Catheter Connection

180 Medical College Scholarship Program

by Kier January 20, 2012 12:42
180 Medical College Scholarship Program

We are very excited to provide three $1,000 scholarships to students with spina bifida, spinal cord injuries, or transverse myelitis. The college scholarship is available to high school seniors or those currently in college that are planning to attend at least 12 credit hours at a two-year or four-year college in the U.S. in the Fall. The deadline is June 1, 2012. 

The founder of 180 Medical, Todd Brown, has had his share of the difficulties that disabilities present. When he was paralyzed from the chest down, one of Brown's biggest challenges was the near-constant UTIs. His victory resides in not only being able to eliminate most infections and live a healthier life, but in creating a company that provides people like him with the same options. This scholarship takes that goal even further. With this scholarship, those optimistic students that prove they are dedicated to furthering their education and enthusiastic about making a positive impact on the world can be given a reward that will help them to achieve their dreams.

Visit www.180medical.com/scholarships for application instructions and up-to-date scholarship information.
       

Reeve Foundation Shares Todd Brown's Success Story

by Kier January 10, 2012 10:56
Last August the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation chose our Founder & CEO, Todd Brown, as their next success story highlighting lives of those with paralysis who have risen above the struggles. The series includes videos on other inspirational people like Jesse Billauer from Life Rolls On, Scott Chesney, and Bob Yant from Cure Medical - just to name a few. View the video below which tells about how Todd was injured and how he and his family adjusted to his new life in a wheelchair.


View the blog post about the video shoot from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation blog here.
     

180 Medical is one of America's fastest growing nationally accredited providers of sterile-use catheters, urologic, and disposable medical supplies. 180 Medical is used as a referral source for some of the top rehabilitation facilities, pediatric hospitals and urologists in the world because of their extensive knowledge and customer care. The company has offices across the country and their products are covered by thousands of health plans, insurance networks, and state Medicaid programs. 

Winter Bifida

by RobRoddy December 14, 2011 16:00
Winter Bifida is a wonderful event put on each winter by the Spina Bifida Association of San Diego (SBSD). I had the great pleasure to speak at this years Winter Bifida this past Sunday, December 11th. The event was held at Balboa Park in San Diego, California and there were about 200 people that attended including those with Spina Bifida and their families. The event featured a lot of fun activities for children including face painting, arts and crafts and they even had a few fun piñatas for the kids to take swings at. There was great food and you could tell from the smiles on the faces of the children that it was a very special event.    

Winter Bifida

Dr. Chiang, who helped start Winter Bifida three years ago is a Urologist at Rady's Children's Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Surgery at UCSD. I had the privilege of having dinner with Dr. Chiang and several other families that are on the board for the Spina Bifida Association of San Diego the Friday night before Winter Bifida got to hear wonderful stories about the positive impact this organization is having on the Spina Bifida community there in San Diego. I asked Dr. Chiang how he became involved with the the Spina Bifida group of San Diego and he jokingly told me that he didn't know it was an option. He then told me that he believed that the children he worked with that have Spina Bifida should have an event during the winter. That was the beginning just over 2 years ago and I was thankful to be part of the 3rd Annual Winter Bifida.   I shared some funny stories about first being injured and learning how to overcome new obstacles in my life. These obstacles included getting back into rock climbing and rappelling as well as going back to school and finishing my degrees. I also shared stories about first meeting Todd Brown and the positive way he has impacted my life and thousands of others that he has come in contact with.

I shared about how Todd helped me get into racing and competing in road races and then started 180 Medical to help people turn their lives around in a positive direction. I had about 100 photos of me rappelling and after I spoke the children came up and I was able to sign the photos for them and several families have emailed me already thanking me for being such an inspiration. That seems a little funny to me because I was the one who truly gained inspiration from getting to witness the courageous spirits of the children and their families. 

We are excited to be involved with Rady's Children's Hospital and the Spina Bifida Association of San Diego and all of the great things they do.



Rob Roddy is a Rehab Specialist at 180 Medical. He travels the country speaking to groups, peer mentoring, and getting involved with adaptive sports. If your group is interested in having Rob speak at an event please contact info@180medical.com. Find him on Facebook: facebook.com/SCIConnection 
 
    

Catheters: A Hidden Advantage?

by Kier November 30, 2011 13:28
Learning that you need to start using catheters on a daily basis can be a little scary at first, but once you get the hang of it it's almost like second nature and may even have a hidden advantage. Bob Vogel, who writes Bladder Matters for New Mobility Magazine, tries to have a positive look on catheterizing and tells his story of incontinence in an article talking about all of the ups and downs. 

"Life is all about choices. When it comes to incontinence, the first choice should be getting information on the best way to manage it. The second choice is how we view this management system. Do we think of it as an embarrassing secret, or do we choose to see it as a hidden advantage, an advantage that gives us more control over our daily lives? I choose the second option; a system that puts me in control and allows me to live life to the fullest, on my terms."

Thanks to Ashley, one of our customers, for recommending this article for our blog.

Read the article from New Mobility magazine here.
  

We're Hiring!

by Sharon November 21, 2011 10:11
We're looking for some enthusiastic individuals to work at 180 Medical!

180 Medical is hiring!

180 Medical has been selected as a Best Place to Work in Oklahoma in 2009, 2010, and 2011. We are a strong and growing company looking for hardworking individuals for the following positions:

  • Billing Specialist
  • Client Specialist
  • Documentation Specialist
  • Inside Sales Representative
  • Outside Sales Representative
If you or someone you know is interested in working at 180 Medical, passionate about helping others, and wants to enjoy coming to work - visit our Careers Page to apply for a specific position and read more about what makes 180 Medical so great.
    

Heart Disease Risk for Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury

by Catheter Experts November 21, 2011 09:18
Why does a person who has suffered a spinal cord injury often become much more susceptible to heart disease?

A new study undertaken at the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada and the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation seeks to answer this question.  The answer may lie in a previously less emphasized area--autonomic nervous system pathways disrupted by spinal cord injury (SCI). 

Autonomic pathways serve involuntary functions of the internal body, involving organs of respiration, digestion, elimination, circulation.  Lungs, heart, stomach, gall bladder, liver, pancreas, spleen, intestines, blood and lymph vessels, reproductive organs, glands.  All structures and functions unseen by the eyes are maintained by autonomic nerve pathways which travel from the brain through the spine to the internal body.

The research was targeted specifically to heart disease, which affects people with spinal cord injury disproportionately, and at a younger age than the general population.

The study involved assessments of a control group of 14 able-bodied persons and another group of 20 persons who have sustained SCI.  The group of 20 was further subdivided into those who had sustained autonomic pathway disruption with those who had not.

Conclusive findings showed that while both SCI groups had high cholesterol, the group with autonomic nerve pathway disruption had considerably less glucose tolerance and greater overall fat and abdominal fat, putting them in a prediabetic state, a known factor in increasing heart disease risk.

Also noteworthy, the SCI control group with autonomic pathway disruption showed less normal indicators of internal functioning overall, even with a healthy lifestyle including exercise.  It remains inconclusive at this stage whether patients' pattern of internal dysfunction is due solely to such disruption, or to patient characteristics after such an injury.

While there is clearly a requirement for more independent research, the study points to a directive--more thorough screening of patients with spinal cord injury.  In addition to measuring of sensory and motor damage, patients should be tested for autonomic nerve functioning after an injury.
   

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SCI

New England Regional SCI: Improving Quality of Life After Spinal Cord Injury

by Kier November 11, 2011 09:59
The New England Regional SCI Center is holding it's 7th Annual Consumer Research Conference entitled "Improving Quality of Life after Spinal Cord Injury" on Saturday, November 12, 2011. The event is hosted by New England Regional Spinal Cord Injury Center and Boston Medical Center.

The event is designed for individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI), their family members and caregivers, as well as health professionals and researchers interested in spinal cord injury rehabilitation research.

If you are not in the New England area, they are offering a live webcast to be able to tune in from the comfort of your own home. To access the webcast live tomorrow visit: www.livestream.com/webshare. You can log-in anytime throughout the day. The schedule is as follows:

10:00 AM - Lisa Hemmerle, MPA, Mistress of Ceremonies
10:15 AM - 11:15AM - Survive, Subsist, Succeed: SCI Outcomes, John D. Steeves, PhD, Founding Director of ICORD
11:15-12:15 PM - Pain After Spinal Cord Injury: Insult Added to Injury, J. Scott Richards, PhD, Professor, University of Alabama at Birmingham
1:15-2:15 PM - Some is Good. More is Better. Avoid Inactivity: Exercise Prescriptions to Facilitate Health in Persons with Spinal Cord Injury, Rachel Cowan, PhD, the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
2:45-3:45 PM - Universally Designed and Assistive Products and Technologies, Jennifer Otitigbe, MS, Institute for Human Centered Design
3:45-4:00 PM - Wrap-up, Steve Williams, MD Chief of Rehabilitation Medicine, Boston Medical Center

180 Medical is glad to have the opportunity to help sponsor this great event to help further education on opportunities to increase the quality of life for those with paralysis.
   

Tags:

180 Medical | events | SCI

Spina Bifida Resource Network

by Kier November 11, 2011 08:43
On October 27, 2011 180 Medical helped sponsor the 4th Annual Taste of Empowerment for Spina Bifida fundraiser benefiting the Spina Bifida Resource Network at Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital in New York, New York.  

Spina Bifida Resource Network

The Spina Bifida Resource Network's mission is to empower the lives of people with spina bifida and promote the prevention of spina bifida through advocacy, education, collaboration, public awareness, research and programs. The Spina Bifida Resource Network offers direct family support and one of the nation's only organizations to provide nursing and case management.

This event was an opportunity to honor Dr. Kenneth Glassberg, M.D. and the Pediatric Urology Department of New York-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital for all their work with the spina bifida community. 

Everyone in attendance enjoyed gourmet food, wine, live jazz and a silent auction.

To find out more information about the Spina Bifida Resource Network visit their website at http://www.thesbrn.org/ or their Facebook page


Photo credit
 

Diet Tips for a Healthy Bladder

by Catheter Experts November 9, 2011 13:12
Certain parts of your body can benefit from eating specific Tips for a Healthy Bladderfoods, which help keep those parts healthy and free of illness and disease. The bladder is an important part of your body, keeping waste from building up within your body and keeping you healthy. However, you must work to keep your bladder healthy so it can do its job. You can do this by eating specific foods that have been found to improve the health of your bladder.

Fruits & Vegetables
Fresh fruits and vegetables have a positive impact on your bladder health, as well as on your overall health. Fruits, especially cranberries, can provide your bladder with a protective layer that prevents bacteria from growing into an infection of the bladder. For some people, drinking cranberry juice at the first symptoms of a bladder or urinary tract infection can cut off the infection before it sets in. Pears are another good example of a fruit that has a positive impact on the bladder, helping to balance acidity in the body.

Water
Water is important for anyone to drink to remain hydrated. Water is also good for flushing bacteria for your system. However, it is important to balance drinking enough water with drinking too much. If you feel as though you are constantly using the bathroom due to your water consumption, it is time to cut back. The amount of water a person requires varies and may take some trial and error before you find the right balance for you.

Whole Grains
The consumption of whole grains serves multiple purposes toward your overall health. Eating whole grain breads, pastas and rice has a positive impact on your digestive health, of which your bladder plays a role. These foods can also help with weight loss. Being overweight can have a negative impact on your bladder health because of the amount of work your body requires it to do. 

Yogurt
Some women already know that eating yogurt can help fight off yeast infections. However, many people don't realize that eating yogurt can also play a positive role in your bladder health. Yogurt has active bacteria that your body needs to balance itself. Studies have shown that eating yogurt can help reduce the risk of developing bladder cancer by keeping the cells of your bladder healthy.

Fiber
Foods high in fiber may not have a direct impact on the health of your bladder, but they can fight constipation. When your body is constipated, your intestines place more pressure on the bladder. This can make you feel as though you need to urinate more often and can have a negative impact on your bladder health. Therefore, eating fiber-rich foods, such as apples, raisins, strawberries, popcorn, peas, beans and broccoli, fight constipation and relieve the pressure on your bladder.

Protein
Protein is an essential element in maintaining your pelvic muscles and hormone regulation. Both the pelvic muscles and hormones in your body play a role in whether your bladder is healthy. Eating a diet high in protein helps your body to maintain itself, including the bladder. Some foods that are high in protein include meats, peanut butter and fish.

Irritants
In addition to eating the right things, it is also important to avoid eating certain things to avoid irritating your bladder. Caffeine is a primary irritant that can impact your bladder health. If you are prone to infections, it is best to avoid consuming caffeine-rich foods, such as coffee, chocolate and soda. Acidic and spicy foods can also negatively impact your bladder. However, as with many other health issues, moderation is the key to keeping your bladder healthy and enjoying the foods you love.
   

Urologic Nurses and Associates Week

by Kier November 1, 2011 16:24
All of us at 180 Medical would like to take time to recognize all of the urologic nurses and associates and THANK YOU for all that you do every day to help those around the country with their urologic and continence care. Urology nurses truly make a difference!

Happy Urologic Nurses and Associates Week

The Society of Urologic Nurses and Associates (SUNA) established this special week in 2006 to give recognition to those specialize in this profession. 

180 Medical is a proud supporter of SUNA and recently was a vendor at the 42nd Annual SUNA Annual Conference held in San Antonio, Texas October 28-30, 2011. Urology nurses traveled from across the country to network with other urologic nurses and health professionals and participate in educational programs on various urologic topics.