www.incontinentsupport.org

Hi Dave065.
I have found great support here,and have been dealing with more severe incontinence since my last back operation for Cuadia Equina nearly 2 years ago.
It is indeed looking like a long term situation in my case too,though there are some goods days here and there,when things seem to work better.


Rorg

Thank You Puffy Pants & rorg for the welcome. Let's hope for drier days and a cure for all.

I Think my incontinence was caused by years or drinking soft drinks in excess. It was not uncommon for me to have a 12oz can of Coke and another of Dr. Pepper for lunch. If we went out to eat would have to get my cup refilled twice before the food arrived. 12 Pack may last a day. It was bad.
I was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis and shortly after began wearing tape on briefs. The condition caused a hardening of my bladder muscle which in time made it near useless.
Sad thing is at this point, there is not much I can do other than manage it as best as I can. I will need some type of protection for the rest of my life.

Hello all,

I think I never responded to this topic. I am bowel incontinent due to an old rock climbing accident which fractured my pelvis and required pelvic reconstruction surgery. I was left with considerable nerve damage to the anal sphincter and rectum, leaving me with severely impaired sensing and diminished sphincter control.

I could overcompensate somewhat when I was younger, but, as I became older, things went south. Bowel incontinence definitely is a bummer, but nonetheless, I have learned how to cope pretty well. I have posted elsewhere that I use daily enemas to prevent fecal incontinence during the day and wear diapers 24/7. If you saw me, you would not realize that I am wearing a diaper.

I have learned some useful tricks from reading the older messages in the archives.

Best wishes to all,

--JD

I AM WITH YOU on NOT using expensive tablets etc etc when there are NO guarantees what-so-ever as to their effectiveness and problematical side effects! Thankfully my wife has always been 100% supportive as to my choice(s) as to how to handle my problem .. not her problem .. but my problem. /s/ Tewi

My doctors have told me that my double incontinence is caused by Marfan syndrome. Marfan is a genetic disease in which the body makes defective fibrilin. Fibrilin is a large molecule, with tens of thousands of atoms and hundreds of places where it can go wrong. It is a structural protein, shaped like a rope, and it gives strength to the walls of blood vessels, heart valves, spinal discs, ligaments, tendons, the larynx, etc.. Marfan can be lethal, with the worst cases needing heart surgery during childhood, and some of them do not live to see their twentieth birthday. My case is much milder, but it has given me plenty of grief nonetheless. Primarily it has attacked my spinal discs, pinching and irritating the nerves that control my stomach, colon, rectum and bladder, and it also gives me sciatica from time to time. Because there is no cure, I see a list of doctors each year whose job is to deal with whatever symptoms have begun since my last appointment. I have been in several genetic studies, and have had assorted doctors, medical students, and researchers poking me and administering the embarrassing exams with all incontinents are familiar.

Hi everyone,

as I haven´t explained with many details how my incontinence started and I saw here everybody did, I´m now sharing also the story of how all began. I´m surprised to see lots of members are spinal injuried like me and that many of you recovered (more or less) mobility too, and a lot of caudus equina sindrom, but mine is different. wow, I´m not focused. Let´s start from the beginnig.
First, as I said somewhere in other post, I was bed wetter until 16, but then it stopped. For the following 8 years I just had 1 accident caused by a comitial attack (kind of epilepsy caused by anxiety) but just that day, and then in may 2004 I crashed with a motobike (I was passager not driver) and when I tried to walk I fell to the floor, I couldn´t move the right leg. I had what´s called "Brown Sequard sindrom" that´s the name of a half broke spine, not very common cause normally an accident affect to all the spinal cord not just a half. When this happens you lose mobility in one leg and sensitivity in the other, not like a paraplejia that´s in both. The luck I had was that the vertebra was L4, and thanks to that at 72 hours I started to move the foot fingers. I spent a month with the wheelchair and 5 more with crutches to finally remain as I am now: I can´t move the right foot, don´t feel anything under L4 in the left leg, and have neurogenic bladder and total urine loss.

At first I denied what happened but With the time I assumed reality and how lucky I had been. I swore to myself that I won´t change anything of what I could do and that´s what I´ve done until today (also say that my doctor told in last revision that each time it´s worse and it´s possible in some years to lose more mobility) and I try to enjoy every day at maximum. Truly to have wetted the bed helped me to live with incontinence because I had an open mind about incontinent people, but anyway my personality is to live and let live, to enjoy as much as I can and to act without hiding yourself or living ashamed. And believe me if I say I feel happy doing it that way and proud of what I´ve done in life to this moment.

Well, that´s my story. Hope haven´t been too long and expect it´s interesting to you as yours had been interesting to me. Thanks for listening. Salutations!!

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CARPE DIEM ET QUAM MINIMUM CREDULA POSTERO

Hi Lord Duque.
You certainly have been unlucky. But congrats for being positive and not restricting yourself due to being incontinent.
Certainly it's all about adapting to the situation as best possible,I have found that tacking time off wearing protection helps when at home and near the toilet helps to feel somewhat normal.

Hello rorg,

thanks for your answer and support. About luck or unluck it depends of how you look at it, to have a broken spine is definitely not lucky, buy if you consider that just 1 centimeter up I´d have a monoplejia since then and to the rest of life, then it isn´t that unfortunate, is it? Specially when I´m friend of a woman with L3 and she´s in wheelchair, and you realise the importance of that centimeter. And about the incontinence it´s what I said, I don´t want to waste life hiding, but I had the luck until now of having a very comprehensive and supporting environment of friends, girlfriends and family. These years made me see that it´s possible to have a very normal life being incontinent, sometimes it´s a bit harder but just a few moments, the key is not having shame of yourself and being confident on you and then the rest becomes easier, as experience has taught to me. Talking about you, why are you incontinent if I may ask? And thanks again for your support. I wish you courage, and until the next! I´ll post again soon. Salutations from Duque.

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CARPE DIEM ET QUAM MINIMUM CREDULA POSTERO

Hi yes I am incontinent due to a series of back injuries and more lately cuadia equina syndrome which has escalated my incontinence,I suffer from mainly urgent issues but not nighttime bedwetting as yet.I am very active and try to decreetly suffer the issues of incontinence.
I have a test shortly which may help to releave some issues but I a scepticical of it so will see what happens.
Rorg