I feel you and felt hopeless for the first five years post-diagnosis.
It has taken me 10-years to have the courage to share Global Continence Week awareness with my 4,800 friends on Facebook. Hopefully, this puts life into a better perspective for you, sooner than it took me to come to terms.
This week marks the 11th World Continence Week, an awareness campaign to bring a much-needed light on a common problem for many. An estimated 70 percent of people affected by incontinence don’t speak of it. Even if you don't suffer from incontinence, it's very likely someone you know does - although they may not talk about it. It doesn't have to be an uncomfortable word, and it's all in how you frame the issue. Talking openly about health issues can diminish the sense of shame that can come with many illnesses.
In 2009 I suffered a severe spinal cord injury in an accident. I was only 27 years old and have spent 10-years battling cauda equina syndrome, with sciatica and a neurogenic bladder disorder. I was blatantly told to accept my disposition by learning to cope with it as I aged. Now at 36, wanting a normal life, I am still awaiting the FDA's approval for neurologic stem cell treatment. I feel for others in a similar position awaiting stem-cell treatment for much worse issues than mine, as the rest of the world cures their citizens with the best medical advancement in decades.
I understand the feeling of being afraid to seek help. It’s a taboo subject – no one wants to talk about incontinence. The fact is, the myths of incontinence often obstruct people from getting the help they need to live an active lifestyle. Incontinence affects over 13M Americans who have been diagnosed, and possibly millions of others who haven't. Knowing the truth about incontinence can help relieve any embarrassment of our condition.
If you or a loved one experience symptoms, get medical advice fast, seek help before it gets worse, and follow the treatment plan once diagnosed. Things get better once you seek treatment and accept the reality of incontinence. The worst thing to fear is the fear itself of social acceptance. Once you learn to manage and maintain the condition as you see fit, things get better and you accept yourself for the disadvantage of it all. When you learn to get through it, you learn to continue on with a healthy life and forget about the anxiety associated with it.
#WCW2019 #Incontinencematters
