Cure for incontinence

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Why haven't they found a cure for incontinence.i have had 2 sling surgeries with some what better results with the incontinence than before.i was at 5 pads a day and pullup at night,now i am down to 3 pads a day and no pull-up at night.the only solution i have is another surgery ...that is artificial urinary sphincter device.This comes with another serious surgery possible infections ..device malfunction so many things im not feeling it...if anyone has had one please fill me in .i just hope they find a cure for it

 

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Check out this thread

Log In To Continue | National Association for Continence

forum.nafc.org

 

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Thank you

 

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I wouldn't risk surgery to try and cure my incontinence. I have learned to accept it and rely on nappies. To be honest nowadays I have grown so used to it I no longer worry about it. It doesn't define me but is just a way of life now. As my wife said to me just wear a nappy and get on with your life. My incontinence and nightly bedwetting doesn't phase her at all.

 

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I wouldn't risk surgery to try and cure my incontinence. I have learned to accept it and rely on nappies. To be honest nowadays I have grown so used to it I no longer worry about it. It doesn't define me but is just a way of life now. As my wife said to me just wear a nappy and get on with your life. My incontinence and nightly bedwetting doesn't phase her at all.

 

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By the way what is a nappie.Sometimes i do feel that the only surgery that will help is the artificial sphincter since the sling surgery didnt help..i have become use to living this way as well and my wife also is fine with it...like she says nothing it is what it is ..I am cancer free and became incontinent because of it...Sometimes i just get so depressed living like this i cant help but wanting to be cured ...the aus will help me but i am also very nervous about going thru a similar type surgery that is def not a good feeling being cut between your butt hole and scrotum....i will post what and if i end up getting surgery .

 

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We're all different, and what is an unacceptable risk for some is fine for others, and what is something that can be accepted and managed by some is untenable for others.

I had Interstim surgery nine months ago, which carries with it some risks and some downsides, but I'm very happy that I got it. I'm not completely free of having to wear protection, but it's only when I know I won't be able to make a quick run to the restroom, such as when I travel. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of accidents I've had since the surgery, and I'm very glad that I had it. Not having to deal with incontinence on a daily basis was well worth the risk of surgery, at least for me. This isn't to say that someone who chooses differently is wrong, but rather that we each must make our own cost/benefit decisions.

AUS surgery is much more involved than Interstim surgery, but the same argument applies. If the opportunity to have better control is, in your mind, worth the risks if surgery, then you should absolutely get the surgery if you're doctor says you're a good candidate.

 

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What is interem surgery entail.

 

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Interstim is an electrical nerve stimulator system. There is a wire with four electrodes implanted in my lower back, where the nerves that go to the bladder exit the spinal column. This wire connects to a unit that's placed in my left flank, slightly above my belt line in the back on the left side. The unit sends electrical pulses to the electrodes, which send signals to the nerves and relieve many of my bladder symptoms.

The surgery was pretty straightforward. It was a day procedure, so I didn't have to spend the night in the hospital. They numbed my back and made a small incision to put the wire in, and moved it around until I could feel the impulses in the correct area. Then they put me fully under and created a pocket to hold the controller and ran the wire across from my back to my flank and hooked them up. I'll have to get it replaced every few years - there is also a rechargeable version, but after discussing it with my doctor I opted for the non-rechargeable one.

With it implanted, I have a controller that I can use to program it so that I can make adjustments as things change and it stops working as well. My doctor has a more fully featured programmer that allows entirely different programs to be created; mine just lets me switch programs and change intensity.

It's been wonderful for me. I haven't had to wear diapers in most situations for nearly a year since I got the surgery. Not everyone who has the Interstim surgery has as good of results as I have, but it's sure done wonders for my bladder problems!

 

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"Why haven't they found a cure for incontinence?" A fundamental question for a community such as this but a very complicated one. My guess is that there are many causes of incontinence and that some of them can be cured. A friend of mine damaged his spinal cord in an accident. A displaced vertebra was put back in position in an operation curing both his paralysis and incontinence.
My own condition has made me think that some other causes of incontinence look likely to be the result of nerve damage. I have been doubly incontinent since an accident causing spinal injury at Cervical 4/5 (between my shoulder blades) resulted in paralysis below that position. In my case my anal and urethral sphincter muscles are held closed except with manual intervention such as a urethral catheter or bowel evacuation.
Many, perhaps most, of those posting here seem to have the opposite problem - anal, or more commonly, urethral sphincters which they can not close, causing dribbles, or which they can not control to open and close when approprite. As these sphincter muscles are controlled by the pudendal nerve, which issues from the spinal cord between Sacral 2,3 and 4 near the base of the spine (near the top of the bum crevice) it made me wonder whether this nerve could be the cause of some incontinence problems.
I'm not sure whether that gets us any closer to explaining why so many cases of incontinence remain uncured. All I can say is that after spending seven months in a specialist spinal injury hospital I was left with the impression that no-one had a clue how to repair spinal cord injuries. Perhaps those that were able to be cured were treated in orthopaedic hospitals as my friend was.

 

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Thank you intapilot for all that information regarding interstim surgery...how does this procedure stop you from leaking once inplanted ...how does it actually prsvent you from leaking

 

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The Interstim device is a neurostimulator. It has a control unit that's implanted in the upper buttock area on one side or the other (mine's on the left), and a lead with four electrodes that goes against the nerve bundle from the bladder and bowel right where it enters the spine.

Once it's implanted, the control unit sends electrical impulses to the electrodes on the lead, which causes gentle stimulation of the nerve. When it's adjusted correctly, I rarely even feel it, though sometimes when I move I'll have a sensation like someone is tapping on my perineum.

For reasons that aren't completely clear to me (and I don't honestly know whether they're clear to anyone), this sort of nerve stimulation helps with urinary incontinence, urinary retention, and bowel control problems that are caused by neurological problems. The way the urologist that did the implant explained it to me is that it essentially gets the nerve used to a higher level of signals, so the oversensitivity that causes urgency is reduced.

Mine has helped a lot, and with the recent adjustments to the programs seems to be back to working as well as ever.

 

[Archives1]

The Interstim device is a neurostimulator. It has a control unit that's implanted in the upper buttock area on one side or the other (mine's on the left), and a lead with four electrodes that goes against the nerve bundle from the bladder and bowel right where it enters the spine.

Once it's implanted, the control unit sends electrical impulses to the electrodes on the lead, which causes gentle stimulation of the nerve. When it's adjusted correctly, I rarely even feel it, though sometimes when I move I'll have a sensation like someone is tapping on my perineum.

For reasons that aren't completely clear to me (and I don't honestly know whether they're clear to anyone), this sort of nerve stimulation helps with urinary incontinence, urinary retention, and bowel control problems that are caused by neurological problems. The way the urologist that did the implant explained it to me is that it essentially gets the nerve used to a higher level of signals, so the oversensitivity that causes urgency is reduced.

Mine has helped a lot, and with the recent adjustments to the programs seems to be back to working as well as ever.

 

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I have a similar device implanted in my spine to control neuropathy and regional pain syndrom im my right foot. The battery, which lasts for years, is in my left butt cheek, just below my belt.

I get botox shots in my blatter every three months to control urgency. It has been a blessing, but still requires supplementary medication, especially as the weeks pass.