New MRI-Friendly InterStim installed! 😀

[Archives1]

@ITApilot, are you seeing this?

I had my first InterStim implanted around 2014. It reduced my urgency/frequency problems significantly, but I had to have it replaced within the first year because the battery ran down too quickly. The second one has worked for more than 4 years, and still had a couple of years of battery to go. Then, during my recent urologist visit I complained that it wasn't as effective as it used to be. The doctor suggested some different medications, but I said that since I already take so many meds for so many conditions, I would prefer to get a new device since they are now MRI-friendly. He checked with my insurance and scheduled the surgery for my third device. (That was on 8/20/2021.)

This new device is completely wireless. That is, there is no wire that connects the "programmer" to the "communicator" like the older devices did. Yet, in other ways it is more cumbersome. The "programmer" is actually a Samsung cell phone chassis. (It is limited to providing an app to control the InterStim.) That is, it talks to the InterStim via Bluetooth by sending a signal through the "communicator". The "communicator" is about the same size as the cell phone, so it's much bigger than the earlier communicators. It only has a single button to turn it on and off, and a light that provides a rough idea of its charge state.

It still takes 2 hands to use the devices. I still have to hold the communicator over the InterStim while I use my other hand to work with the programmer app.

The app also tells me how much charge is left on all three devices: The InterStim which is implanted under my skin, the Samsung programmer, and the communicator. There are other apps that the doctor can use for his purposes. I don't touch those.

The new system has its pros and cons. For instance:
* It's good that there is no longer a wire to mess with, but I now have to hassle with a Bluetooth search/connection and the same old "Near Field Link". I have never appreciated Bluetooth.
* I no longer have to replace the batteries in the programmer because it's rechargeable, but that is also a con because I have to keep 2 devices charged. At least I don't have to carry extra batteries with me any more.
* The new system can have many programs to choose from, compared to the limit of 4 on the old devices. The doctor started me off with 5 programs that I can play with. I have tinkered with 3 of the 5 so far.
* The new system ranges from 0-12.9 milliamps per program. The old system stopped at 9.9.
* The app automatically turns off the amplitude of the current program when you move to a different program. With the old system, I had to remember to dial it down before changing programs. NOTE: Some people may actually prefer the old way.
* The InterStim implant has a longer life battery than previous systems. NOTE: There is another version that can be recharged. I wasn't aware of this until after surgery, nor did my doctor offer it as an option. I read about it in the Medtronic documentation. I pondered why he didn't talk about the rechargeable version; I concluded that I would not want to be bothered with recharging the InterStim. That would require sitting in one place for some amount of time, and would be just one more thing to interfere with my life.
* The BEST thing of all is that I don't have to worry about what to do if I ever need an MRI. The app has a way to turn off the InterStim and prepare it for an MRI.

And finally, I asked the doctor to give me the old device to take home after the surgery. It looks exactly like my heart pacemaker!

 

[Archives1]

Is this in your spine or in your ankle?

 

[Archives1]

@snow

The implanted device is under the skin, just to the right of the spine on the right side of my back, just above my beltline. There is a wire that is routed under the skin from the device to near the bladder where the sacral nerve is. I chose the location myself years ago after giving a great deal of thought to how I sit, lay in bed, and where I have the most "padding". I think the default position is somewhere in the buttocks, butt that just would not work for me.

You might get a better idea if you look around at the Medtronic site.
https://www.medtronic.com/us-en/patients/treatments-therapies/bladder-control.html

 

[Archives1]

Meza, thank you very much for sharing your experience with the InterStim. You are very knowledgable about the device. I have become very untrusting of Urologist. Your experience with your Urologist not sharing all of the options just reinforces my distrust. I just don't get why they play games with us!

 

[Archives1]

Thanks for the comparison between the old and new devices! I've only had the new one - I had to wait years for Medtronic to release the MRI-safe one because it's very important that I have an annual MRI for monitoring my liver.

I've never had a Bluetooth problem with mine. I've had times when it wouldn't communicate with the actual device, but that's mostly just a matter of positioning. A word to the wise, though: if you need an MRI, put it into MRI mode BEFORE you get into the MRI suite. I tried to do mine when I was in the changing room, and it wouldn't work because of the stray magnetic fields. I ended up having to stand in the hall (in nothing but a hospital gown and diaper) to get it into MRI mode. Fortunately nobody happened by right then!

I leave my programmer off most of the time. I go about a month between charges, and it only takes a minute to power up when I need to adjust it.

I talked over the rechargeable one with my doctor, and she absolutely did not recommend it. It requires a significant amount of time every few days to charge; furthermore, the technology is advancing fast enough that by the time I need new batteries in my non-rechargeable one, I'll likely want a whole new unit because it'll have nice new features. Still, I'd he angry if my doctor hasn't at least discussed it with me - it's supposed to be the patient's decision, not the doctor's!

 

[Archives1]

@MezaJarJarBinks Im in the trial stage at the moment and as it is going well, I hope to get a rechargeable interstim installed the week after next. I will let you know how it goes

 

[Archives1]

@stuart @physlink

...she absolutely did not recommend it. It requires a significant amount of time every few days to charge; furthermore, the technology is advancing fast enough that by the time I need new batteries in my non-rechargeable one, I'll likely want a whole new unit because it'll have nice new features.

I really trust my urologist a lot. So, my first thoughts were that he must have had a good reason for not talking about it. After thinking about what it would require, I concluded that I would have to be physically plugged into a wall outlet while it was charging, plus, it would be yet another device to carry around with me. I expect it will live longer than me.

That reminds me: we just lost another neighbor lady to COVID this morning. No, she had not received the vaccine. Her daughter said she was going to get the vaccine, but just hadn't done it yet. So sad.

 

[Archives1]

@physlink

@MezaJarJarBinks Im in the trial stage at the moment and as it is going well, I hope to get a rechargeable interstim installed the week after next. I will let you know how it goes

I pray it all goes well for you.

It occurred to me that I wish I had gone to the Medtronic site and downloaded the owner's manual for all the devices ahead of my surgery. You still have time to do that. Just an idea.

 

[Archives1]

@physlink
It occurred to me that I wish I had gone to the Medtronic site and downloaded the owner's manual for all the devices ahead of my surgery. You still have time to do that. Just an idea.

What a wonderful idea! That never occurred to me, but now I wish I'd done it.