Those in the physical disability community gathered Saturday to explore services that can be found around Saskatchewan. The event was organized by Braden Pettinger, a client support specialist with Spinal Cord Injury Saskatchewan. “We’re really just trying to do more events like this in the community, to get people together, and to be a resource for people and let people know what’s out there available to them.” he said. A total of nine organizations attended: Spinal Cord Injury Saskatchewan, The City of Regina, Stricker Handbikes, AccessRec, Echo Valley Provincial Park, First Steps Wellness Centre, URO Medical Supplies, PrairieHeart Mobility and the Saskatchewan Wheelchair Sport Association. Jessica Frotten was on-site to represent URO Medical Supplies, which provide products and services for people with spinal cord injuries, spina bifida and other neurological conditions. URO Medical is run by many people who have had spinal cord injuries. “I think a spinal cord injury is a little bit like an iceberg,” said Frotten, who works as a transition specialist. “You see me here, you see my wheelchair, and that’s the tip of it. But there are so many other complications and other things that come along with a spinal cord injury.” One of those complications is the daily process of bladder management. “Folks with neurological conditions can sometimes lose control of their bladder,” she said. “The way that we manage that is with an intermittent catheterization. When I got hurt in 2010, the process that I was shown was a ‘wash and reuse system’ of a dry catheter. That just led to nothing but infections for me and really set me back a bit on getting on with my life.” After that, Frotten was introduced to hydrophilic catheters. “When you pull the tip off, it’s got the introducer tip. So you would insert that first and then slide your catheter through, you’d then drain into your bag. Then, you can have a visual on what’s going on with your urine. Then, you can drain that into the toilet. This is just a one-time use, then you throw it away.” According to Frotten, another issue that arises with catherization and bladder management is urinary tract infections (UTIs). Frotten was carrying a product called instylan, which contains hydrochloric acid. “A big problem in our community is antibiotic resistance, and this is something that we’re seeing more and more just with these chronic UTIs” she said. “What this product does is it rebuilds the GAG layer inside of your bladder. If you are managing UTIs or you’re cathing 6 to 8 times a day, you can break down that liner. The hydrochloric acid will just build that back up and make you another line of defense against those UTIs and those other irritants.” In Saskatchewan, those with physical disabilities fall under the Paraplegia Program, which covers products like catheters for people with neurological conditions. “Saskatchewan has some of the best coverage in the country,” she said. “It’s hard to see that Canada is the only G7 country that doesn’t have universal catheter coverage, but it’s great to see that Saskatchewan recognizes this as an issue and is giving people the options so that they can live independently and healthy.” Frotten says that dry catheters are around $0.50-$1.00, and some of the more premium products are around $7.
