight me, James, I really must 
put you in nappies. I'd get in trouble if I didn't." James had been 
taught to be obedient to those in authority so he agreed to do as he 
was told, though under protest! Mary whispered to him, "It's up to you 
how you use them. If you want to keep control for when you get home, 
hold it until you really need to go, then let it out a little at a 
time. If you just let go, your nappy may not soak it up fast enough and 
you'd leak into the bed. That way you'll still be dry at night and in 
control when we send you home. If you don't do that, you may find that 
you start wetting yourself at night so you may need nappies when you go 
home. As you're only planned to be in three days, that shouldn't 
matter, but I always warn new patients of your age."

Mary went out to fetch Gill back. "Let's get him sorted and into bed 
now," Mary said to Gill. Mary took two thick nappies off the trolley 
and Gill grasped James' ankles and lifted them off the bed so Mary 
could slide the nappies under James' bottom. Mary pulled the nappies 
tightly between James' legs and across his abdomen while Gill pinned 
them in place with four large nappy pins, being careful to put her 
fingers between the nappies and James to be sure she didn't 
accidentally stick a pin in him. Gill took a pair of semi-transparent 
rubbers off the trolley. These were a yellow-brown colour, but see 
through. Between them the nurses worked the rubber pants over James' 
ankles and legs and up over the nappies making sure that all the terry 
towelling was tucked inside the rubber pants. The pants cut into James' 
thighs and waist but the terry towelling between his legs, around his 
bottom and across his abdomen did, as Mary had promised, feel warm and 
strangely comforting.

"Now then, James, when you need to 'go', let it out slowly if you can. 
Sister gets cross if the bed gets wet because you've leaked and we get 
the blame for not putting enough nappies on you! The system is this: 
you'll be changed after tea and just before bed into a really thick set 
of night time nappies. You get a wash after breakfast and your nappies 
changed then and again after lunch for your afternoon nap which all our 
patients must have. Even if you don't want to sleep, you must be quiet 
so that others can have a rest. But I should warn you, you won't be 
having breakfast tomorrow as you're going to theatre for the doctors to 
reset your arms while you're asleep so it won't hurt you. You're not 
allowed to eat or drink before your anaesthetic. Have you been in 
hospital before, James?" "No, nurse, this is my first time." "well," 
said Gill, "I'm sure you'll be all right. It'll all seem a bit strange 
at first but you're a smart lad – you'll soon get used to it! Any 
questions at the moment, James?" "Well, um, err, what do I do if I want 
to do 'number twos' – you know," James said, blushing as he did so. 
"Well now, James, Gill said with a laugh, "You've got nappies on and we 
expect you to use them for everything! You'll be more comfortable, 
though, if you use them just before we come to change you. You'll find 
that a wet nappy isn't bad at all, but a dirty one can be a bit 
uncomfortable." "Can't I use a toilet or something?" James asked in 
anguish. "Sorry, James," said Mary, "but it has to be the nappies, I'm 
afraid, and if you don't 'go' as often as sister thinks you should, 
she' has ways of making you 'go', some of which aren't much fun for 
you." With that, the nurses got James into a hospital gown and put him 
in bed, clearing away all the wet towels and rubber sheet. Mary turned 
to him, "I know you can't drink, so you're down for regular drinks 
which we'll bring you. But if you're extra thirsty, just ask one of us 
and we'll get you one. OK?" James nodded, mortified by the thought that 
he not only had to wet his nappies but soil them as well. He discovered 
that there was a rubber sheet between the mattress and the bottom 
sheet, a rubber draw sheet under a cotton one and rubber covers on the 
pillows: they meant to keep things dry, he thought to himself.

Gill went to report to sister that James was washed, in his nappies and 
in bed while Mary went to dispose of the towels and things in the 
appropriate places. "How did he take it, nurse," asked sister. "I'm 
afraid he is very, very unhappy about being back in nappies," reported 
Gill. "Well, yes, I can understand that," sister replied, but he'll 
have to learn to put up with it. It'll only be three days in his case. 
He can think himself lucky he's not got a fractured femur and would be 
here in nappies for three months! I'm going to suggest to the night 
staff that they give him a strong purgative with his night drink: he'll 
need clearing out before theatre so we'll kill two birds with the same 
stone, nurse. He's down for chloral hydrate tonight to help him to 
sleep so that should do the trick nicely!"

Later that afternoon James' parents came to see him. In those days it 
was an hour on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and an hour each weekday 
evening from 6 until 7 o'clock as it was felt then that parents visits 
upset both the children and the ward routine. When visiting was over, 
Mary came, wearing a white rubber apron, to give James a drink. She 
helped him to sit up as she tied a green rubber bib, with a 'catch-all' 
pocket for crumbs and dribbles, around his neck. "I don't need a bib. 
I'm not a baby who dribbles everywhere," James said, crossly. "No 
James, but you can't use your arms and we have to help you." With that, 
she sat on the bed and laid James upper body across her lap. Before he 
could protest, she stuck the teat of a baby bottle between his lips as 
he opened his mouth and told him firmly, "Suck!" James drank his orange 
juice that way as she explained that sister wanted children who 
couldn't feed themselves to drink from a bottle as it didn't spill if 
dropped. "Sorry, James, but we all have to do what the sisters say and 
the general agreement is bottles for those who can't drink for 
themselves."

At tea-time, James was propped up in bed, still wearing his bib, by 
Mary and Gill who then went to prop up a girl who couldn't use her 
hands because they were covered in bandages. Gill went to feed the girl 
while Mary fed James. James hated being fed. It just didn't square with 
him being old enough to go to secondary school in the September of the 
following year when he was eleven. After tea, all the curtains were 
drawn around every bed and a trolley heaped high with nappies, rubber 
pants, towels, nappy cream and bowls of water for washing was brought 
into the ward. When James saw the trolley and the curtains being 
closed, he guessed that he'd been told the truth and that everyone was 
indeed in nappies. That didn't make it so bad, he felt. Mary came in 
and asked him if he had wet his nappy yet. James was bursting to go, 
but really didn't want to give in to the inevitable. "Not yet, nurse," 
he said. "Well James, I'll give you a few more minutes while I go to 
change someone else. When I come back, I want a wet nappy to change. 
You must be bursting by now!"

James lay there and tried to overcome his conditioning. Not only was he 
going to break the "thou shalt not wet thyself" part of his toilet 
training, but the "thou shalt not wet thy bed" one as well. He knew he 
was wetting his nappy, but it felt like he would be wetting the bed if 
he 'let go'. He struggled and eventually a hot stream of urine started 
to flood out into his nappy. He remembered Mary's instructions and kept 
slowing down the flow to allow time for the terry toweling to soak it 
up. To his surprise, he found the warm wet feeling wasn't anything like 
as bad as he thought. He struggled with this a bit, but sort of 
admitted to himself that it felt quite nice. Mary cam back and put her 
hands between his legs on the rubber pants. She could fell the warmth 
of the urine soaked terry toweling through the rubber. "Good boy, 
James. I'll change you now and be back again in a few minutes to give 
you a drink." James found that he liked his nappy being changed. Mary 
washed him, dried him and rubbed cream all over his bottom as James 
rolled over to allow her to do this. She managed to get James into the 
nappies by herself, but called for help, which was soon forthcoming, to 
get his rubbers up over his legs and around his bottom.

After all the children had been changed, the curtains were drawn back 
and one of the nurses sat in the middle of the room to read to them 
all. While she was doing this, other nurses went to children who 
couldn't use their hands to give them a bottle of water to drink from. 
James also had another bottle of water to drink. James thought, as he 
sucked at the bottle, that this would shortly be reappearing into a 
very wet nappy!

The night shift swapped with the afternoon shift and one nurse 
disappeared to refill the nappy change trolley while the others went 
round pulling curtains. Two nurses came through the curtains to change 
James. This time James was put in really thick nappies so that he 
couldn't bring his heels together as the bulk of the warm nappy between 
his legs was so thick that it pushed his legs apart. One nurse went out 
to the trolley and came back with two pairs of rubber pants. She held 
them up to her colleague. "Should we put him in pop on pants or pull-
ons?" James realised that the children who had their legs in traction 
must have the popper pants as he'd wondered how the nurses changed 
their nappies with their legs up in the air like they were. He'd also 
realised that it was probably much easier for the nurses just to change 
nappies on those patients than to deal with their toilet needs another 
way. It made sense, he supposed, for all the patients to be treated the 
same. "Oh we can put pull-ups on him – he'd leak otherwise as he can 
probably turn on his side even with the splints." James wished that 
they'd talk to him rather than each other as the afternoon staff had 
spoken to him. When they finished, they left him, pulling the curtains 
open. When all the children were in their thick night time nappies, the 
nurses came round with bedtime drinks. There was a choice of Ovaltine 
or milk. When the nurses came to James, he was asked which he wanted. 
He chose the plain milk. One nurse picked up a baby bottle and filled 
it with milk. She then took a second bottle and poured in some liquid 
from a blue glass bottle which contained chloral hydrate. She added 
some orange juice and some crystals from a carton using a teaspoon to 
measure three spoonfuls. She put the large hole teat on the bottle and, 
squeezing the teat shut, she shook the bottle hard until all the 
crystals dissolved. She put the bottles on James' bedside cabinet and 
then put on a white rubber apron. James was still wearing the green 
rubber bib and he was helped to sit up so that the nurse could lie him 
back across her legs as she gave him the bottles. "James, the first 
bottle is some medicine to help you sleep. It tastes a bit funny so 
I've added some juice to make it taste better. I suggest you drink it 
down as fast as you can, then I'll give you your milk." She held the 
bottle between his lips and James obeyed her by sucking as hard as he 
could. He quickly emptied the bottle, grimacing at the salty taste. She 
then offered the second bottle which he drank more slowly. She then 
helped him to lie back and tucked him in for the night, wishing him a 
good night's sleep.

She went around with the other two nurses until all the children had 
had their drinks and been bedded down for the night. They went to the 
nurses' station which was a desk in the middle of the ward. While two 
of them got out their knitting, he other turned on the light on the 
desk and turned out the ward lights. "Good night, children," she said 
to them all. James was already feeling very drowsy from the effects of 
the chloral hydrate. One of the nurses who'd dealt with James whispered 
to the third, "I don't know what he'd done to annoy sister, but the 
amount of Epsom Salts she'd written up for him to have tonight will 
certainly make a very messy nappy for him before morning. I wonder 
whether he'll wake up when he soils himself?" "Oh yes, I think he will. 
He's going to be filling that nappy for some time tonight. I suspect 
he's objected to filling his nappy and sister decided to clean him out 
tonight rather than in the morning." The third said, "That's cruel!" 
"Yes, but he's got to get used to using his nappy sometime – it may as 
well be now!"

James woke in the early hours of the morning because his insides were 
churning from the Epsom Salts he'd been given. As he woke, he realised 
that he'd not only wet his nappy but soiled it as well. He started 
crying quietly, aware that he might be in trouble if he woke the other 
children in the ward. As he did so, another wave of contractions forced 
him to release yet more liquid stool into his nappy. He could hear it 
gurgling as he released it totally out of his control. As he did so, he 
also felt himself releasing more urine into his soaking nappy. What was 
happening to him? The night sister was on her rounds of her wards and 
came in to hear James' quiet sobs. She went over and whispered quietly 
to him to ask him what the matter was. He told her and she went to 
check with the nurses. She came back to him and told him that he'd not 
only been given a sleeping draught, but a strong dose of laxatives as 
well and that she wasn't surprised that he'd 'had an accident' as he 
had put it to her. "Try to empty yourself as much as you can," she said 
to him. "I'll ask the nurses to change you and give you some juice to 
drink to help you to settle down. You can also have a bottle of water 
if you want as you can't have any more to drink after that until you've 
been to theatre. Don't worry. There's nothing wrong with you! That's 
part of the reason you're all in nappies on the ward. Sleeping draughts 
do tend to cause you to wet your nappy in your sleep as it makes you so 
sleepy you don't realise it's happening," she told him kindly. "You may 
still have some more to come, but I suspect it won't be a lot now." 
With that, she went to the nurses and gave her instructions that he was 
to be changed and give a drink.

A few minutes later, after he'd forced out all he could and could feel 
the warm wet mess between his legs, two nurses came to him and pulled 
the curtains around him. They put the light over his bed on low and 
placed a rubber sheet and towel under him while he was washed to clean 
him up and changed into another thick dry nappy. The light was turned 
off and the curtains opened. One of the nurses came back with a bottle 
of juice, another of water and the blue bottle of the chloral hydrate. 
She carefully measured out a dose of the sleeping draught and told 
James that she'd been allowed to give him one more dose that night.

"It'll settle you to sleep again, but don't be surprised if you wake up 
with a wet nappy." The nurses cuddled him and gave him the bottle of 
juice and chloral hydrate and, as he was still thirsty, the bottle of 
water. They then settled him back down to sleep.

In the morning, he was gently shaken awake to find that all the other 
children had had breakfast. The nurse who had woken him said, "We let 
you sleep until they'd had their breakfast as we thought you'd rather 
not see them all eating." James thanked her as he felt really hungry, 
perhaps made worse by knowing he couldn't eat with the rest. "You're 
going to theatre soon, so I'm going to get you ready. The curtains were 
pulled around him as the nurse was joined by another. His rubber bib 
which had been tied round his neck and his waist was removed together 
with his gown. They proceeded to wash his face, then arms, working down 
to his feet. His nappy was then removed and his nappy area thoroughly 
washed and creamed. He hadn't released any more stool into his nappy, 
but he'd decided he liked having a wet nappy so, despite needing to 
'go' somewhat, he held on to it while he was being washed and changed. 
This time four nappies were pinned around him making his legs spread 
even further. A pair of larger rubber pants was pulled over his legs, 
but still with the same tight waist and leg bands to seal the wetness 
in. "As the doctors need to get to your arms, we won't be putting a 
gown on you. I'll just give you an injection into your leg which will 
make your mouth dry and may make you drowsy. They'll be coming for you 
soon, but don't worry. You'll be back here very soon with your arms in 
plaster." with that, she gave him the injection in his leg and the 
nurses left him still with the curtains drawn around his bed. Once they 
were gone, and with a sigh of relief, he let his bladder empty into his 
new nappies, enjoying the way the warmth spread across his tummy and 
down between his legs and round his bottom. "Mary was right," he 
thought to himself, "wearing nappies can be nice."

A few minutes later, his mouth felt very dry but he didn't feel at all 
drowsy. The curtains were pulled back a little and a porter with a 
trolley came into the curtained area around his bed. "Hallo, James," he 
said, "I've come to take you to have your arms set in plaster." A nurse 
was with him and they gently lifted James onto the trolley. The nurse 
covered him with a draw sheet lengthways and a blanket to keep him warm 
as they set off to the lift. On the ground floor he was wheeled to the 
theatre where they stopped with him just outside the theatre doors. A 
nurse dressed in green gown, cap and white cotton mask opened the door 
of the theatre. She received the notes from the ward nurse and took 
them inside. She came back with another nurse and carried James into 
the theatre between them. They laid him on the cold black rubber 
surface of the operating table. A lady in white at his head said, 
"James, I'm the doctor who's going to put you to sleep for the other 
doctors to set your arms in plaster. In a moment, I'm going to put this 
rubber mask over your face." She held up the black rubber mask with the 
corrugated black rubber tubing snaking from it to the anaesthetic 
machine which had glass bottles, dials, gauges and a big rubber bag 
hanging from it. "I'll put a strap round your head to hold it in place 
and you'll hear some hissing noises. That's just oxygen for you to 
breathe. When you're comfortable, I'll turn on the gas and you'll drift 
off to sleep. When you wake up, your arms will be in plaster and it'll 
all be over. You're a big sensible boy so you know I'm trying to help 
you get better so you can score more goals!" James was about to speak 
when she laughed and said that they knew all about his footballing 
skills. "James, when you can smell the gas, I'd like you to try to take 
deep breaths so you'll go to sleep more quickly. I can assure you that 
you'll find it better that way!" With that, she took a pillow in the 
shape of a roll and put it under James' neck so his head tilted back 
with his chin upwards to keep his airway clear. She placed a lack 
rubber 'thing' under his head and bent over the anaesthetic machine and 
turned a control. James heard a hissing sound and she reached over his 
face with the rubber mask. She placed it over his nose and mouth and, 
holding it in place, a nurse came and pulled the straps from the 
'thing' under his head to hook on the mask to hold it tightly to his 
face. James could smell the anaesthetic in the tubing and mask and 
tuned his head sideways to look at the machine. As he breathed in and 
out, the rubber bag inflated and deflated. "Are you comfortable, 
James?" she asked. James turned to look upwards at her seated behind 
him, and nodded. "Are you ready now?" she asked the doctor who nodded. 
"Good lad, I'm going to turn the gas on now and you'll start to smell 
it. Remember to take the deep breaths. Shut your eyes now and you'll 
soon be asleep."

James could smell the anaesthetic which made him want to cough at 
first. He struggled to take deep breaths as he was told and a blackness 
descended over him. As it did so, he felt his bladder let go again into 
his already wet nappy and he smiled to himself. He could still hear the 
theatre staff talking among themselves, but gradually he could both 
hear and feel a buzzing as the anaesthetic rendered him unconscious 
rapidly. He woke up back on the ward where he noticed several things. 
The anaesthetic had made him feel rather nauseous, his arms were in 
plaster and feeling sore and his nappy was wet and felt nice between 
his legs. Mary came over to him. "Do your arms hurt, James?" He nodded 
as he was still a little drowsy from the anaesthetic. "Would you like 
an injection to help with the pain?" James mumbled a definite 'yes' to 
her. She left him and came back with Gill to give him an injection of 
morphine which sent him back to sleep again. When he woke, he felt much 
better although his mouth was dry. Mary came over and asked if he was 
ready for a drink. James said with his dry mouth, "Yes please!" She 
went away and came back with a bottle. "Small sips at first to see if 
you feel sick at all. If you try to drink too much at once you may be 
sick and we don't want that to happen!" Slowly James drank the whole 
bottle. A little while later, some of that drink ended up in his nappy 
followed a little later by the rest of it. He really did like the fell 
of the wet nappy, he decided. His parents were allowed a quick visit 
just to reassure them that he was all right. Over the next few hours, 
he was given several bottles of water and his nappies changed. 
Eventually, he was given some milk after he'd been changed for night 
time with really thick nappies again. He settled down to sleep and 
later, as the night nurse did her rounds, she smiled to herself to see 
that his thumb had crept into his mouth. The next morning, James felt 
fine.

He was expecting to go home that day. How he would manage for his 
toileting needs was another matter, but he was sure that he would 
manage somehow, perhaps with his dad's or mum's help. Sister came over 
to see him. "James, I've got some bad news for you. I'm afraid you'll 
be staying here until your plaster casts come off and you can look 
after yourself. That'll be about six weeks, I would expect." James was 
about to say something, but sister continued. "Your mother was admitted 
to the General Hospital last evening with appendicitis which turned 
into peritonitis. She was operated on immediately and is recovering 
well. Unfortunately she will be in hospital for some time and won't be 
able to look after you. Your little sister is with your grandmother, 
but she feels that she can't look after you as well, so I'm afraid it's 
here you'll stay." "I won't have to stay in nappies, will I?" James 
asked. "Yes, James. It's ward policy and I make no exceptions. You'll 
be in nappies and rubber pants until you leave to go home. I'd get used 
to it now, if I were you. But don't worry, your mother really is making 
a good recovery and will be home before you, although she will be 
looking after herself for a while until she's fully healed and won't be 
able to look after you until your casts are off." With this, she left a 
very glum James. He did want to get home, although the answer about 
nappies and the rubber pants was one which pleased him greatly. He'd 
decided that, as all the children wore them, he'd make the most of it!

During the course of his stay, he became constipated on several 
occasions, but he found he was actually enjoying the feeling of a wet 
and dirty nappy tightly between his legs. Just like many of the 
children who were long stay on that orthopaedic ward, he soon forgot 
Mary's advice about 'holding back' and soon he was wetting and soiling 
without even being aware of it, both at night and during the day as 
well. He enjoyed being spoon-fed and drinking from a bottle, cuddled up 
to a nurse, as well as being washed and cared for by them. James was 
quite disappointed when his plasters were cut from his arms and the X-
ray showed that the bones had set. The next day he went home, still in 
nappies and rubber pants, along with a supply of both rubbers and 
nappies as well as a rubber sheet for his mattress, which the hospital 
had loaned out until James was dry again. Strangely enough, he was wet 
at night for some considerable time. His father bought some nappies and 
rubber pants so they could return the supplies sent by the hospital. 
James stayed in rubbers and nappies at night, by choice, 'just in case' 
even though he didn't have any 'accidents'. When he was poorly with 
influenza or the like, he would be put back in nappies while he was in 
bed during the daytime as well and would have 'little accidents' which 
the doctor said was understandable.

Now James is grown up, married and lives away from his parents. He 
married a nurse who loves to 'baby' her husband in rubber pants and 
nappies, feeding him and cuddling him to give him a bottle to drink 
from. They have a baby of their own so James' nappies don't look 
strange on the washing line. Don't you just envy James?