Post by hobo on May 30, 2014 5:28:08 GMT -8
These are two separate problems: The first has been discussed in a previous thread. After nearly 40 yrs. of voiding on my own, dealing with bladder spasms and lower extremity spasticity, my uro urged me to try intermittent catheterization. I had resisted it for many years, because I wanted to be "normal". Within days of starting IC I found that I did not leak (ditropan helps), output increased from less than 200 cc's to 500 cc's, and bladder function was greatly improved. Urodynamic testing showed a very calm bladder and discomfort (I have full sensation in my bladder.) was reduced by at least 95%. The only downside is increased number of UTI's as IC introduces a foreign body to the urethra.
The second problem is generalized spasticity due to bladder issues; infection and bladder pressure. For years when I was working and up in my w/c for 12-14 hrs. a day I experienced severe spasticity in my legs. It was worst at mid-day and bedtime. Twenty mg baclofen wasn't enough and forty mg baclofen made me too drowsy the next day. I thought I had UTI's and kept asking my doc to send scripts to the lab for urinalysis. They always came back negative. The culprit was bladder pressure, but no medication worked effectively for me. In desperation I asked my doc to prescribe pressure mapping. This entails sitting on a grid that is hooked up to a computer. The hottest areas with the most pressure will be red, the potential problem areas will be yellow, and the safe areas will be blue or green. In my case one of the hot areas was directly under the bladder. Since I was sitting for so many hours each day, pressure would build in the bladder causing uncontrollable spasticity. I changed to a Deep Contour Jay cushion with extra gel. The gel not only provided protection but served to cool the bladder area. Within a week the spasticity problem was eliminated.
The moral of the story is that SCI is a unique experience for each of us. As I stated previously, you are the most important member of the medical team. Never stop trying to improve your own situation with education and creativity. Participate on boards like this, including CareCure and Apparalyzed. The I'net provides so many resources that would be out of reach to all of us from previous generations. Good luck.
