Matt’s Personal Story- World Continence Week (WCW)
In December of 2008, my life was derailed by a slew of unprecedented changes in my seemingly healthy body after a debilitating accident. At just 26 years old, my ordeal led to a four-year state of hopeless depression while attempting to come to terms with my new body by how my brain and nerves responded.
Left overmedicated on prescription opioids administered by quack doctors (who were likely profiteering from the pharmaceutical companies), I got sick of settling for less and noticed the change in my mental psyche and lifestyle. So I decided to reset my life by going holistic and then starting it over in an effort to get healthy.
As I recognized things wouldn’t get better without a drastic change, I initiated that by moving clear across the state in 2011 for a better life in a new environment and career path in tech. My life recovered and my health improved over time, but some of the underlying symptoms did not.
At 30, I was finally cleared of any high-risk health issues – yet left diagnosed with sciatica and a neurogenic bladder disorder. Dozens of neurologists and urologists have run a slew of countless (sometimes painful) tests to try to resolve it, but modern medicine is not quite there yet.
My best outlook at this point would be stem cell treatments down the line, if and when it ever gets approved by the FDA in this lifetime. Until then, I’ve learned to cope with life for what it is and make the best of it.
My optimistic attitude and mental approach will always reign precedent over any pain threshold or other shortcomings. To the point that now, 10-years-post-diagnosis, it doesn’t really bother me any more than how I treat an optical stigmatism with glasses for reading or when using a computer. Before I realized that, you could’ve considered me lost and borderline suicidal.
The reason for this post is to stand up for World Continence Week (WCW) by declaring that I’m not ashamed of my obstacles, nor will I let them affect me for the rest of my life. Continence issues affect more than 25 million domestically, and 300 million globally. While it is estimated that nearly 80% are women, it’s not just an issue of old age across the board.
The goal of WCW is to raise health awareness for what is normally a taboo subject in our culture. Something people are afraid to address with their doctors, friends, or even family because of the age-old stigma around it. The solution would be that folks will no longer assume any judgment for speaking up to seek help for these kinds of problems.
If you think you’re experiencing retention issues, seek peer support and medical help sooner than later. The chances of improvement are much greater when diagnosed properly at an early stage, but these disorders (as it has many forms and underlying health causes) are not a one-size-fits-all category. What doesn’t work for me, could work for you or the next person. It’s time to drop the nonacceptance of such a fate as a shameful destiny and reclaim your freedom.
It took me years to come to terms with my disposition, but in the end, it’s made me an open and accepting who yields to subject others to shaming for a misunderstanding of their own abilities, disabilities, race, culture, or mental outlook on life.
You can overcome anything with the right mindset. But knowing that you have the right support to help is the first step toward recovery. Both emotionally and physically.
Over these past few days, I’ve considered and reconsidered whether to post this and how to craft it if I did. Hopefully, this helps change your outlook and at least opens your perspective to another view on the matter.
Thanks for reading.
#WCW #WCW2025 #ContinenceMatters #supportincontinence
