I’ve been out of Mary Free Bed for a few weeks now. My condition hasn’t changed significantly. I still go through withdrawals while trying to wean off the oral Baclofen pills. In this post, I’ll share my experience and going through withdrawals with Baclofen and give everybody some updates.
Another UTI
I had my supra pubic catheter changed on December 8. A super pubic catheter is a medical device helps strain urine for my bladder to a bag. This bag is emptied periodically. An SPC is a thin tube that’s attached to my urine. Due to my SCI, I’m unable to urinate on my own. Previously, I would get catheterized manually by a healthcare worker to help me urinate. This can be a very difficult process and an inconvenient one if you’re out in public. A bladder can only hold so much urine before it starts to leak through the urethra.
Foley catheter
A Foley catheter is different from a Supra pubic catheter. A Foley catheter goes directly through the urethra whereas the Supra pubic catheter is an incision in the abdomen.
We flush the catheter twice per day with 60 cc’s of acidic acid. This helps flush out sediment that gathers around the incision site and can cause blockage and leakage of my urethra. For me, it starts with bladder spasms. It also helps prevent UTIs. I also drink plenty of fluids to help flush out my old bladder.
I am cursed of being of Greek descent, meaning I have my share of body hair. I have to shave around the Supra pubic catheter and ostomy sites. Otherwise, the bandage won’t stick to my skin.
Attack of the clonus
The clonus has not improved since my stay at Mary Free Bed. Throughout the day and night if I shift in bed, it likely triggers a bad spasm to the point where all my limbs and head are shaking like I’m having a seizure.
Facing the harsh reality
I went on a therapeutic recreation outing this past week. I wanted to check the newer library out in Ada, my old stomping grounds when I was married.
The library opens at 9:30 AM every weekday except that particular Thursday. It was too cold to wander around the village so we just went for a drive.
We took a trip down memory lane for me. We drove through the parking lot of Quail Ridge Golf Course and circled the light post that I hit with my car that sent my whole life into a big spiral with a SCI.
We then mosey down to the subdivision I used to live in lingered in front of my old house. As far as I know, my ex-wife still lives there. It’s a nice house and a nice piece of property.
It’s just been over seven years since the accident at Quail Ridge. The feelings going through me are nostalgia, anger, sadness, and melancholy.
The emotions aren’t as intense as the first few years from my accident. I do miss the old life. I don’t feel I have attained a life worth living yet. Strides are being made. I will start volunteering through Emmanuel hospice in meeting with the patient that lives in a local residential lung press 35
Replacing the Coli drain
I received an early Christmas present on Christmas Eve when my coli drainage tubing and bag accidentally ripped off my incision in the gallbladder. I went in for another procedure at Corwell Butterworth Hospital to replace it. It was a simple outpatient procedure where I was just sedated and just chilled in the bay area for an hour.
January 2 is when I will have the procedure to remove the rest of the gallstones in my duct of the gallbladder. Then I will be rid of the annoying third piece of tubing protruding from my body (I have that supra pubic catheter and ileostomy).
Here’s still hoping that 2026 will be healthier than the end of 2025 was!
+
I’m on an outing with Ryi and Molly at the Meijer Gardens.
Leave a Reply