Condom Catheters

Single handedly the greatest addition to sanity in early ALS life was the use of condom catheters.  When Jonathan was first diagnosed (2016) he developed an urgency associated with having to use the bathroom.  He was still walking but when he had to go to the bathroom he easily lost his balance.  The minute he had to urinate he had to go to the bathroom NOW and walking to the toilet was like navigating a mine field.  He had more falls associated the unpredictable and immediate need to urinate than anything else.  One night he got up to go the bathroom and I awoke to a death crash and water spraying everywhere.  He had lost his balance and fell wedged between the wall and the toilet.  He ripped the toilet paper holder out of the drywall, broke the water pipe to the toilet and was found in the most kerfuffled predicament with his skimmies around his ankles I have ever seen.  I hope there are replays in heaven.  Because although in the moment it was an awful fall, I believe it would make for comedy gold on replay.  So here's a quick clip about the use of external catheters:

I went back to look for a picture of Jonathan after he fell that night.  While scanning pictures I found these taken the evening before he fell and a few of the bruises after.  Seems like a lifetime ago -

This photo golden nugget is a random finding of a picture of 

Jonathan with Dr. Richard Huffaker (longtime buddy).  

1.  He is the reason we were able to get an ALS diagnosis.

2.  Rich is an ENT.  That means he has been with us every step of the way.

He placed the trach.

He changes the trach.

He does house calls on Valentine's Day @11pm to stop bleeding.

He drafts prescriptions in holy places. 

3. Never a truer brother in the brotherhood.

4.  If the earth were filled with Huffaker's all would be right in the world.

And below - a smidge of war wounds from water pipes and toilet paper rolls.

All you ALS people know these battle wounds well.