Medtronics Webinar

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Medtronics had a webinar this evening (June 21).
I was wondering if anyone else attended this webinar, and if so, what did you think of it.It was mainly about the Medtronic InterStim, but they also mentioned the Medtronic NURO system which I had never heard of. They said that 76% of patients achieved success for bladder control (which they define as at least a 50% reduction in episodes) which is a much higher success rate than people on this board have experience with the InterStim. They also defined OAB as urinating more than 8 times/day. I was surprised that the "Normal" urination rate was so low.
Just wondering if anyone else had any thoughts about the webinar.

 

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Hi @stuart!

I did not attend the webinar; but am not surprised that Medtronics devices have high success rates. My interstim trial saw positive results and increased hold times and I was very satisfied with it.

I'm on Medicaid right now which doesn't take effect until July; so I'm hoping fingers crossed that I can end up getting it. The Myrbetriq worked for a while and then didn't. I did looks into a TENS stimulator trial but it was only a limited trial per people - I don't know what they call them "studies".

But I was satisfied with the interstim trial. I ended up taking the urologists instructions and not bend my back, etc - and suggest it to anybody suffering from loss of black control, urgency, or OAB in general.

Blessings In Christ,
Honeeecombs

 

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I didn't attend the webinar - there would be no real point for me, since I've already got an Interstim.

Peeing more than eight times a day is one of the very common definitions of OAB. When I was going 12-16 times a day I didn't even realize how much that really was - now that I'm down to 6-8 times a day, I realize that I put up with it a lot longer than I should have.

I'll point out that people who see great success with any sort of treatment for incontinence are not usually the ones who end up frequenting incontinence forums. That said, my Interstim has worked very well for me, in conjunction with Myrbetriq and botox.

 

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Like @ltapilot, I have had good results with Interstim from Medtronic, and I now am sporting a Medtronic dual lead pacemaker for my heart.

The only med I take for OAB is Tamsulosin. I sure do wish that I had never started that stuff, because of the side effect it has on eye dilation drops. I only have one eye, and it needs to have cataract surgery. Tamsulosin increases my risk for that procedure. I must have extra tests before being approved or denied that procedure.

I also think it is the cause of my "labile blood pressure" problems. That is, my BP can be extremely low and then extremely high.

 

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Thank you all for the feedback on InterStim. That is 3 out of 3 positive reviews. I am going to pursue getting the test for InterStim.

 

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@stuart

I wanted to give you something to consider on where to have the permanent generator implanted; that is if you decide to go ahead with the permanent implant. The default location is usually in the butt. That would not be comfortable for me since I have very little fat on my butt. I also wear a belt that holds a "heavy object". So, I have the generator placed above my belt line on my back. It works well for me.

 

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Thank you for the advice. Unfortunately, I have plenty of fat on my butt so i don't know if that will be a problem for me. In general, have you found that the Medtronic implant has had a positive impact for you?

 

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@stuart mine has also been a great help. I have gone from fully using 4 tena maxi a day to 1 a day if out and about. If Im going to be at home I just use an insert pad.

 

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@stuart

Yes, it has been a benefit for my situation. I have OAB, and very little leaking. I had to go every 30 minutes or so. Now I can wait about 3 hours. I only leak if I wait too long.

 

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@stuart

I wanted to give you something to consider on where to have the permanent generator implanted; that is if you decide to go ahead with the permanent implant. The default location is usually in the butt. That would not be comfortable for me since I have very little fat on my butt. I also wear a belt that holds a "heavy object". So, I have the generator placed above my belt line on my back. It works well for me.

Is the usual location really that low? Mine is about even with the top of my left hip bone, so above the belt line. I'd kind of assumed that it was the typical spot. I guess I'd never thought that much about where other people were getting theirs mounted.

 

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I wish that I had paid a bit more attention to where mine was placed. Over the course of a day, my belt always seems to end up on top of the implant.

 

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@stuart

Another thing to consider about the permanent generator for the Medtronic implant is the battery.

The 2 external devices that you will use to control the implanted generator have rechargeable batteries. They are rechargeable like a cell phone. However, you can choose either rechargeable or non-rechargeable battery for the implanted generator.

I think most doctors recommend the NON-rechargeable battery. Recharging the external control devices is easy; you plug them in to a wall outlet and walk away, but if you needed to recharge the implanted generator you would have to stay put for as long as it took to recharge it.

Like another member of this group said, the regular battery will last many years, and by then the technology will have advanced and you will want to replace it anyway.

 

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Thank you for this advice. It does seem to make sense.
Stuart

 

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I wish that I had paid a bit more attention to where mine was placed. Over the course of a day, my belt always seems to end up on top of the implant.

If it were me, I would be concerned about that. It could lead to a problem or an emergency.

I don't know about your circumstances in the UK. When I had a problem with my implant my doctor didn't hesitate to replace it. I am on my third device now.

 

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My implant is the rechargeable type. It takes about 20 minutes a week to keep it topped up.