@FrankyJack 

Last reply

FrankyJack

Let's talk about bladders :)

Hi guys, this may be a bit lengthy and I'm not the most articulated of folks, so please bare with me. I would appreciate some feedback/opinions. My mum has Primary Progressive MS, she has very poor mobility, wobbling around the house with the use of hand rails and is wheelchair dependent outside. Over the last few years, she's had ongoing issues with Kidney Stones. She's had invasive surgery a few times to blast the stones and also had several sessions of lithotripsy (soundwave blasting). She's currently waiting for further surgery for stones on each kidney. My mum has problems with urine stagnation, which we're told is a common problem in folks with MS. This could well be the cause of the stones, along with having a reduced mobility. The last few weeks, my mum has had several oopps moments as she's been unable to get to the bathroom on time. As you can imagine, this is embarrassing and she's getting really down about it. We've had the incontinence nurse over a few times, but she can't do a proper assesment as my mum has the kidney stones. My mum is wondering if now is the time to go for a catheter. She feels she will benefit from it. However, we get the impression that this is the last resort from the incontinence nurse. We were thinking if the stones are caused by the stagnating urine and the reduced mobility, this is probably going to be a never ending circle of infections and kidney stones. The nurse is really encouraging for her to wait it out! But it's really exhausting my mum, along with myself. She's a battler, she's never let her MS phase her, but this is too much for her. Please let us know what you think, should we really push for her to have a catheter or should we trust the experts? It would be nice to hear from folks who have been in similar situations. Thanks for your time :)
@Vixen

Hello @frankyjack. I don’t have anything to offer by way of experience but I think it’s wonderful you’re there for your mum, especially tackling such a sensitive issue. From an outside perspective but from a woman with MS, I’d say your dear mum’s dignity is so important. She or you may feel that to catheterise is to give in a bit, when in actual fact, it could be just the liberating experience she needs. That’s if she want to go that route. Priority for us all, your mum, you as her big supporter should be quality of life. Whatever your mum wants should be paramount. None of the options are ideal so it’s a case of going by instinct about what your mum really wants. I hope you get advice from others who have experience of this. Hey, all the best to you x

@FrankyJack

Good evening @Vixen. You're certainly right by saying it will be liberating for her, she feels she is now housebound because she can't guarantee that she can hold her bladder. She's fiercely independent and having a catheter feels to her that it is one step backward if you know what I mean. However, she needs to think about the quality of her life. I'll point that out to her. Thanks very much X