FOOD FOR THOUGHT...

Happy ‘Underpants Day,’ America!

By Trevis Gleason

Published Jul 2, 2014

“Happy Underpants Day, Chef!” How could I possibly forget the young lad (what was he, 3 or 4?) who greeted me at a Fourth of July barbecue a number of years back?

To this day, I cannot help but wish my countrymen “Happy Underpants Day!”

And yet, there is a pearl in the wisdom of that boy with a hot dog in one hand and red, white, and blue cake icing on his lips. Independence and underpants have a common theme for people with multiple sclerosis.

How many times haven’t I heard from people who don’t go out as much (or at all) because they feel nervous and tied to a toilet? If even a short walk away from the house can leave one damp with sweat and wet, home can become a prison.

Look in the back of just about every MS publication and you’ll see adverts for adult diapers and other incontinence protection. We all know that that thoseunspeakable MS bladder issues make us indivisible from our “urine-Nation.”

While some meds have helped me with urgency and frequency issues, pelvic floor exercises (yes, men do Kegels too!) have probably helped more.

Liners, pads, “protective undergarments” all help catch what might leak. Treatments like self-catheterization and injections of Botox into the bladdermight be required if the leaks become more than a dribble.

So, is it time to admit that some of us are letting the repressive symptoms of bladder or bowel incontinence keep us from engaging with the world around us? Are we letting the holiday parades, barbecues, and days at the beach be ‘taxed’ away from us without even casting a vote for our own independence?

I’ll sign my name to the Declaration of Underpants as big and as bold as John Hancock did to that famous parchment. We must each decide where we draw the line on what we’ll let MS take from us. I, for one, am not going to let “below the belt” MS symptoms keep me from the party!

So Happy Underpants Day, my friends! Now, somebody pass me a burger and a beer — there are fireworks to watch.

Wishing you and your family the best of health.

Cheers,

Trevis