After a severe spinal injury, my life turned upside down. The usual things – like going outside, spontaneously going somewhere, not thinking about the body every minute – all this disappeared. I had to get used to a new rhythm, where everything revolves around one simple, but extremely delicate procedure – intermittent catheterization. It may sound medically dry, but there are many personal experiences behind this word. The catheter nelaton became a symbol of dependence for me. On the schedule, on attentiveness, on my own memory. And all this at a time when the psyche is already at its limit.
“We mustn’t forget.” Otherwise, there’s trouble.
At first, I tried to cope the old-fashioned way. I kept a paper diary, set alarms, reminders, stuck stickers on it so I wouldn’t forget when to catheterize, how much water I drank, how much I excreted. But all of this worked very poorly. One missed catheter — and it was already uncomfortable, pain or spasms began. And if the catheters suddenly ran out — panic. You are an adult, but you feel helpless.
I was really overcome with anxiety. Cumulative. And you can’t talk about it out loud – you can’t explain to many what it means to “forget to insert a catheter on time” or “not count the supplies.”
Getting to Know Nelaton: Skepticism and Unexpected Relief
I found out about the Nelaton app by accident – someone mentioned it on a forum. At first I thought: well, again some kind of “smart” thing that will just beep on my phone. But curiosity won out, and I decided to try it.
And this was the first technical solution after the injury that really took some of the load off me. Because Nelaton is not just a reminder. The timers are flexible – if you didn’t get up exactly at 8:00, okay, the app won’t scold you for it, it will adjust. It will remind you delicately, even if you are on the road. Even if the phone is on silent, the interface is intuitive – everything is simple, without abstruse menus and kilometer-long instructions.
When the app starts caring about you
One of the features that really saved me is the inventory control. Nelaton keeps track of how many catheters you use and reminds you when it’s time to replenish your supplies. Before, I caught myself thinking that I was holding off until the last minute, then calling pharmacies in a panic. Now there are no such situations anymore.
Well, the real revelation was the built-in urination diary. I started writing down how much I drank, when I performed the procedure, how much liquid came out. After a couple of weeks, the app gave me graphs and statistics – and, oddly enough, I began to understand how exactly my body reacts to water. It turned out that you need to drink a little and often, and not liters every couple of hours. I showed this information to my urologist – and even he was pleasantly surprised.
A small victory – taking back control
Now I look at it all differently. I don’t feel sick. I just use a good tool that helps me live normally. Nelaton has become part of my daily routine: like a toothbrush, like a watch, like coffee in the morning. It doesn’t burden, doesn’t stress, doesn’t interfere with unnecessary advice – it just works.
And this ease with which I now control what used to seem like constant stress is real freedom. The app, seemingly so simple, helped me regain a sense of confidence. Yes, with a catheter. Yes, with a certain regime. But with the ability to be mobile, spontaneous, alive. And in this sense, Nelaton really became part of my return to myself.
