Is this NORMAL?!...SCI life and adjusting.

WAGSofSCI

Okay friends,

We are a fairly young couple, a couple years into SCI, and we are still trying to figure out the bowel/ bladder system. In short, how do you or when do you know or see the signs of having a sporadic movement? 

Example:
We have been quite fortunate that my partner can feel quick onset discomfort in hit gut; tightness, irritation; or just something not right, we have been lucky enough to "nip it in the bud" and rather than having a bowel accident we have a system where he can release his bowels just in time of me preparing for what is about to happen. No shower, no accident necessary, thank goodness.

I am wondering:
 Is it common for some of you to feel the need to release?
Do you have control over these feelings?
Is it quickly onset and comes out of nowhere?

And most of all, how do you manage a routine around sporadic surprises?

Thank you so much as we are still so new to this life,

Elena 

iamdadman

@WAGSofSCI

Hello Elena,
Managing Dan's bowel program is a challenge.  Having said that let me try to answer your questions based on my personal experience.  I am nine years post injury.
1.  The need to release - at first I never had any type of feeling/indication of needing to go to the bathroom.  My wife would do it while I was in bed daily and it would take 2-3 hours.  That was our routine and it prevented me from having any accidents 90% of the time.  I did have a couple of accidents one when I was in the shower,(thank goodness) and the other as I was working out.  It wasn't much but still as an adult highly embarrassing.  What has happened recently is I have the feeling of having to go but if my wife checks me, I am empty.  So I get this feeling that I really have to go and it's a false alarm.  It freaks me out because I am deathly afraid of having an accident even though I haven't had any accidents since 2014.
2.  Control of the feeling of "needing to go" - other than what I just described about having false feelings of having to go and being fearful of having an accident, I have no control over these feelings.
3.  Onset and being unexpected -  I have had no experiences with what it seems Dan has experienced.
4.  how do you manage a routine around sporadic surprises - this is difficult.  About the only thing you can do at leased based on my experience, is to have an "emergency kit".  This would include a complete change of clothes, (including shoes, socks, underwear) wash cloths, antibiotic cleanser, garbage bag large enough to put the soiled clothes in and most importantly handling the situation with the realization that it is not the end of the world.  This was so difficult for me.  I felt so much shame when it happened that time I was working out.  I was working with a trainer and he was the one who noticed it.  The world goes on and so will you.  

Joe

robertluke

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Zcollie

@WAGSofSCI I have been in a chair for almost 10 years and I have only had accidents in my chair a handful of times. Most of the times it was because I ate something bad and my body was reacting to that. The first few times it happened I knew something was wrong but did not know what it was until it was to late. Now I know the signs and symptoms when something like that is going to happen. Whenever I poop or pee in general my bladder and bowl with spasm and I start to get slightly disreflexic. Then after a while I can feel which way it is going to come out. The times I have had my accidents I will feel like I have to pee and might pee a few times back to back which is unusual for my body. My stomach will start to hurt a little and it feels like I have air in it. After I pee I will still have the symptoms and my face will get warm and tingly. By then I know something is wrong and I am going to have an emergency accident. It sucks having them but way better catching it before its to late. Everyone will be different and we have to know our own body.