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Hello from a new member. Actually I have been lurking in the background for awhile reading posts, but this is my first post.
In 2013 I contracted a disease which eventually was diagnosed as chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP). It came on slowly with numbness and tingling in my hands and feet and progressed to the inability to walk or even support my own weight, or lift my arms and grasp things with my hands. Monthly infusion treatment brought me back to 100% normal for awhile. Then decline began and treatment was required every three weeks, then every two weeks. For about five years I have required weekly infusions which I can receive at home. During most of this time I continued working as a police officer, initially doing well between disease flare ups. But over time the flare ups became more frequent, and the recovery less complete after each one.
After a flare up a number of years ago, I began first experiencing urinary incontinence. It came and went, then came and stayed. I did not experience bed wetting issues early on, just accidents while I was going about my daily routine. I began managing my incontinence by using a McGuire style body worn urinal with a leg bag. A diagnosis of neurogenic bladder / overactive bladder also got me a prescription for tolterodine. The tolterdine partially worked initially, but I discovered I was also cutting back liquids way too far. When I resumed normal liquid intake, the tolterodine did very little. The McGuire unit worked well and was comfortable, but I had to find ways to reinforce the connections between the catheter sleeve and the tubing, and the connection with the leg bag. I found out the hard way they were prone to separating. While at work I was interviewing someone when my bladder let go. Unfortunately, so did the McGuire rig. I found myself standing there talking with a person and taking notes as my pants became sopped and urine filled one of my boots. I can only imagine the odd look I likely had in my face as I spoke with this person. Fortunately I was interviewing the person in their lawn, at night wearing dark blue uniform pants. No one ever knew. I eventually tired of McGuire unit failures, maintenance, and unpredictability and transitioned to using diapers. Wearing diapers while working as a cop, and trying to keep it a secret was not a treat. No predictable times or places to change diapers was stressful.
About three years ago the CIDP disease made working as a street cop very difficult and my department kindly accommodated my needs by assigning me to the property room where I worked for over two years handling property / evidence intake and helping to catch up on a twelve year backlog of property disposal. Then we got a new police chief who shook up the department and decided my place was back on the road (having been briefed on my condition and need for accommodation). Rather than fight to retain reasonable accommodations, I chose to retire and pulled the plug on a 38 year career which I loved. I applied for and received social security disability.
I was using Walmart Assurance tab diapers for years and was happy with the performance / cost ratio. I used the XP5000 or BetterDry when I needed to go longer between changes. Recently Assurance diapers have been raising their price while reducing the quality and number within packaging. I am currently trying out BetterDry Day diapers for my daily needs and the standard BetterDry when greater performance is needed as XP5000 are so often not available.
CIDP disease combined with incontinence have made for an interesting, often difficult, sometimes entertaining journey. Overall I am doing well. Neuropathy in my hands makes typing very difficult – thank you spell / grammar check. If you made it this far, thanks for reading this long (boring?) introduction.
Fred
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