George Costanza
MS has many symptoms some of which I have discussed in this blog. One symptom that I don’t talk about, until now, is going to the bathroom. I don’t even bring it up with my neurologist any more. I told her in the beginning but it’s just something now that I deal with. She did offer me medication but I declined. This symptom has been happening for over 15 years or so.
It’s kinda embarrassing to talk about but here goes.
When diagnosed with MS I noticed that when I go to the bathroom is not necessarily my choice. Sometimes I have to go and I have to go now! This can be for number one or number two – who assigned these numbers anyways? This got worse and harder to predict as I moved further into this disease; however, it’s got better which I believe is because of yoga – but it’s still unpredictable.
Also when I go number one my pee dribbles out. I no longer have the force of hitting the back of the urinal. So if I don’t have the force to hit the back of the urinal where is that pee going…. exactly! So when I go pee I sit down and I’ve been doing this for a long time now. Also because it comes out so slow I have to sit for a relatively long time. Which in public washrooms can cause issues for others waiting….
It’s kinda funny because I’m married, have four daughters, and a granddaughter – I’m out numbered gender wise. But as I said it’s funny because they are happy that I sit when I pee. I have heard many times “men are disgusting” – I hear ya – my first job was cleaning bathrooms in a warehouse with mostly male employees.
Going number two is also a concern. There have been many times when I was desperate for a washroom and almost did not make it. Actually over the twenty odd years there are a couple of times when I didn’t. It’s embarrassing to say the least.
These body functions are under the control of the nervous system and MS has made that somewhat unpredictable but on the positive side yoga has made it less of an issue. There is a lot of focus on the core in yoga which can go a long way into helping this particular problem. Also yoga helps the internal processes become stronger and calmer which also helps.
My whole family is aware of these issues even my granddaughter. We often go out together just the two of us and she knows about if I have to go to the bathroom I have to go. So when I go out with her I also have to know where family bathrooms are. In fact when I go out I know where all the bathrooms are. It has become part of my routine.
I even know where the best bathrooms are. It’s sort of like George Costanza from the Seinfeld show as he knows all about public washrooms. Which ones are the best and he has them all mapped out. Name a street corner and he can tell you where the closest washroom is and what condition it will be in.
I’m pretty much the same; whenever I go out I am very aware where the bathrooms are. Its a calculation I have to make before leaving.
And if you read the yoga side of this month’s blog I went to a no washroom spot to practice outdoors so I made sure I went to the bathroom before I headed out – hopefully I’ll make it through without the need to go.
Now you know my deepest darkest most embarrassing secrets – ha. If that’s all I have to worry about ….. them I’m golden.
“Magnificent facilities”