In Person Incontinence Support Groups

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Hello!

Does anyone know how to find an in person incontinence support group in your area? (I live in southeastern Minnesota.) I am young and live with complete urinary and bowel incontinence caused by nerve damage from a bulging disc. Talking about incontinence openly with other people living with incontinence would be very helpful.

 

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Off the top of my head I would ask if local hospitals offer support groups for people with spinal injuries?

 

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How far are you from the Mayo Clinic? If the urology department tells you there isn’t one, ask how you can start one.

 

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@MillennialSCI10123

1) I checked with local hospitals, mental health therapy centers, and universities. I asked multiple urologists if they were aware of any support groups.

2) I googled “incontinence support group Salt Lake City.” There was nothing.

3) After that I accepted that there is/are no support group(s) in my area. You’ll do better if you’re in a big city like Los Angeles, NYC, or Chicago. You’ll also do better if you live close to giant, famous, research hospitals like Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, or one of The Mayo Clinics in A) Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona), B) Jacksonville, Florida, and C) Rochester, Minnesota. You can try calling the incontinence departments of those hospitals to find out if they’re aware of any support groups near where you live. But they’re probably isn’t going to be one unless you live in a big city.

I think I’ve heard some men here on the forum mention certain Facebook groups and those might even have online support groups?

Good luck!

 

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@MillennialSCI10123

1) I checked with local hospitals, mental health therapy centers, and universities. I asked multiple urologists if they were aware of any support groups.

2) I googled “incontinence support group Salt Lake City.” There was nothing.

3) After that I accepted that there is/are no support group(s) in my area. You’ll do better if you’re in a big city like Los Angeles, NYC, or Chicago. You’ll also do better if you live close to giant, famous, research hospitals like Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, or one of The Mayo Clinics in A) Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona), B) Jacksonville, Florida, and C) Rochester, Minnesota. You can try calling the incontinence departments of those hospitals to find out if they’re aware of any support groups near where you live. But they’re probably isn’t going to be one unless you live in a big city.

I think I’ve heard some men here on the forum mention certain Facebook groups and those might even have online support groups?

Good luck!

Snow, how big or small is SLC, if it is not counted as a large city? I don't think there would be too many who've not heard of it.

 

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@MillennialSCI10123, I remember years ago my urologist surveying people to see if there was an interest in forming a support group. So, they may exist...maybe?

On the other hand, incontinence is often viewed as a symptom of a problem like MS, SCI, or other physical issues. It can of course reflect other concerns as well (e.g., mental health, developmental). So, maybe seeking a support meeting/group in your area relating to your disk (spine) issue(s) could provide an avenue to a conversation about incontinence.

Along this approach, also might be worth checking with physical therapy and rehab. centers/offices.

 

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@jeffswet There are not even four million people in Utah, the 14th biggest state in terms of geographic territory. Salt Lake County is only 1.5 million. That’s nothing compared to LA County’s 23 million. I’ve lived there, and in San Francisco and Chicago. This is “flyover territory.” The only reason people have heard of Salt Lake City is likely because it’s the state capital and we all learned and memorized those when we were in fifth grade (at least Americans did). Plus, people know about SLC because it has the driest and most snow on earth (at a ski resort, anyway), plus the 2002 Winter Olympics were here and they’re officially coming back in 2034. But that doesn’t mean it’s a big city at all. There’s nowhere to eat dinner after 8:00 p.m. and the food here is terrible compared to big cities. There’s only a handful of clubs and a handful of art galleries. It’s utterly boring if you can’t ski/snowboard/hike/climb/backpack. At least there are decent contemporary movie theaters but none of the great big giant movie palaces that play old movies in Hollywood and NYC are here. The Mormons, who by far dominate the politics and the social norms here, make sure it continues to feel like a backward and inbred place to live. We have a big airport that’s a Delta hub, which is another reason people hear the name Salt Lake City.

 

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@theMochi I agree that if you find a group pertaining to spine damage, there will likely be others in that group with incontinence.

 

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Hello!

Does anyone know how to find an in person incontinence support group in your area? (I live in southeastern Minnesota.) I am young and live with complete urinary and bowel incontinence caused by nerve damage from a bulging disc. Talking about incontinence openly with other people living with incontinence would be very helpful.

Hello!

Does anyone know how to find an in person incontinence support group in your area? (I live in southeastern Minnesota.) I am young and live with complete urinary and bowel incontinence caused by nerve damage from a bulging disc. Talking about incontinence openly with other people living with incontinence would be very helpful.

@MillennialSCI10123