10/01/2026
๐ OCTOBER 1ST | CAUDA EQUINA SYNDROME AWARENESS DAY ๐
This one is a little personal for me.
About 5 years ago, I developed Cauda Equina Syndrome (CES) and ended up needing emergency spinal surgery. The surgery fixed the compression, but unfortunately some of the nerve damage was permanent.
I still deal with the effects of CES every day:
๐ Numbness and nerve damage in my left leg and foot
๐ Saddle region numbness
๐ Neurogenic bladder, which means self-catheterization
๐ Neurogenic bowel and having to manually manage it
๐ Random nerve pain and those lovely little nerve zaps ๐
๐ Mobility issues and using my cane when I need it
Some of that isn't exactly easy to put on Facebook ๐, but it's also why awareness is important. Bladder, bowel, saddle numbness and changes in sexual function can all be warning signs of CES, and it's a medical emergency.
It's also only one part of my life.
๐ I work and help with our family business
๐ I play darts and run our local ladies dart league
๐ I game and stream on Twitch
๐ I've built some pretty awesome gaming communities on Discord
๐ I travel, spend time with the people I love and still take on probably too many projects ๐
My life definitely changed after CES, and I've had to learn to do some things differently. But I'm still me, still doing the things I love, and I've learned that I CAN do hard things. ๐
If sharing some of the awkward parts of my story helps even one person recognize the symptoms sooner, then it's worth talking about.
Same spine. Different stories. More awareness. Brighter futures. ๐
