My name is Shailynn Taylor and I am a proud wheelchair and catheter user. For most of my life I was firm that I would never become a catheter user. I didn’t want my body to have tubes or scars, and having only experienced them after surgeries, I viewed them as painful, dehumanizing and believed it would hinder my lifestyle. I already struggled with my body image being a teen in a wheelchair and knowing that the location of the stoma would be on my stomach, I would often say, “I’ll never be able to wear a bikini if I start catheterizing” or “how will I be attractive with a hole in my stomach.” Horribly ableist thoughts born from my own internalized ableism. I carried that mindset until I was 17 years old.
It was the summer leading into my grade 12 year and I had never had a day in my life where I was able to go pee on my own. I was born with a genetic and degenerative neuromuscular disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) and lost the ability to walk at 6 years old, beginning my now 20 years of wheelchair use. I was never physically capable of transferring myself which meant every time I needed to use the washroom I was reliant on someone to transfer me on and off the toilet while also helping me with undressing and redressing in order to go pee. Picture two adults plus my 400lb wheelchair in a wheelchair bathroom stall at the mall trying to complete transfers while I had a full bladder... It wasn’t pretty. Nervous for how I would manage a bathroom and the sporadic incontinence was weighing heavily on my mind and I was craving some independence.
In July 2013 I underwent surgery for a Mitrofanoff procedure which used my appendix to create a channel from my bladder to a small stoma (basically a tiny hole) right next to my belly button. I began intermittent catheterization at 17 years old when I was without a caregiver or any time I was out of the house. My independence began to grow. A product I once thought I should be embarrassed about using, became something I was so excited to share within the SMA community, my friends, family and physicians. It was a hot topic at parties and something all my friends with SMA wanted me to demonstrate for them. It became one of those things that I will forever say I wish I did sooner.
When asking friends who are also catheter users about what products they use, Coloplast catheters became the clear favourite. A friend from the United States had shared that she used male Coloplast Speedicath® products (also available in female) and was able to use the packaging to create an extension when both ends of the packaging are open, allowing the catheter to drain into the top of the packaging and out the bottom directly into the toilet. Score!! No pee bottle always tucked into my purse or wheelchair. I have tried many catheters with this method and Coloplast is the only company with sturdy enough packaging to safely use this method, which allows me to remain in my chair and relieve myself completely independently. Due to SMA, my hands are incredibly weak which means I don’t have the ability to apply much force when inserting the catheter into my bladder. The incredible pre-lubrication solution that Coloplast uses allows for easy and ready-to-use insertion with nearly zero force required and significantly reduces the frequency of my UTI’s. Speedicath® standard catheters have hydrophilic-coating and polished eyelets that allows for a safe, easy, and convenient catheterization with minimal preparation.
Being a catheter user has changed my life. It has given me confidence and independence I had never experienced before. Prior to becoming a catheter user, I would avoid drinking water for hours throughout the day to avoid requiring assistance as well as the 15-minute time commitment that came with 20 seconds of peeing. Today, I can drink whatever and whenever I want. I no longer shy away from road trips and airplanes because I have a method and product, I trust that I know I can use no matter where I am. My anxiety around needing to use the bathroom when nobody was around to help is gone. Today, I am so proud to say I am a catheter user who relies on quality products from Coloplast to put those anxieties to rest.
I am now eager to educate others on how empowering it feels to be back in control of your bladder and how easy, comfortable, and discrete being a catheter user can be. It’s time to love our bodies for everything it is and is not able to do and enter a chapter of being proud of the tools our body requires to lead us through a happy and fulfilling life.