Former top athlete figure skating Marianne is married and the mother of two children. Because of her MS she can no longer work as a teacher, but she enjoys her family, wheelchair dancing and sitting skiing. Since she has been catheterising from December 2020, she has mainly taken matters into her own hands again.
In December 2016, Marianne was diagnosed with MS. “I was tired from the birth of my first child in 2013,” she says. “I had always done top sport and felt that something was not right with my body, but examinations showed nothing. In the meantime I lay on the couch for days, had tingling, nerve pain, spasms and eye discomfort. Only a few years later, after being re-examined, I was diagnosed with MS. It was not a blow to me, the world is not ending. Now we could deal with it and move on.”
Bladder problems have a major impact on daily life
“I had no feeling in my bladder, there was no signal anymore. Nothing is more terrible than such accidents. I hardly dared leave the house anymore. I also felt uncomfortable, because I always had to take an extra set of clothes with me. That was I was all so fed up that I emailed my regular MS nurse at the hospital. I was first prescribed medication by the urologist, but when they didn’t help, he suggested self-catheterization. I wasn’t shocked. This was the solution – it would mean I was able to go out again – so I thought, ‘Come on’.”
Catheterization as a solution
“It brings me so much; I am no longer afraid of accidents and I have matters in my own hands again. Anyway, I am positive in life, despite the fact that I am now in a wheelchair and can no longer work as a teacher. yes, but not my body. The fatigue is the biggest thing. You can’t rely on your energy level, so work is not an option. But I just make the best of it. MS will never go away, you have to deal with it and it comes as it comes. I don’t plan too many things in advance, that avoids disappointment. If I want something, I do it now. And with that mindset, beautiful things also come your way, such as the belated honeymoon to America with us family!”
Bladder problems had a major impact on Marianne’s daily life. Marianne is not alone in this! For 75 percent of people with MS, bladder problems complicate life. This is shown by the National MS survey by Coloplast. Would you like to know more about bladder and bowel problems in MS and possible solutions? Request the free magazine!
Free magazine with information about bladder and bowel problems in MS
Coloplast, a manufacturer of medical devices for 60 years, has put together a magazine about bladder and bowel problems in MS. The free magazine ‘Bladder and Bowel Problems in MS’ answers the most frequently asked questions and possible solutions. You can also read how other people with MS deal with their bladder and bowel problems. And learn more about the solutions that help them improve their quality of life.
