The other day, I was “babysitting” my ill grandpa while grandma went out to play bridge with her girlfriends…and during the day, when I used her bathroom to take a leak, I noticed on top of the toilet tank, in full view, a large box of Kotex panty liners. Now, clearly my mind began thinking, “Why on earth would my grandma need panty liners? Clearly, she’s not having periods anymore…” Well, right then the “TMI Control” part of my brain cut off that train of thought 
but still, I’m wondering how something like that could possibly useful to someone her age. Any ideas?
Urinary incontinence coupled with too much pride to wear Depends cause they are too much like diapers?
That was my thought. If she’s not having major leakage issues, panty liners could give her some coverage without being too bulky.
This is tmi but my grandad used to use them for bleeding hemorrhoids. Panty liners are very thin and would be good for any type of minor incontinance.
Maybe they don’t belong to your grandparents at all. Maybe one of your aunts or cousins left them there.
I have some huggies in my bathroom and Gin in my freezer. This just means that I have some regular houseguests.
According to a book her daughter wrote, Marlene Dietrich used to use this method to hide her incontinence. (She actually stacked the things when she wore them because one wasn’t absorbant enough.) She was afraid that the maids in hotels might tell the newspapers, and that it might hurt her image. It was better for them to believe she still menstruated at the age of sixty.
Umm well most women don’t use panty liners JUST during their period. Most women I know use them daily to help keep the underwear nice and fresh since (and here’s a big TMI) the female vagina is always secreting moisture of small amounts to keep everything nice and comfy in there.
eeeewwwwwwwww.
My Grandmother (85-ish at the time) used them for minor incontinence. I know because I heard my Mother ask her.
It wasn’t something I particularly wanted to delve into, myself.
“According to a book her daughter wrote, Marlene Dietrich used to use this method to hide her incontinence. (She actually stacked the things when she wore them because one wasn’t absorbant enough.) She was afraid that the maids in hotels might tell the newspapers, and that it might hurt her image. It was better for them to believe she still menstruated at the age of sixty.”
—And thank you, Maria Riva, for telling us that. I hope there is an afterlife, just so Marlene can bitch-slap that daughter of hers into eternity . . .
As Yuki says, some women always wear them. Or perhaps not hiding incontinence, but just absorbing a minor urinary dribble that happens to some women from time to time.
I just had to quote this, considering the screen name it comes from…
And for a really freaky TMI…
My mom is 70 and when she came off the hormone combo pren/pro last year she started spotting. The doctor said it wasn’t unusual in post-menapausal women to occasionally have light bloody discharge, especially when changing medications.
Hey I told you it was TMI!
My mother until recently was on some kind of hormone that made her have a light period every month, and she frequently had to use pads or tampons in between. She’s 77. It’s possible that your grandmother is in a similar situation.
O.o
My grandmother buys crates of menstrual pads at the local Costco. At first it seemed as though she was buying them to give to me and my mom, but I noiced that she carried a few in her handbag, too. I didn’t want to embarrass her, so I didn’t ask.
One day, my grandma and I went shopping. The shoes I wore were rubbing my feet raw, and I told her this. She produced a thin menstrual pad, cut two small pieces out of it and had me stick it to the inside of my shoe, so that I had padding for the area that was hurting. It worked very well, and the sticky part of the pad made sre it stayed in place.
So I guess that’s why my grandma has menstrual pads.
Pads also work well for large-area scrapes (knees, calves, etc). Us kids scraped ourselves up good a lot and mom would just slap some liners on (sticky side OUT).
My girl scout camp had a huge stockpile of old fashioned cotton ones … they’d wrap them around sticks and soak them in liquid fuel and use them as torches.
Maybe she had a yeast infection.
Actually, isn’t that how Kotex originated-as bandages in WWI?
My aunt used to use them when she cut her legs while shaving.
For your info, it’s pronounced, You-kee, not Yuh-kee. Although I can see where you would think otherwise. 
Unlikely. Especially since her only regular (family) visitors are her son and four grandsons. The only woman I know that would visit is my Dad’s 3rd wife, who doesn’t visit much since my grandma HATES her, and she’s not the type to leave a box of panty liners in the bathroom someplace. :eek:
Thanks to everyone for the replies…umm, I think. 
Oh! Did I mention my other grandma is getting a colonoscopy next week? She delighted in telling me about that in considerable detail…