Bladder
My life with MS and invisible disabilities
My life with MS is turning into a balancing act. Not the high-wire type of balance, just making sure I don’t do two things simultaneously. My life is now just one job at a time, no more walking and talking. Invisible disabilities rule plus they control my life. Nobody knows I have invisible disabilities unless […]
A UTI with advanced multiple sclerosis is no fun
It crept up on me very slowly, just think of a lion stalking its prey. Initially, I was blissfully unaware that I had an infection. Looking back with the benefit of hindsight I can see how I slowly deteriorated followed by a slow recovery. A urinary tract infection or UTI with advanced multiple sclerosis is […]
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 […]
I am Patrick and I have advanced multiple sclerosis
I am Patrick and I have advanced multiple sclerosis; A physically active life is no longer possible, balance and walking problems get in the way. Also I am not allowed to drive because of double vision, another kind gift from multiple sclerosis (MS). The beginning I am convinced my multiple sclerosis started in 1972, my […]
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 […]
I’m talking about Uhthoff’s syndrome
The mercury in the thermometer will creep up over the summer. Some days it creeps higher than other days. Whilst it remains below 20 I am more than happy, 21 or 22 and I need to be careful. If it gets over 23 then I can only venture out occasionally. I’m talking about Uhthoff’s syndrome. […]
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 […]
My long journey with multiple sclerosis
This is the story of 45 years of my life living with multiple sclerosis as we both grew up. I did not piece the whole story together until I took medical retirement in 2012. My long journey with multiple sclerosis. My long journey with multiple sclerosis It all started in 1972 and I was almost […]
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. […]
MSitis and the story of the forgotten catheters
Saturday 7 January 2017 and five of us go up to London to see The Dresser, a play starring Tom Stott and Reece Shearsmith showing at The Duke of York theatre. It was a great production, loved it but not so keen on the disabled loo in the theatre. Horribly cramped, in fact not enough […]
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 […]
WorldvsMS challenge and The Amsterdam HACK
The WordvsMS campaign is an initiative that had been setup to give a voice to people with Multiple Sclerosis. The campaign has asked people with MS to list their challenges in everyday life. Three challenges were accepted from 103 that were submitted A weekend in mid-November was selected when groups of people were invited to […]
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 […]
Seven days during the Rio Olympics
There are days when living with MS is really not too bad and there are days when it is awful. There are even days when it can be exciting. This has been a week when I have gone through all of these emotions and more. I even broke my Leki walking stick in a dramatic […]
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 […]
Living with multiple sclerosis is no laughing matter
Two reasons why living with multiple sclerosis is no laughing matter. Saturday 24 June I always look forward to Saturday. Not because it’s the end of the week. Not because it’s the start of the weekend. It’s the day I go to the local bakery buy bread and Chelsea Buns. Last Saturday came round and […]
A Letter to Multiple Sclerosis
A Letter to Multiple Sclerosis You first visited me a long time ago. It was 1972, I was 18 and having a pint or two of beer. I went to the loo for a pee but nothing happened. In 1979 I had a serious bladder spasm and I wet myself at work. You went away […]
Look Forward And Not Look Back
Are you a person who will look forward and not look back? Do you try to move forward and take on new challenges? Alternatively are you a person who wants to keep hold of the past and not let go of it? Technology is moving forward very quickly but I am not talking about that. […]
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 […]
Week 96
Slowly but surely the weeks trickle by. Only another 12 weeks until the trial finally finishes. That’s another 3 visits to the Royal London Hospital. Even at this stage I don’t know if I’m receiving the real deal or a placebo. It is a random double blind trial. I suspect that I am receiving the […]
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 […]
