Cody received compensation from Coloplast to provide this information. Each person’s situation is unique so your experience may not be the same.
I was born with Spina Bifida; a relatively common Birth Defect with varying levels of impairment in different cases. In my case, however, from a young age I was always told by my Doctors that I was lucky due to how minor my condition was. I had a normal childhood up until I hit a growing spurt when I was about 13. Because of my rapid growth during the growing spurt I required a Spinal surgery due to my Spinal Cord pulling at my Nerves.
The Spinal untethering operation could be considered a success, as it mitigated further Paralysis, with only one of my Feet having some nerve-damage. However, it was a risky procedure, and did cause some irreparable internal damage in and of itself.
In the early years of my adolescence I was seriously held back in many aspects of life due to the aforementioned.
I would not go out to meet new people, try new activities, and was very limited in suitable work environments due to needing constant bathroom visits.
Call it pride or stubbornness, but I never considered catheterizing a suitable option and waited until my day-to-day life was being seriously affected to try it. I thought it would only make me feel more disconnected and insecure. With my condition I thought there was no normalcy left to be had in my world.
This couldn't have been further from the truth.
It takes some getting used to (as any change does), and may seem a little daunting, but it's not near as difficult to grow comfortable with as you'd think. For me it was a blessing in disguise, and I'm glad to have been introduced to it.
It allowed me to come out of my shell and changed my attitude entirely; opening up a lot of new opportunities and relationships that wouldn't even be on the table before. Giving different possibilities with work, going back to school to pick up a tradeskill, and venturing further from home to attend Concerts/Events I would never have went to before. It's given me the confidence to try things that interest me rather than just suit my limitations, such as Hiking, Mountain-Biking and Archery.
My physical, mental and overall health has improved greatly since adding this little routine into my life. It's helped me more than words can describe and I'm sure it will help others as well.
