I was launched into the bewildering world of disability as a result of a spinal injury from a road traffic accident in the late 1980’s. Right from the start continence was a big issue even when I was confined to a bed for the first 12 weeks after the accident. I had always taken for granted the ability to control when and where I went to the toilet. I was soon to learn that until you take control of your bladder it literally takes control of you!
During my rehabilitation in a spinal unit as a full time wheelchair user, I had to relearn the simple day to day tasks we all take for granted. I was lucky enough to be given a choice of bladder management options and decided early on not to go for the urine drainage bag, whether connected to an indwelling catheter or urinary sheath. Freedom from the permanent attachment to any medical product I felt was important, it helped me to maintain a feeling of independence from all things medical, at least for some of the time.
I was originally taught how to intermittently catheterise (ISC) during the last few weeks I spent in bed whilst my injuries healed. I started using a PVC-catheter and lubricating gel (which can be a bit messy), emptying my bladder into a plastic bag (which hopefully did not leak) that was then disposed of by a nurse. Easy, as in a hospital ward I had all the facilities and time in the world, with a nurse only a call away if I should need help.
From this point on the problems started. Once installed in a wheelchair I continued with the same ISC technique but found that passing a catheter was very difficult (sometimes even drawing blood). It was several weeks before a healthcare professional that had come across this problem before told me that a different position is required when catheterising from a wheelchair (feet off the footrests to straighten the urethra, or plumbing to most of us non medical people). Now all of a sudden I had to remember to carry enough catheters, lubricating gel, plastic bags, disinfectant wipes and other such stuff around with me. Not forgetting to allow time to find an accessible toilet, which was not always as easy as it should have been in a hospital and almost impossible when I started to go out into the big bad world.
I was also plagued with urinary tract infections (UTIs) in the early days, the first signs of which was the urge to go to the toilet frequently, often leaking before getting there.
It was several months after I had been discharged from hospital that a chance meeting with another wheelchair user in a local bar introduced me to LoFric® self-lubricating catheters. I can honestly say that no single product has ever made such a dramatic impact on my life! They not only dramatically reduced the amount of time I spent in the toilet (up to 10 minutes per visit in those days) but also resolved my problem of recurring UTIs. An additional bonus is that self lubricating catheters do not leave your clothes in a mess and you wondering about discharges of yucky stuff that usually turned out to be a byproduct of using a lubricating gel.
Needless to say there were numerous other trials and tribulations in the first few years after my accident. With a positive attitude and a bit of luck in the majority of cases you can find a satisfactory way to sort them out. I am left wondering that perhaps I should write a book titled “If only I knew then what I know now!” Because so much of what I have learned since being plunged into the world of disability over the years has literally been “reinventing the wheel”. Ironically it was a chance meeting in a bar that introduced me to LoFric® catheters, not one of the many hundreds of healthcare professionals I have seen over the years.