Kyle's Story
Kyle is 45 years old, a father of two and a PhD and teacher at a prestigious business school. In 2014 Kyle was diagnosed with an atonic bladder, a condition only discovered by chance when he was undergoing a routine health check. This has required some surprising lifestyle changes for a man in otherwise peak health.
Life everyday
Kyle teaches postgraduate business students and is also a researcher and contributor to academic journals.
Kyle’s two daughters, Mari and Stella, are 9 and 6 years old. They live with their mum but spend plenty of time with their dad and his new partner.
Kyle loves fine food and wine and he enjoys keeping active through swimming, cycling, basketball and Tai Chi. Until 2014 his health had always been good.
A bolt from the blue
In July 2014 Kyle discovered his bladder was ‘atonic’ (lacking in tone). Unbeknownst to him, his bladder had lost its muscularity and was holding dangerous amounts of fluid.
It was during a routine ultrasound, when the sonographer kept asking if he had fasted that he became aware there might be a problem.
A CT scan and a urology referral later, Kyle was told his bladder was regularly holding up to 3 litres of fluid. Not only this, his abdomen was becoming bloated by the excess fluid and his kidneys were suffering too.
To put this into perspective, a regular bladder will generally give the signal to urinate at between 250-400ml. Kyle’s bladder was holding far too much fluid, and failing to empty properly when he did visit the bathroom.
Searching for answers
Kyle was initially shocked and depressed by this diagnosis. He’s spent many hours since reviewing his life and his habits, trying to find a link to the condition he’s now living with. So far, there is no explanation.
Kyle’s urologist told him he needed to self-catheterise to empty his bladder regularly and properly. He struggled at first with what this means for his lifestyle, and is still coming to terms with what could be a long-term situation.
Kyle has worked hard to discover his new normal. He has developed a new routine by trial and error, using different products and techniques along the way, and continues to refine the way he manages his condition.
He discovered Paralogic online when searching for more reasonably priced alternatives. He finds the products of excellent quality, the service quick and reliable and the price point much lower than many similar products on the market.
In just a few months, Kyle has developed a healthy sense of humour about his situation and happily tells tales of a plane journey where his catheter fell to the floor in front of a line of fellow travellers waiting for the bathroom. He also laughs when recounting his experience in a pub toilet where the cubicle was unavailable and he had to share the trough with an audience of interested punters.
He still has dreams of being able to urinate without catheters and nightmares of getting caught out without a catheter when he needs one.
Kyle’s considerable inner strength has helped him through the last 6 months, along with the love and support of his family.