Body adaptations

I have a supra pubic catheter, and wear the bag on my thigh. This was a problem at first because the drainage tube stopped at my knee, and I like to wear trousers. I contacted Simpla (catheter company) who said they could not help, so my husband, bless his socks, has made some extension pipes using old night drainage bags which have longer pipes. This also means that I have 2 taps to stop the flow therefore it’s less prone to leaks if one of the taps gets knocked accidentally. This extension makes emptying the bag more discrete as I don’t have to raise my trouser leg to my thigh!

The only draw back to having a catheter of any sort is that I am more prone to bladder infections because my bladder has a foreign body in it (imagine your bladder with an ET alien making its self a home) The best way to combat this is to drink plenty I tend to drink half a pint of fluid every hour which at times can be difficult but its a task that I know I need to do . There are times when I need to restrict my fluid intake when I know that I am going out e.g. cinema, restaurant, church shopping, this is to avoid having to have my catheter emptied as there are times when its not appropriate to do so. By doing this I know that I am putting myself at risk of having an infection but at the same time I feel as though I am keeping my dignity. I know that as long as I make up the fluid intake when I’m home I am keeping the infections at bay. Top tip I was wisely told was for all women to drink a glass of cranberry juice everyday to keep the fairies away or ET!!!!!!   

Another thing that I managed find out for myself was the availability and usefulness of having a colostomy. Being nearly paralysed from the waist down yet having the normal use of my bowels meant that bowel function ruled my life. There were many things I could not do and places I could not go until I’d had a bowel movement - meetings with friends sometimes had to be postponed, you could see that I felt awful. I found out purely by accident that I could ask for and have surgery and a colostomy bag fitted. This was all done under an epidural so I wasn’t even “put out”. Yes, I have to be prepared for the worst and carry spares with me if I go away but this is only like a mum carrying her baby’s nappy bag with her! The colostomy bag is very discrete, I can wear normal everyday clothes without the fear that someone may see my bag. I have become very attached to by bag as it has changed my life and have even given my bag its own name Norman. When I say I’m having a problem with Norman those close to me know what I mean! I no longer have to worry about missing out on events as I can join in like the rest of them.  

For detailed information about my experiences with my catheter see this post and for details about my colostomy see this one.