Showing posts with label interstim. Show all posts
Showing posts with label interstim. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Thursday, May 17, 2012
And Another Use for Baby Wipes
I showered with baby wipes today.
If you are my friend and I stink, now you know why.
I had my Interstim trial done in the OR yesterday since I'm a freak of nature and 2 electronic leads couldn't stay in my body temporarily for even 24 hours.
I'm to "test" the Interstim for 2 weeks now and the orders are, no showering.
Hmmmmm.....
So today I showered with baby wipes.
Tomorrow I'm gonna get creative because dammit I'm taking a shower.
I'm not turning into my stinky grandmother.
If you are my friend and I stink, now you know why.
I had my Interstim trial done in the OR yesterday since I'm a freak of nature and 2 electronic leads couldn't stay in my body temporarily for even 24 hours.
I'm to "test" the Interstim for 2 weeks now and the orders are, no showering.
Hmmmmm.....
So today I showered with baby wipes.
Tomorrow I'm gonna get creative because dammit I'm taking a shower.
I'm not turning into my stinky grandmother.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Failure
Sitting here in tears.
It isn't working.
I have peed 17 times in not even 24 hours yet.
I don't even have words for how I feel.
I am so sad, disappointed, and hopeless.
It isn't working.
I have peed 17 times in not even 24 hours yet.
I don't even have words for how I feel.
I am so sad, disappointed, and hopeless.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Friday, March 9, 2012
Trapped
I'm so happy I have some hope that my problem will be fixed.
But I can't help feeling as if I've been trapped in a nightmare.
If I didn't have this problem and I heard someone talk about it, I know what I would think.
It is all in your head.
YOU.ARE.CRAZY
The thing is, I'm not crazy.
This is a REAL health problem.
It is devastating.
I've reached a point in it where I almost cannot take anymore, which is why I finally sought out help from a doctor.
If I had no hope for fixing this problem I honestly cannot imagine living the remainder of my life this way.
I know that going pee over 25 times a day doesn't sound like it would be horrible, I mean, it isn't cancer, I'm not dying.
But it is horrible.
Imagine if you always had constant awareness of your bladder.
Imagine if your life revolved around finding the next bathroom.
Imagine not even being able to shop for an hour without using the bathroom twice.
Imagine not being able to take your child to a park to play because it is just far to much work to stop his or her play so mommy can go use the bathroom every 30 minutes.
Imagine having a fear of traveling long distances in a car because you know you will have to stop numerous times to find a bathroom.
Imagine not even being able to enjoy the gym, running, etc... anymore because 5 minutes into bouncing around your bladder whacks out and doesn't allow you to continue.
Imagine purposely dehydrating yourself to avoid frequent bathroom use.
Imagine not sleeping anymore because of your frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom.
Yes, I managed to live with this problem for 8 years, I can't believe I let it go on so long, but I was embarrassed and I was young and I thought I was just crazy, it was in my head or that I was imagining all of it.
It wasn't until last summer that things got so bad that I knew I couldn't ignore the problem anymore. I used to only get up once a night to pee, then all of a sudden it turned into 5 times a night, just like that. Sometimes I think that it is worse than being up with a newborn all night, at least then you are taking care of an innocent, sweet, baby and not some crazy, irritated bladder.
It looks like my trial device will be implanted on April 3, I should have confirmation of this date by today, hopefully.
I'll have it for 4 days and go back on April 6 to have it removed.
What a tease, right?
If that trial period works and I exprience bladder freedom for a few days I am going to be so sad to have it removed and then have to wait another 2 weeks for a permanent one. But to be honest, if it means freedom for the rest of my life, I can wait 2 weeks, that is nothing.
I cannot wait to not feel TRAPPED anymore.
But I can't help feeling as if I've been trapped in a nightmare.
If I didn't have this problem and I heard someone talk about it, I know what I would think.
It is all in your head.
YOU.ARE.CRAZY
The thing is, I'm not crazy.
This is a REAL health problem.
It is devastating.
I've reached a point in it where I almost cannot take anymore, which is why I finally sought out help from a doctor.
If I had no hope for fixing this problem I honestly cannot imagine living the remainder of my life this way.
I know that going pee over 25 times a day doesn't sound like it would be horrible, I mean, it isn't cancer, I'm not dying.
But it is horrible.
Imagine if you always had constant awareness of your bladder.
Imagine if your life revolved around finding the next bathroom.
Imagine not even being able to shop for an hour without using the bathroom twice.
Imagine not being able to take your child to a park to play because it is just far to much work to stop his or her play so mommy can go use the bathroom every 30 minutes.
Imagine having a fear of traveling long distances in a car because you know you will have to stop numerous times to find a bathroom.
Imagine not even being able to enjoy the gym, running, etc... anymore because 5 minutes into bouncing around your bladder whacks out and doesn't allow you to continue.
Imagine purposely dehydrating yourself to avoid frequent bathroom use.
Imagine not sleeping anymore because of your frequent nighttime trips to the bathroom.
Yes, I managed to live with this problem for 8 years, I can't believe I let it go on so long, but I was embarrassed and I was young and I thought I was just crazy, it was in my head or that I was imagining all of it.
It wasn't until last summer that things got so bad that I knew I couldn't ignore the problem anymore. I used to only get up once a night to pee, then all of a sudden it turned into 5 times a night, just like that. Sometimes I think that it is worse than being up with a newborn all night, at least then you are taking care of an innocent, sweet, baby and not some crazy, irritated bladder.
It looks like my trial device will be implanted on April 3, I should have confirmation of this date by today, hopefully.
I'll have it for 4 days and go back on April 6 to have it removed.
What a tease, right?
If that trial period works and I exprience bladder freedom for a few days I am going to be so sad to have it removed and then have to wait another 2 weeks for a permanent one. But to be honest, if it means freedom for the rest of my life, I can wait 2 weeks, that is nothing.
I cannot wait to not feel TRAPPED anymore.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
My Urodynamic Testing Experience
To say this test was uncomfortable and awkward would be an undertatement.
Everyone has different tolerences for things, this is something I didn't tolerate well.
I'd rather be in labor and give birth than to have this test again.
Let me start out by saying, I was very scared going into this, so that probably didn't help my tolerence level.
I walked into the procedure room and starting crying like a baby when I saw all the weird gadgets that would be inserted. When I found out my doctor was indeed planning on a cystoscopy I really freaked out, to the point that they agreed to allow Jeff in the room to get me calmed down.
It was finally agreed that the cystoscopy would not be done, I was just too scared and too panicked. The nurse said that she didn't really know why the doctor wanted to do one, it isn't normal procedure so she told me that if the doctor still wanted one they would schedule it at the hospital and I'd be put under anesthesia.
Let the testing begin.
I had to first sit on this weird table, toilet, computerized piece of equipment and pee into a special toilet that measures your urine stream. Weird.
I could not do this, I got stage fright.
Figures.
So the nurse emptied my bladder with a catheter which hurt going in and hurt going out and burned like hell.
Next, 3 more catheters were insterted, each one comunicated with the computer, you figure out where they were insterted...
Now, it is actually fascinating that they have equipment like this, but 3 catheters?? This is where I freaked out. She started inserting them and I thought I was going to pass out from both fear and pain.
It felt really weird and I was afraid to move with all of these high tech things stuck in my body, not to mention the catheter in my urethra hurt like hell.
Once this was over, I was brought back into an upright position over the special toilet and my bladder was filled with sterile water.
I was asked to tell her when my bladder felt like it does when I know it is time to pee.
Once I got to that point, she had me cough a few times and bear down, like your pooping or giving birth. This was to see if I leaked urnine, which I don't.
She then continued filling my bladder and I was asked to tell her when I got to the point where I'd actually get up from a TV show I was really into to go to the bathroom.
Once I got to that point, she had me do the same coughing and bearing down again.
She then started filling my bladder really fast and I was asked to tell her when I felt like I just couldn't hold it one more second.
Once I got there we did the coughing, bearing down again.
Then she left the room and I peed into the special toilet and yes the catheters were still inside of me during this. It was weird, painful and that water was like ICE.
I'm not sure why this was so painful for me, I never had a catheter when I gave birth. I only had a quick catheter right before delivery to empty my bladder and I was so numb from the epidural I didn't even realize it.
It has been almost 8 hours after my prodecure and I am still having pain.
The nurse said this happens to some people who might be more sensitive in that area than others. Figures I'd be one of them.
The good news is, my bladder and all the muscles that go into urination work perfectly so this answers my doctors question, it is indeed a sacral nerve problem and I will go on to have the Medtronic Interstim device implanted.
I will find out tomorrow when my temporary device will be placed and then if that goes well, I'll get a permanent device about 2 weeks after that.
I am really excited about this and after dealing with my issue for over 8 years, I'm ready to feel normal again.
Everyone has different tolerences for things, this is something I didn't tolerate well.
I'd rather be in labor and give birth than to have this test again.
Let me start out by saying, I was very scared going into this, so that probably didn't help my tolerence level.
I walked into the procedure room and starting crying like a baby when I saw all the weird gadgets that would be inserted. When I found out my doctor was indeed planning on a cystoscopy I really freaked out, to the point that they agreed to allow Jeff in the room to get me calmed down.
It was finally agreed that the cystoscopy would not be done, I was just too scared and too panicked. The nurse said that she didn't really know why the doctor wanted to do one, it isn't normal procedure so she told me that if the doctor still wanted one they would schedule it at the hospital and I'd be put under anesthesia.
Let the testing begin.
I had to first sit on this weird table, toilet, computerized piece of equipment and pee into a special toilet that measures your urine stream. Weird.
I could not do this, I got stage fright.
Figures.
So the nurse emptied my bladder with a catheter which hurt going in and hurt going out and burned like hell.
Next, 3 more catheters were insterted, each one comunicated with the computer, you figure out where they were insterted...
Now, it is actually fascinating that they have equipment like this, but 3 catheters?? This is where I freaked out. She started inserting them and I thought I was going to pass out from both fear and pain.
It felt really weird and I was afraid to move with all of these high tech things stuck in my body, not to mention the catheter in my urethra hurt like hell.
Once this was over, I was brought back into an upright position over the special toilet and my bladder was filled with sterile water.
I was asked to tell her when my bladder felt like it does when I know it is time to pee.
Once I got to that point, she had me cough a few times and bear down, like your pooping or giving birth. This was to see if I leaked urnine, which I don't.
She then continued filling my bladder and I was asked to tell her when I got to the point where I'd actually get up from a TV show I was really into to go to the bathroom.
Once I got to that point, she had me do the same coughing and bearing down again.
She then started filling my bladder really fast and I was asked to tell her when I felt like I just couldn't hold it one more second.
Once I got there we did the coughing, bearing down again.
Then she left the room and I peed into the special toilet and yes the catheters were still inside of me during this. It was weird, painful and that water was like ICE.
I'm not sure why this was so painful for me, I never had a catheter when I gave birth. I only had a quick catheter right before delivery to empty my bladder and I was so numb from the epidural I didn't even realize it.
It has been almost 8 hours after my prodecure and I am still having pain.
The nurse said this happens to some people who might be more sensitive in that area than others. Figures I'd be one of them.
The good news is, my bladder and all the muscles that go into urination work perfectly so this answers my doctors question, it is indeed a sacral nerve problem and I will go on to have the Medtronic Interstim device implanted.
I will find out tomorrow when my temporary device will be placed and then if that goes well, I'll get a permanent device about 2 weeks after that.
I am really excited about this and after dealing with my issue for over 8 years, I'm ready to feel normal again.
Testing Day
I am sitting around sipping water, waiting to leave for my urologist appointment this morning.
I'm sipping water because I have to come with a full bladder. This might just kill me, literally.
I didn't sleep last night because I'm in panic mode about these tests.
They sound less than desirable.
But what can be more revealing than giving birth?
I'm thinking not much.
I'll live through this.
If it means I won't pee 27 times a day and actually get more than 4 hours of sleep a night, I'll pretty much do anything at this point.
If you are the least bit interested in what I'll be doing today, you can read about it here.
She also mentioned something about a scope, I can't really remember exactly, I just hope it isn't this because if you read this it mentions general anesthesia and I'm going to her office, so if she is planning on doing this procedure without giving me something I'll probably have the cops called on me.
Wish me luck.
I'm sipping water because I have to come with a full bladder. This might just kill me, literally.
I didn't sleep last night because I'm in panic mode about these tests.
They sound less than desirable.
But what can be more revealing than giving birth?
I'm thinking not much.
I'll live through this.
If it means I won't pee 27 times a day and actually get more than 4 hours of sleep a night, I'll pretty much do anything at this point.
If you are the least bit interested in what I'll be doing today, you can read about it here.
She also mentioned something about a scope, I can't really remember exactly, I just hope it isn't this because if you read this it mentions general anesthesia and I'm going to her office, so if she is planning on doing this procedure without giving me something I'll probably have the cops called on me.
Wish me luck.
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