Since catheterising, I've got my life back.
Sarah did not connect her bladder issues to her Multiple Sclerosis until 4 years after her initial diagnosis. When someone would say catheterisation, Sarah’s first thought would be an indwelling catheter – not something so small it could fit in her handbag like SpeediCath Compact Eve. Now, she uses intermittent catheters to better manage her bladder symptoms and can enjoy trips with her family.
Sarah's journey with Multiple Sclerosis started with a strange feeling in her legs. She had just given birth to her daughter, and initially, she thought she was simply exhausted. However, a couple of days later, she found she couldn’t even pick her daughter up, so she went to the hospital.
After a round of tests, a junior doctor suggested to Sarah’s husband, James, that she might have MS. However, she was told she would have to wait until she had a relapse before getting the official diagnosis. Sarah’s relapse came one year later.
One year after her first relapse, Sarah started experiencing bladder issues. She would go to the toilet, but she felt as if her bladder never really emptied. When she wasn’t on the toilet, she would suddenly urinate, without ever having felt the urge to go.
“I would hide from the world because my bladder was unpredictable.”
At first, she tried to manage the situation using pads, but they couldn’t handle the volume of urine that would come out. At no point did Sarah connect her bladder issues with her MS. Only when attending an MS workshop for children with her daughter, Charlotte, was the connection between her bladder issues and MS apparent.
“They had set up little stations that explained how MS affects the body. We got to one station that had a sports bottle filled with water. The nurse at the station said it represented the bladder, and she squeezed it. Water came out uncontrollably. Then she let go, and it stopped. But there was still water in the bottle, or bladder. At that moment, I thought, “That’s what’s happening to me.” And I realised my MS is linked with my bladder issues. That was four years after my diagnosis.”
Catheterisation was suggested as a way to help Sarah better manage her bladder. Sarah’s first thought was that this would be an indwelling catheter as she did not know that intermittent catheterisation was different.
“When they suggested I use an intermittent catheter, I initially thought no, because I imagined it would be an indwelling catheter. I never imagined that what I use now is an actual catheter.”
Sarah did not expect an intermittent catheter would be compact enough to fit easily in her handbag. Her Coloplast nurse presented her with several options, and she chose SpeediCath® Compact Eve. Sarah was able to learn how to perform intermittent catheterisation relatively fast with a Coloplast nurse on standby in case she needed support. And, as she puts it, it's been onward and upwards ever since.
“I got my first training with the intermittent catheter on a Friday afternoon. I was left to my own devices over the weekend, but the nurse gave me her phone number so I could get in touch with her if I had any questions. She texted me over the weekend to hear how I was getting on with it and if I had any questions. But honestly, it only took about a weekend for me to get used to using the catheter. And since I started, I can genuinely say that I haven’t wanted to give it up. The team are very supportive when I call to order new catheters, but I don’t really need that support anymore. I’m comfortable with it on my own.”
“I just go to the toilet like everyone else. The difference is I'm using an intermittent catheter in a cubicle.”
Since Sarah has begun using intermittent catheters, she has found she can now enjoy trips with her family, drive a nice car, and lead an active life. Her daily life is no longer governed by worries about accidents or concerns about the location of the nearest toilet.
“I can take my daughter to the park and be okay that there's not a toilet nearby. She's a lot happier knowing that I'm happier.”
PM-25305