My bladder
I’m sure that a large proportion of people who have MS also have problems with their bladder. It’s part of the package. My bladder has been the bane of my life. Finding a loo, getting thee in time, fear of wetting myself and UTI’s. Now I have progressed to intermittent self-catheterisation and Botox. These are some of the problems that I have had to live with for a very long time. There are mental pressures as well as the obvious physical problems. I suppose it really is a hidden disability.
I hope that by talking about these issues on my website people will become more aware of the problems. They must stop ‘just putting up’ with a wonky bladder. People need to go out and find solutions. I have been there, too frightened to talk about it but at the end of the day that is not the answer.
If your bladder is a bloody nuisance then go and talk to a someone who can help you. It was many years until I could man-up and talk about it.
It all started in 1972, 22 years before my diagnosis. I eventually saw a Uro Neurolgist at the Neurological hospital in Queen Square London in 2016 who said I needed Botox. In February 2017 I had my first Botox injection. A very large elephant then left the room.
I will eventually tell you the full story. Meanwhile these are my stories. I hope they help you to understand the problem and find a solution.
My MS journey begins, 24 years before diagnosis
Some events are very significant, and the emotional impact is unforgettable. Think of marriage, death of a spouse or parent. I will never forget that moment in 1996 when the consultant uttered the words “You have multiple sclerosis”. Many years later I realised my MS journey started 24 years before my diagnosis. My MS journey […]
MS Botox bladder injections are life changing
There are very few things that really improve the quality of my MS addled life. A few days ago I had MS Botox bladder injections for my squiffy bladder. An elephant left the room within 24 hours. Now I can casually stroll past a loo without thinking “Golly I must go in and have a […]
An MS crisis with my dysfunctional bladder
29 March 2020. This MS crisis started when I was on holiday in Valencia in February 2019. I woke up one morning wanting a pee but I was unable to insert a catheter into my bladder. The unflappable hotel staff directed me and The Wife to hospital where I was diagnosed with a UTI and […]
Negotiations with the NHS after a UTI
Within 3 hours of arriving in Seville on 14 Feb I was in a hospital because of a UTI, a nasty bacterial infection. An indwelling catheter was inserted into my bladder; a 6 inch piece of rubber tubing hanging off the end of my willy, it was no fun. A simple rubber bung jammed into […]
Five fly to Seville and I got myself a UTI
Five of us fly to Seville for a five day holiday on Valentines day. The Ryanair flight left Stansted airport at 6.40 in the morning. It’s a 3 hour flight and it takes an hour to drive there. It was going to be a long day but at least I had a little nap during […]
Twenty injections within six minutes
It was a year to the day since my previous Botox injections. I was back in the in Uro Neurological surgery in Queen square London for another Botox injection. By now the benefits of my previous Botox injections, sometimes known as botulinum toxin-A, had worn off. If the truth of the matter were known my bladder […]
Looking on the bright side of life
Everyone who has progressive MS has their own unique set of difficulties. The issues can’t be papered over, they are with you day in, day out, all day and every day. I have one visible problem, mobility or balance and an invisible problem, my bladder. Of course I’m always looking on the bright side of […]
Can the elephant stay out of the room
In February 2017 I wrote a blog about getting Botox injections for my bladder. Looking back it makes an enormous difference to my life. It changed, totally changed. Suddenly I did not have to worry about finding the loo or embarrassing myself. It was as if an enormous elephant had left the room. Describe it […]
Life before diagnosis of multiple sclerosis
I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1995 but my journey started much earlier. In 1972, only 18, I was in the pub having some beers with a couple of friends. Suddenly I had the urge to go to the loo but when I went nothing happened. I didn’t think anything of it at the […]
Is liberation and freedom just a Botox away?
On Wednesday 1st Feb I went to Queens Square to receive Botulinium Toxin or Botox injections into my bladder. I had wanted the injections for over two years. Life with a badly behaved as well as irritable bladder is no joke. I had learnt a lot of techniques to make life with this handicap easier. […]
I wake up every night to visit the lavatory
I saw my MS consultant for the annual visit in November 2016. He asked me if there were any changes since my last visit to the clinic. I said to him “Now I wake up every night to visit the lavatory and have a tiny pee”‘ I wake up every night to have a pee […]
Finally I think progress is being made
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post expressing my frustration with trying to get Botox treatment for my bladder. If you missed the post and would like to read it then please click HERE. Yes, I was unbelievably frustrated. Overnight the hospital had shunted my appointment from the next day to March next […]
Man still needs Botox for his bladder
I need Botox injections to control my bladder spasticity. This issue has been rocking around my locker for more than a couple of years. I have written about these problems far too often. You must be bored with them. Even I admit this subject does not come top of my reading list. Well read on, […]
I use incontinence pads
Oooo, this is a difficult subject It is something I had to man-up to quite seriously several years ago. I have had bladder problems since I was a young man, multiple sclerosis has a lot to answer for 🙁 Nowadays I sometimes use incontinence pads because of the irritable bladder. I only wear normal underwear […]
My Badly Behaved Bladder
Sometimes you just want your MS problems to go away. I know the severity is different for everyone but there are times when the niggles just get to be too much. My badly behaved bladder has been around for over 35 years. Slightly longer than I have been married. My badly behaved bladder Its not […]
Something prevents a good sleep
It all started in the middle of last year, 2015, I had an appointment to see a urology consultant. I was having problems with leaking urine before I inserted a catheter to have a pee. Only very very occasionally was there a total disaster. Accidents do happen and very occasionally I have to change my […]
Caffeine is the world’s most widely consumed drug
Caffeine is the world’s most widely consumed drug. It changes brain function and results in alterations in perception, mood or consciousness. Unlike many other psychoactive substances it is legal. If you have MS and an unreliable bladder then caffeine is definitely bad news. I love a cup or two of coffee in the morning but there is a price […]
Catheters for Intermittant Self-Catheterisation
I have used catheters for intermittant self cathetetisation since 2006 and used Coloplast for many years. Coloplast catheters I started by using the Coloplast 14 inch catheter; this was fine for use in the house but potentially embarrassing when out and about. At work, for example, how do you carry something into a loo that […]
Traveljohn disposable urine bottle
Imagine you are desperate to have a ‘Jimmy Riddle’ (widdle) or pass urine and there is nowhere to go. The TravelJohn Disposable Urine bottle does the trick when you gotta have a pee. It avoids the problem when you might wet your pants. It can be used by both men and women. Incidentally the Traveljohn disposable urine […]
Should I Have Suprapubic Catheter
A friend has been urging me to stop intermittent self-catheterisation (ISC) and use a suprapubic catheter. Her argument being that it is not a good idea to be inserting a catheter into your bladder several times a day. She is worried about infections and damage to the bladder. She says everything is more stable and less […]
Story of a Urinary Tract Infection (UTI)
Here is a diary of a sorry story that happened to me. This sequence of events in 2014 because of problems inserting a catheter and could easily happen to any person with multiple sclerosis who does intermittent self-catheterisation. A brief summary of the events over the last 3 weeks I was an emergency admission to […]
A visit to the dentist and an overactive bladder
Too many multiple sclerosis sufferers have an overactive bladder. The chances are that you will have a prescription for ‘anti-cholinergic’ drugs. These drugs stop the bladder going into spasm and that’s a good thing. Sadly there is no such thing as a free dinner, these drugs have several side effects. I had a dental appointment and […]
Disabled Toilet Radar Key
I travel up to London via Euston Station quite often, when I get there I often need to go to the loo or else I might get ‘caught short’. A Radar Toilet Key is needed to get into the disabled toilets. It is time get a disabled toilet radar key. Used to go to the public loos […]
Bladder problems and MS
Nearly everyone has the misfortune to suffer from bladder problems and MS. Sadly I am one of them. Bladder problems and MS If you do have MS and a good bladder then count yourself very lucky. It is thought that as many as 90% of people with MS will have bladder problems at one time […]
An unreliable bladder
When my bladder suddenly decides to empty itself and I cannot get to the loo, there is severe embarrassment. What causes an unreliable bladder, otherwise known as urinary incontinence, and what can I do to make my life easier? An unreliable bladder I’m not giving a medical solution, This is about how I cope. I’ve […]
