www.incontinentsupport.org

Hey All,

It has been a while since I have been here and alot has been going on.
Last time I was here my injuries were bad but was in denyal with what was really going on. I became IC after a car accident in 2003 and learned how to cope with it I had the every now and then bowel accident. Well present day I have a t7-t12 spinal cord injury, TBI, PTSD, CES I am a incomplete paraplegic meaning right leg is paralyzed and left works some days, also bowel incidents have gone from to every now and then to no control. When I was here last time I was in kind of deep dression which only got worse when I was being forced to retire from my second dream job. I was able to get out of hole of depression and still have bad days every now and then. As I said before being a Marine I viewed myself as a bad ass then had to deal with diapers which was depressing. then being a firefighter medic my view of myself got better but now it has gone away now I am just a guy in a wheelchair and diapers. there has been positives from my injury and I have been active with veteran adaptive sports and have traveled to do them which brought on there own stressors of traveling in a wheelchair I also got an awesome service dog and being diapered which I will say if I wasn't IC I would be screwed on a plane because they have a special chair they wheel you to your seat and then leave you there so getting to a bathroom is not possible. what makes traveling more stressful is before being IC I could do standing changes now I can't but do to spinal cord injury can't lay flat also so changing is difficult.
The trip that was really stressful was to disney to do a marathon after some research I found some use the medical centers to change but was very nerous doing that first day I was so excited hadn't been to disney since I was a kid, I did morning change I planned on using booster liners but when i changed planned on walking dog having breakfest then changing before heading into the park well walked dog ate met with friends forgot about changing went directly to park luckily I had my bag. will say park security is worse then tsa I asked for private screening off to side before going trough my bag and had the cops called on me and few other park security the orignal officer said I refused search after explaining to the group of cops and security supervisors and pulling the disabled vet card things were settled did search off to side I was offered tickets to something for the confusion which i denied. after a while in the park I went to pay for something reached in my pocket and money was soaked it was sprinkling out so figured got rained on because I have no feeling mid chest down didn't feel it well upon looking down I found I sprung a major leak. so very nervously went to the medical center no one was there explained to nurse about my sci and being IC and need a place to change do to leaking also explained i couldn't lay flat, they were very professional and out standing nurse said give me a second be right back she came back led me to a room with a low table with head elevated she had placed a disposable pad on the bed helped me transfer she took my wheelchair cushion and said she would dry it for me and said there is some briefs and other stuff on table if needed. because I flew I didn't take rash cream so it was good they had some I get Northsore diapers from the VA but forgot a booster so used one of the cheap diapers as a booster after changing hit call light nurse came back she said she put a pad in my cushion helped me transfer back to my chair. She said to me not to be personal but I should of used both briefs because when she works at the hospital they use 2 because one doesn't hold well I explained what i use and just used one as a booster. she noticed my shirt and asked if I was doing the marthon which I said yes and she repled that she was happy to see a para that was out doing things she often see's para's not active. as I was leaving she said hold on she stuffed the other diaper and other supplies in my bag and said just incase you need it and if needed to not to feel bad to come back anytime it was needed. I spent 3 days in the parks and went to back few times and will say even though different nurses everyone was polite and professional I felt bad doing so even though it was needed one of them said they see people all the time with similar medical issues and it wasn't a problem and they were happy to help. So if you are worrying about trips don't be.
I have been in the hospital many times over the last few years with complications of being paralyzed from blood clots to other resp problems. I will say for the most part uneventful but have had issues from stupid docs to by the book nurses. like one nurse most people with a sci use caths and she irrated and thought I was lazy using diapers spoke to her boss they looked at records and it shown i can't use caths but run into nurses like this every now and then like if bound up I use mini enemas at home and just rediaper well they wan't you to sit on a potty chair or bathroom well I have had times where they don't work or take forever and it makes no sence to be in pain sitting in uncomfortable position. once I explain most understand but still have those that view me as being lazy which I will say I am not and honestly I have no pleasure or excitement of shitting and pissing myself and is a pita to clean up afterwards but its part of the course. I have tried bowel programs and didn't work.
I will say one of the big hurdles was navigating the VA system and thanks to a good friend that helped me through it. Like getting Northshore Diapers and Tranquility liners and other medical supplies which they will tell you they don't pay for but they do.
It has been rocky few years and going to try to be more active here now but do have some adaptive sports coming up which require travel and time away. i will say I couldn't do as much as I do without support from people on here. still being young having to deal with so many issues it is great to have the friends I do. There is one that I met here and if I don't email with in a week I get a call to make sure everything is ok. this place is great beacuse there are others dealing with some of the same stuff and not alone thank you again for making me feel welcomed in a world I feel alone in

Hello Jarhead!

It's good to have you here. You certainly have had a rough time of it, but it is obvious that you are a fighter. I am impressed with all that you have overcome and that you travel and participate in adaptive sports despite the challenges they pose.

Feel free to vent whenever you need to do so, we all do from time to time.

--John
(Vietnam vet, double incontinent)

Add my welcome.

We all need to vent, and this is one good place to do that. I too applaud your pursuit of adaptive athletics. Your difficulties with security folks are all too common among us. I think that modern communications are a large part of the problem. Every disaster, every piece of inhumanity gets immediate, saturation coverage, which puts all of us on edge, especially security folks. I have had intrusive, public pat-downs when I was scarcely able to stand.

Welcome aboard, Jarhead.....I would like to extend my welcome as well. There are a couple of us who are firefighter/EMT's here. It sounds like you are disabled and no longer working, but once a Brother, always a Brother. I am working still as a career Lt. and a volunteer Capt. In my off time. I'm doing the best I can managing bladder issues, diapers, and now more often Foley catheters.......life is challenging and after seeing 13 doctors with almost nothing for answers I'm in diapers full time and using foley's rather frequently. But we manage one day at a time and make a lot of friends on this forum who understand better than anybody what it's like to have a rebellious bladder. Feel free to pm me anytime......sounds like you've been through the wringer. Ps. Thank You for your service to our country, soldiers are real heroes.

Welcome Gyrene!! However, since I see that you too were a grunt we will let the other bits slide!

All I can think to add to what you wrote was that you keep on keeping on......

_________________
When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

Marcus Aurelius

Welcome back Jarhead. glad to see you are not letting this get you down. I never knew that about Disney having those centers.