School-age children are busier than ever making friends, playing sports, and excelling in school – and for the Gagnon family, managing neurogenic bladder and bowel is another important aspect of their busy schedule. Luke Gagnon is an active 9-year-old who stays busy with multiple sports, friends, and school. He was also born with spina bifida and neurogenic bladder and bowel. Early in their journey, Luke’s parents helped him use an intermittent catheter and they managed his neurogenic bowel using enemas – which his dad Stefan says was not only ineffective, but also resulted in nausea and vomiting. In their search for a better bowel management method, their family found Peristeen® Transanal Irrigation System (now Peristeen Plus), which they’ve successfully used for about 5 years. As Luke got older, his parents also wanted to empower him to self-manage his bladder routine, which included helping Luke understand why and how to effectively catheterize and practice with their supervision. By the age of 6, Luke had mastered self-catheterization, which helped him feel independent and confident. In this episode, special guests Stefan and Luke will share their advice for managing neurogenic bladder and bowel along with their tips for training and fitting it into a busy lifestyle – with the goal of providing hope, encouragement, and best practices to other kids and families.
If you’re new to using an intermittent catheter, Coloplast® Care can help! You can sign up for Coloplast Care for free by clicking here or calling 866-226-6362.
Access more bladder and bowel resources here.
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The material shared within this podcast is for educational purposes only and is based on the personal experiences and learnings of the presenter. Stefan is the father of Luke, a SpeediCath® catheter and Peristeen® Plus Transanal Irrigation System user, and they have received compensation from Coloplast to provide this information. Each person’s situation is unique, so your experience may not be the same. Talk to your healthcare provider about whether this product is right for you. Nothing within this podcast is intended to be used as medical advice or used to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. You should rely on the healthcare professional who knows your individual history for personal medical advice and diagnosis. Please see complete product instructions for use, including all product indications, contraindications, precautions, warnings, and adverse events.