Interstim procedure

[Archives1]

I'm scheduled to get my Interstim in a couple of weeks, right before Thanksgiving. I could have chosen next week, but I figured having the four-day Thanksgiving holiday to recover might be a good idea.

For those wife has this fine, what can I expect? I have read that they'll put in the leads with a local anesthetic so they can get feedback from me on what I'm getting, but then they'll give me a general anesthetic to complete the implant. How much pain is involved? How long is the recovery?

 

[Archives1]

I had a interstim, only in a test phase. The leads were put in place under local anesthetic but still it was quite painful. The wires came outside my body, to the device that I kept on a belt, so the device was not implanted. Despite the pain of putting in the leads and the connections under my skin I didn't need much recovery, but four days during thanksgiving is surely a good idea. I didn't work for 2 days and started slowly after that.
It takes a few days or weeks to find the right setting that helps you best and I hope it works out well for you. It's definitely worth trying, good luck!

 

[Archives1]

Itapilot,
Sorry, but I could not understand this. Maybe it was a typo?
"For those wife has this fine..."

I have had both the trial and the permanent implants. General anesthesia for both, so no pain either during or after the procedure.

I went from going every 30 minutes during the night to 3 hours. For me, this was a great improvement.

I hope you are happy with the outcome!

God bless!

 

[Archives1]

I have both urine & fecal leakage. The fecal is the most bothersome. I am scheduled with my urologist to have the test interstim on December 8. Thanks for any feedback you can give me.....

 

[Archives1]

@maryandersen I wouldn't worry too much for the procedure. For many patients it works very well, for fecal and for urinary incontinence. I can imagine what this condition does to your life and what you have been through. It's great that it exists and a big opportunity to regain a rather normal life. I hope it works well for you!

 

[Archives1]

Itapilot,
Sorry, but I could not understand this. Maybe it was a typo?
"For those wife has this fine..."

I really should proofread my posts when I'm on my phone. The predictive text gives me grief pretty regularly. It should have read, "For those who've had this done."

Reminds me of the joke, how many misspelled text messages does it take to change a light bulb? Five - one to harm the burst, and fair to trim the letter.

I had the test procedure a few weeks ago, and found it extremely painful even with the local. It helped enough that I'm hopeful for good results from the permanent one.