New Mobility: The magazine for active wheelchair users

Roll on Capitol Hill
Washington, DC
Jun 16 2013
Kids Sports Spectacular
Philadelphia, PA
Aug 17 2013
Submit an event
See all events

Spin 2.0

The body is not a punching bag

Apr 12 08:18

How long can you keep abusing a dog until it finally bites back? Our bodies are temples, whether disability is present or not. And I think my body, specifically my bladder, has finally had enough. It’s letting me know using everyone’s messed-up nervous system favorite method - autonomic dysreflexia. And while it’s certainly not a knockout punch, it’s damn close.

There’s nothing like chronic pain to finally force a quad girl to get her butt in gear.

Since my bladder has been giving me extra grief than usual in the past 2 years, creating pointy stones that dig into the insides of my bladder every 5 months, and since doctors have no idea what’s the true cause of bladder stones, I’ve decided to take the initiative and remove both coffee AND artificial water flavoring from my diet as an experiment to see if it helps. So far? I feel like killing somebody.

In all honestly, I have tried my best at keeping my bladder in tip-top shape and have done everything doctors tell you to do when you become paralyzed. I tried every day for years to drink the recommended 8 glasses of water a day. I’d force it down, trying to do the right thing, but it was never enough and the stones persisted. I once even had a golf ball sized bladder stone that was discovered after a 4 year hiatus to my bladder doctor (irresponsible college years). My body is a stone quarry, my friends. They’re mainly comprised of calcium phosphate, but why they actually develop is a mystery.

When things get doubly annoying and frustrating with SCI, I just did what everybody else does to cope: I stopped caring. Well, as it turns out, this is NOT a good idea, and is definitely not a coping method I’d recommend. We MUST the music. Simply ignoring a problem is never good idea. It only gets worse. And while I’ve not had a giant bladder stone like the golf-ball sized one in college, I’ve continued to have smaller stones. They keep coming back like termites and this punching bag is getting beat.

It’s important to realize when a change needs to be made in your life, especially with SCI. It’s critical to listen to your body when it’s screaming at you Enough is enough! and finally desist in your indulging habits.

A punching bag can only take so much before it cracks. For me, 18 years was enough.

Share your experiences with the NM community: Have you ignored a health problem for too long and suffered the consequences? Was it too late to make a change?

Post a comment about this blog!

Screen Name Please enter a screen name.

Contact Email Please enter a valid contact email.

Add your comments in the field below. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted. Please limit your comments to under 1,000 characters.
chars
A value is required.

Security Code : 731
Re-enter security code :

1. fridawrites | Apr 14 04:02

I'm prone to smaller ones--in the kidney. They hurt when they pass but generally break down before that I guess. Oxalates--spinach and chocolate-can make them worse. I'm not sure what the other oxalates are. Dehydration=bad for me, I get them right away.

2. Tiffiny | Apr 15 07:21

I've heard the oxalates thing! It confuses me though lol. No chocolate?! I'd rather die :)

Spin 2.0

By Tiffiny Carlson

Tiffiny Carlson Disability buzz, travel, fashion and dating — fun things to amp up everyday wheeling life.

Tiffiny Carlson is freelance writer and writes the “SCI Life” column for New Mobility. She's also a C6 quad from a diving accident that occurred when she was 14 years old. A lifelong resident of Minneapolis, Tiffiny has been a writer in the disability community for over 10 years and writes for several publications and blogs, as well as her personal blog BeautyAbility. Her work has also appeared in mainstream publications such as Nerve.com and Playgirl.