[Nancy]

How do partially or totally paralyzed people confined to wheelchairs handle their body functions?

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Name : Nancy, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, City : Tucson, State : AZ, Country : United States, 

[Jeni B.]

My friend John is paralyzed from the shoulders down (he has limited use of his hands and arms). He has to wear a catheter to catch his urine, which must be analyzed often to check for infection. No, he can’t feel it. Each morning he must also have an enema because he has no control of his bowels. This saves much embarrassment on his part. From what I understand, anyone like him has to have much the same things done to them. Every morning and evening, his caretaker checks his entire body for sores and signs of illness, and takes a rectal temperature. Why? If John is in a hot environment, his body temperature must be monitored. He doesn’t sweat from the shoulders down – severed nerves in his neck cause this – so his oral and rectal temperature can be very different. If it’s cool and he has a high rectal temperature, this strongly suggests he is ill. Remember, he can’t feel anything from the shoulders down, so something like appendicitis could kill him easily and quickly. By the way, he works full time and is able to drive a specially equipped van!

User Detail :  

Name : Jeni B., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 33, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : Software Technician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Cat]

Some people may need to wear diapers, especially if they have no sensation below the waist or if they are quadriplegic(unable to use their upper and lower extremities). Others can identify when they need to use the toilet and if they can physically support themselves, they may be assisted ‘transferred’ onto a toilet and back into their wheelchair when they are finished. They typically need to be wiped as well.

User Detail :  

Name : Cat, Gender : F, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 37, City : selden, State : NY, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, 

[Brandi]

My boyfriend has spina bifida and is partially paralyzed from the waist down. He uses a catheter attached to a bag that straps to his leg to catch his urine because he cannot control his urine function, but he is albe to control his bowel function for the most part (although he has mentioned that if he hasn’t used the bathroom before sex, he has accidentally had a bowel movement during sex – it has not happened with me).

User Detail :  

Name : Brandi, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Bisexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Pagan, Age : 28, City : Tallahassee, State : FL, Country : United States, Occupation : Social Worker, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, 

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