Case Study (SCI): John

I have heard of medical conditions resulting in spinal cord injuries, but never a medical mistake such as clamping the aorta for too long. This resulted in John having an incomplete SCI and visual impairment (blindness). As for Johns goals for an OT intervention, his main goal was to keep from having to use a colostomy bag. While this would be a difficult goal to achieve, I completely understand why this would be important. I had a friend that used a colostomy bag for a period of time and for most of that time he refused to go out in public for long because he worried about taking care of the bag and other people noticing. I knew that OTs could teach how to keep a bag cleaned or ways to keep it hidden/as 'normal' as possible to the public eye, but this case was the first I had heard about "Bowel and Bladder Assistance Therapy." The OTs role in this case was to teach John to sense different feelings of when he needed to go to the bathroom in the areas that still had sensation. I think this type of therapy, although not spoken about often, would significantly help a client achieve their goals and still perform in occupations without having to worry about a colostomy bag and the problems and social isolation that may come with it.
John adapted not only to a SCI, but also to losing his vision. It is amazing to me that he was able to learn brail and how to explore the world without sight and keep such a good attitude. This positive attitude would be helpful in teaching John new ways to do everything that he used to be able to do without trouble. This just goes to show that keeping a positive attitude is so important.