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A request - advice needed - MS and work

Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 6:28 am
by whiteflag
Hi all,

I'm at a crossroad and I need some good-hearted advice and I feel I can count on you here for some support. I live in a third world country therefore I do not have access to great healthcare unless at an exhorbitant cost. Please read and drop a thought if you can. Thanks.

I'm a guy, 41 and unmarried and I have some serious issues involving my ability to go to the loo like others do, due to MS (rrms). I don't know how to deal with the intense urge to pee, yet it takes so long to actually pee. It's like incontinence and hesitancy happening at the same time. When I have an an urgent need to urinate, it can take about 15 minutes for the first drop to come out but it can take up to 20-30 minutes from start to finish. This is why I always have to sit down to pee. The urge to pee happens every 2 hours or so but I can't seem to hold out for more than 2 1/2 to 3 hrs. This is also why I don't participate in many social events.

I've been working from home until now so bathroom breaks have been easy but now I've been offered a job which will involve being on the road most of the day, sitting in meetings, and it will be important to do some socializing at night. There will also be a lot of sitting in traffic. How does one handle the intense need to pee in these situations/conditions?

I've tried several meds but nothing has worked. I've stopped coffee and alcohol and I've made changes in my diet but this issue seems to be chronic. Prostate is fine. My doctor says there are three other options left, one involves diapers, one involves catheters and one involves a surgery which will eliminate the ability to have an erection. Considering my age and that I have no kids, I dont like either of these three options.

So my dilemma is this - do I take the job and take the chance that I will not face difficulties with my urinary issues, or do I
look for other types of work that allow me to operate from home?

What would you do or what advice can you offer?
Thanks very much in advance.

Re: A request - advice needed - MS and work

Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 8:52 am
by Quest56
whiteflag,
Good questions. I always carry with me in my car a plastic pee container to use to relieve myself if I need to. I don't like wearing pads, but the best I have found are the boxer type disposable underwear made by RealFit and available on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Depend-Underwear- ... ds=realfit

I no longer work, but accidents were a problem for me when I did. I always wore dark pants in case I was caught unprepared and wanted to hide an accident as best as possible.

I would suggest consulting with a neuro-urologist. There are drugs available to help reduce accidents, and learning how to self-catheritize would give you more time between toilet trips as you are then able to FULLY empty the bladder. I am scheduled to receive my first botox bladder injection next week, a procedure that has been FDA approved in the US for over-active bladder issues related to nerve damage in the spine and CNS.

I use anticholinergic drugs to help reduce accidents, but the side-effects are a problem for me (drugs like detrol, tolterodine, etc). I am looking forward to stopping these next week. And, I am looking forward to being much less tied to a bathroom, especially as related to travel and leaving the house.

Good luck, you're not alone,

--Tracy
(I'm a 57yo male).

Re: A request - advice needed - MS and work

Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 10:12 am
by PointsNorth
Not time to raise the white flag just yet!!! I would definitely try Depends/Guards. I use them. Maybe you use Depends on days of car travel and Guards on days when you're in the office. Try them both and let us know how you make out.

PN

Re: A request - advice needed - MS and work

Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2013 11:11 am
by HarryZ
My opinion would be to keep the job that allows you to work from home. Until there is a practical solution to your predicament, working in an office is going to cause you a huge amount of stress and that will not be good for your MS.