I have had bladder spasms and incontinence since i was pregnant with my daughter back in '07. Never thought much of it while pregnant, I mean you have a babys fat head pushing on your bladder, not comfortable! After i gave birth still didn't think much of it, things get stretched out down there while in labor, incontinence is kind of expected of a woman who gave birth naturally. A year after I decided to do something about it and went to the Uro/gyn (urologist/gynecologist) and they put me on Oxybutanin. I was on it for a few months and it did nothing but dry out my hands and feet, still had a leaking problem. So switched to the lower dose of Detrol LA, same issue. So on the the higher dose of Detrol LA, same issue but worse. Ugh! Would I ever get relief? I, at this point, decided to give up on the pills and just deal with it as best as I could with incontinence pads and catheterizing when I felt I needed it, which was all the time lol. This was also about the time when MS was rearing its ugly head viciously so I was consumed by getting it under control.
Two years later MS is FINALLY calmed down enough that it isn't causing continual problems, so a good time to try the Uro/gyn again. I went in for an initial appointment where I was told to do a "voiding diary" a list of liquids taken in, how much comes out and how much is leaked out. At the follow up appointment four weeks later I got to do a fun test! First they had me void as much as I could naturally, then catheterized me to make sure I was empty. Then the test. Got hooked up to a catheter in my urethra, one in my vagina to measure the bladder floor muscle spasms (sorry to be graphic there!) and then some electrodes around my thighs and bum to measure the muscle activity. they then pumped my bladder full of saline solution to see how much it could hold and to measure the spasms and how much I leaked. All got printed out in glorious color graphs. I then got to talk to the Dr about what it all meant.
It translated to what I've known for years, I have urgency, frequency and retention. Hence the Poise I have to wear every day but for showers and the catheters i go through faster than I should. The Dr suggested trying the pills again, maybe doubling or tripling the dose. I said no, I didn't like my hands and feet cracking and bleeding years ago, pretty sure I wouldn't like it now. There is a device, an Interstem, which is a pacemaker for the bladder. I am all for it, only problem is I still need to get MRIs and that is a no. There is a MRI compatible one in the queue, but who knows when that will happen. And the final option is Botox, will paralyze the bladder muscles and keep them from spasming, shouldn't dry me out like the pills and is MRI safe! The only issue is it will increase the retention. But honestly i already cath multiple times a day, will it really be that much of a difference? Probably not.
So I had to get a chest x-ray to make sure my heart, lungs etc are healthy and also get blood work done.
The procedure is scheduled for the 19th of December. I go in on the 5th to get the game plan and all the questions I have answered by the Dr and the anesthesiologist.
I will be the first to get the Botox injections in my bladder at the clinic, and really the whole state of NM! I guess it was just recently approved by the FDA for this and no Drs are doing it yet. I will post follow ups to let others know if it works and what all is involved
Two years later MS is FINALLY calmed down enough that it isn't causing continual problems, so a good time to try the Uro/gyn again. I went in for an initial appointment where I was told to do a "voiding diary" a list of liquids taken in, how much comes out and how much is leaked out. At the follow up appointment four weeks later I got to do a fun test! First they had me void as much as I could naturally, then catheterized me to make sure I was empty. Then the test. Got hooked up to a catheter in my urethra, one in my vagina to measure the bladder floor muscle spasms (sorry to be graphic there!) and then some electrodes around my thighs and bum to measure the muscle activity. they then pumped my bladder full of saline solution to see how much it could hold and to measure the spasms and how much I leaked. All got printed out in glorious color graphs. I then got to talk to the Dr about what it all meant.
It translated to what I've known for years, I have urgency, frequency and retention. Hence the Poise I have to wear every day but for showers and the catheters i go through faster than I should. The Dr suggested trying the pills again, maybe doubling or tripling the dose. I said no, I didn't like my hands and feet cracking and bleeding years ago, pretty sure I wouldn't like it now. There is a device, an Interstem, which is a pacemaker for the bladder. I am all for it, only problem is I still need to get MRIs and that is a no. There is a MRI compatible one in the queue, but who knows when that will happen. And the final option is Botox, will paralyze the bladder muscles and keep them from spasming, shouldn't dry me out like the pills and is MRI safe! The only issue is it will increase the retention. But honestly i already cath multiple times a day, will it really be that much of a difference? Probably not.
So I had to get a chest x-ray to make sure my heart, lungs etc are healthy and also get blood work done.
The procedure is scheduled for the 19th of December. I go in on the 5th to get the game plan and all the questions I have answered by the Dr and the anesthesiologist.
I will be the first to get the Botox injections in my bladder at the clinic, and really the whole state of NM! I guess it was just recently approved by the FDA for this and no Drs are doing it yet. I will post follow ups to let others know if it works and what all is involved
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