[Mlisa]

Hello,
My mother fell down a flight of steps on 10/29/09 and had a burst fracture at T12. Her spinal cord injury is L2/3. Obviously I'm really new to this lingo so if I use the wrong words please correct me. Her spinal cord injury is a Asia D. Which we are very thankful for! She is a very active 59 year old with no previous health problems.
I've been searching the internet to find what bladder & bowl recovery is at this stage. I'm finding nothing so I thought you guys might be able to help me. I'm aware she will recover her walking, which she is doing with the aide of a walker but she is very concerned about her bladder & bowl function. The drs tell me its a crystal ball & she should recover bladder function but we see no progress. Can anyone direct me to a website that gives me definite information on this subject? Or enlighten me with their own knowledge based on this type of injury.
Thanks so much for your help. Melissa

[edlee]

I wish there was such a site. Mel,,, but the one you are at is about as good as you will find. There simply isn't any way to forsee what recovery is possible for any given individual.

That said,, if you use the search feature,, you will find a wealth of information, here, that will help you deal with the problem while you wait for the recovery,,, however much that will be.

I wish your mother well and hope for the best.
ed

[Kwag_Myers]

Just based on my own experience and what I've seen amongst the members here I'd say you have another 4-6 weeks before the swelling goes down. Then you'll have a better idea of what mom will have and not have long-term. My doctors told me that anything that doesn't return in the first year probably won't.

Worst case scenario: You get used to not having your b&b function and taking forever in the bathroom. It still sucks, but life goes on.

[Tetracyclone]

Melissa,

I'm sorry to hear about your Mom, but take heart! There is fun to be had in great challenges, and SCI is a big one.

My injury was different- C-5-7, incomplete, but some of my experience may cheer you two. I was 57 at the time of my accident.

At first I was told to expect no bladder function- that the bladder contraction and sphincter were now confused together and when I tried to hold my water my bladder would contract, making me want to void but be unable. This was true at first and I had to use an indwelling catheter.. well, I was too sick at that point to get out of bed anyway. Badly smooshed.

After about 6 weeks, after I was out of the catheter, I found I could relax sufficiently to wet my diaper. Oh, for joy! I really was thrilled. A caretaker had to do the temporary catheter 6 times a day, which was no huge deal. Later I learned to do it for myself.

Now I am 18 months out from the injury and I am still working on new skills. It took a looong time to work out a dependable bowel routine which I can manage myself, but your mom will get there more quickly. Even if she cannot control her bowels at first they can be regulated so her life is predictable. You will read up on it in the /bladder and /bowel section.

Bladder is still intriguing for me as just within the las month I find I can do more than simply push the urine out by pressing on my abdomen. Often I can void the first 40% or so of what's in there in the usual manner. I'm not sure if this is simply gravity working or a bit of bladder contraction, but its more interesting to assume there is a bit of contraction coming back online. I am letting things work, and if the percentage of water I can void increases then I'm developing new muscle function. In the meantime I've learned to manually empty the bladder enough that I'm down to cathing twice a day, and my MD and I are hoping I will be able to quit cathing completely. One has to go slowly with changes to make sure its really working, and that I'm not setting myself up for infection.

You will read on this sight many opinions. Some are sure that improvements end by the end of the second year. Some find improvements after many years. Everyone is different and what we believe is based on our own experience.

What Doctors believe is based on outdated information from medical school and on their own experiences. Very few have access to the quantity of information available on this site, and they haven't time to read what is hear, nor do they consider it verified information. No double-blind studies.

Believe nothing but what your Mom's body seems to try to tell her. Try hard. At some point she will understand that we do nor "recover", but by then she will also be very pleased with how much function she has won back.

Good luck. We are cheering for you. This is an amazing opportunity for a level of intimacy with your Mom that may not have been there before.



Pat

[KeepTheFaith]

Bladder return is sometimes a process and it can take time for the bladder and bowel to return to normal function. My daughter had a very bad C5 spinal cord injury and her bladder started to slowly return at about 6 months post. She was followed by a Urologist, who did urodynamic studies to determine how well her bladder was working. I don't know if your mother has been referred to a Urologist yet, but I highly recommend it. My daughter started out by voiding irregular small amounts (50-75cc) She did bladder tapping at first, but doesn't need to do that anymore. I would cath afterwards to see what was left in her bladder. The voided amounts continued to increase and the residuals got less and less. We also did Acupuncture twice weekly, which I think played a key role in bladder return. She now voids normally.

Bowel return can take a little longer. I know someone who got her bowel back after 4 years. It is important to establish a good bowel routine early on. My daughter does a Magic Bullet every a.m. while she drinks her coffee and checks her e-mails. Good results, no accidents. It does not seem to be that big of a deal. She eats well, drinks plenty of fluids, and is in an exercise based recovery program, which I thinks helps to keep her regular.

Your mother's age will probably play a part in her recovery. The younger ones tend to do better. Your mother is also still in the early stages. so it is too early to tell. Every injury is different, so hang in there.

[ericr]

honestly from my understanding is you never can tell which functions you will get back regardless of how high your level of injury is. The bowel and bladder is controlled by the lowest point of the spinal cord so usually loss of control/function is lost according to dr's. Well im 7 months into my accident which i am a c5 c6 and i realized i probably know more then they do and i know nothing only whats been happening to my own body. I got full control of my bladder after 3 months with the help of flomax i am able to void fully. Something dr's said would not happen. by bowels are getting stronger however i use sappositories just so i dont have accidents. Dr's also said if you dont walk after six months you will never walk. Again they are mistaken swelling takes up to 2 yrs to subside. With that bieng the case function from b&b can come back at any time. I would lay in bed at night and try and force myself to void until one day I did, if I remember correctly I was getting a shower by the nurses the first time, they didnt like that but they were extremely happy. My point is its also very mental if you want something put your mind to it and you can accomplish anything!!