Emptying your leg bag as a quad can be one of the most vexing personal care tasks out there. If you have a leg bag, you probably don’t have the dexterity or ability to easily flip or screw the drain open. For a long time, that has meant having a friend or attendant available to assist you or jerry-rigging some sort of contraption to help you open the drain. From elaborate lever systems to Frankenstein-ish wiring systems, I’d never seen anything that met my needs as far as simplicity, functionality and discretion. That may be changing thanks to the Freedom Flow II.
Freedom Flow II is a wireless leg bag emptier that works via an easy-to-use rechargeable remote (that is also wireless). Once charged, setup takes less than five minutes and requires no changes to your wheelchair—you simply run the latex tubing through a pinch mechanism, connect one end to your leg bag and position the other where you want it to drain and then press the button on the remote to empty. The button was easy for me to press and activate with my knuckle. I made a short video to show how it works.
Up to this point, the best similar product I’ve seen is the JB-3 Leg Bag System. Instead of a remote, the JB-3 opens its pinching mechanism with a pull cord. The advantage of this is there is no battery or charge that can die down. The disadvantage is it requires a much more cumbersome and less discrete setup. Personally, not having the extra wire for the pull cord running down the side of my chair is a huge plus. How the remote holds up remains to be seen, but Freedom Flow II comes with a 1-year warranty. The manual says one overnight charge should last 1-2 weeks with approximately five usages a day. In addition to the charging base, the Freedom Flow II also comes with a car charger.
The Freedom Flow II isn’t currently covered by most insurance plans, but the manufacturers say they are working on it. For now, you’ll have to hand over $400 via the company’s website. The JB-3 will set you back $229.95 and is available on its website.
Here is a video of my personal assistant demonstrating how it works:
