Well yesterday I finally did it- I’ve had some close calls and warnings but today I managed to run over my foley catheter and get it all caught up in my wheels. Spoiler alert- all ended up ok with a quick change of the bag.
So, I was getting ready to load onto the bus for a doctors appointment and was so busy talking to people that I didn’t realize that my foley bag slipped off my foot plate (it was also hooked on at some point). I spun around and then tried to move to get outside and onto the bus when I realized my wheels weren’t moving. I had no idea what the problem was but felt the catheter tugging on my insides. WOW- I quickly realized that it was an issue with the catheter. I tried to fix i myself but couldn’t budge it and of course the 3-4 people that were near, were gone. The bus driver, my hero without a cape, was outside and I flagged him down by waving my arms ridiculously. He ended up on the floor to dislodge the bag, luckily the bag didn’t pop and was recently emptied. I went back to my apartment and changed the bag since it was punctured in a few spots.
All in all, everything was ok! This experience was a giant serving of “Humble Pie.” My biggest takeaways were don’t take yourself too seriously and no matter how independent I think I am, I will always need some help.
So now I laugh about this and pay closer attention to the foley falling off my foot plate. With some luck and good medical care, I look forward to the day that I no longer need the catheter. It really is slowing me down. I have learned that physical reminders like a catheter hanging out of me are harder to deal with than non-visible reminders. I struggled with this issue when I had my feeding tube.
Independence is a great thing, but I will recognize I will always need some help. The level of help needed waxes and wains depending on my medical situation. I am experimenting with the amount of time I have caregiver support. Right now I was able to limit it to mornings only. My mornings are still kinda rough and I don’t want to spend all my energy preparing for the day and have nothing less for the rest of the day. I continue to try to pace myself better and enjoy being able to do more throughout the day without crashing.
