Call Me the Poo and Pee expert!
I had a session today, with one of the people at the MS Society, in their new venue. Because I’d never been there before, I left in plenty of time, and found the place easily, so was early. My phone ‘told me where to go’, politely of course!
Because I was there early, I was able to have a cup of coffee and an apple. They were both free, which is always nice, when you’re living on the Disability Support Pension! The apple was there in a delicious looking fruit bowl, to help to promote Bowel Cancer Awareness Month, and because I was at the MS Society to discuss continence issues, it was completely pertinent.
Continence, or more correctly perhaps, incontinence, can apply to both the bladder and the bowel, and it means when, what I’m going to call pee and poo, arrive too fast, when we don’t want it to, then the resulting unpleasantness can occur.
And of course, we all know just how unpleasant poo and pee can be, when you’re not actually sitting on the toilet seat, (or squatting outside in the bush). And unfortunately, it seems to be true that people with MS are more likely that other people to suffer from these embarrassing issues.
Getting help
The reason I was at the MS Society, was to look into the best options available to assist with dealing with any potential messy problem. Incontinence isn’t a really big issue for me, but it is a sometimes problem, for sure. If I can get a pad/liner to help me, I want to get the one that suits me the best.
I have been approved for financial assistance from the NDIS, and I am glad that I am able to be reimbursed for my money spent to keep things nice! The MS Society worker is looking into method of payment for continence support items for me, and will get back regarding it.
And I wanted to discuss the whole incontinence thing. From how the discussion went, I’m doing the right things, to assist my own body with these things. I drink plenty of water, and have a good amount of fibre in my diet. The correct amount of water is 30ml for every kg of body weight.
How Much Water is the Right Amount?
So my weight is around 56 kg, so I should have around one and a half glasses (250ml) of water. This amount of fluid can include two cups of coffee in a day, but after that, the caffeine causes excessive urination. So it looks like my current amount of water/fluid taken every day is about right.
I usually have 2 or 3 cups of coffee every day, with about 4 or 5 glasses of water. Another way to check on whether intake of water is sufficient, is too check the colour of your urine. It shouldn’t be the colour of cider, or apple juice it should be a lighter and clearer straw colour. So, if you want to check your situation, just take look, before you flush!
Drinking enough water can assist with preventing Urinary Tract Infections too, and that is not a pleasant thing to suffer from at all. Since I began drinking more water over the past couple of years, I haven’t suffered with one of those nasty infections, and I am very glad of that.
In summer, especially if you spend time out in the heat, your sweat will take away some of your water intake, so you must remember to drink more water. Also if you are working out, running, or being active working in the garden, the yard, and so on, then you must keep up your water intake.
There are many kinds of drinks for sale to ‘keep you hydrated’, but simple tap water is the cheapest method, so really, you don’t need any fancy drinks, just water. If you want water with a bit of kick, try a squeeze or squirt of lime of lemon juice, delicious!
Mick, Jane and Me 