'B is for Bladder' podcast highlights 'invisible illnesses'

Aoife Madden is a 27 year old school teacher living in Moseley, originally from Solihull.

Aoife Madden started the 'B is for Bladder' podcast in the hopes of bringing awareness to internal illnesses and struggles that are not visible.

Aoife has Fowlers Syndrome- an inability to pass water normally in young women. The problem is caused by the sphincter muscles failure to relax to allow urine to be passed normally.

It took Aoife a year and a half to get diagnosed. Her journey started when she came down with shingles around her groin area when she was 16.

"For a while after the shingles had gone, they were asking me to self-catheterise by putting a catheter up my sphincter which is why I was in such horrific pain. Being so young at the time, that is such an intimate area to be dealing with yourself let alone having someone else looking at it. It was very traumatic."

Aoife wasn't diagnosed with Fowlers Syndrome until she was 17.

She also said the lockdown situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic made people talk about being isolated a lot.

"Before any of them started talking about the effects of being self isolated, we had to go through that in multiple points in our life, which the podcast series is all about. I think it has made others more aware of what people with chronic health conditions go through. "

Aiofe has been teaching for 4 years, she balances her work life while dealing with her illness. But at times this can prove to be difficult as her job requires her to move around which causes discomfort.

"I try not to let my Fowlers Syndrome affect my job, but effectively, it does. I have to dash off to the toilet at times during the day if I have had a leak. Luckily, I was still studying when I was diagnosed, otherwise I would've had to quit."

Aoife has a great support system around her, however it hasn’t always been that way.

"I have supportive friends and a family network where I can be strong willed and I have managed to silence people and prove them wrong. I have seen so many people that suffer with bladder conditions. These people are mostly frowned upon for using disabled toilets and cholostomy bags."

Aoife aspires to educate young people on these issues and to reassure them that they are not alone.

"I am blessed that my condition is invisible in a way, no one knows what is going on and I like it that way. However sometimes, it does not work in my favour when people struggle to see or understand."

Follow Aoife's journey on Instagram, Twitter and through her website.