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Ambassador – Beckie

 My urinary retention and the resulting overflow leaking were so embarrassing that I didn't want anyone to know. My coworker and I had a code phrase so she could cover for me when I suddenly needed to go to the bathroom. I'd tell her I needed to "see R.C." which was short for Relief Coming...from a catheter.

My name is Beckie and on my 38th birthday I suffered a stroke, despite running 24 miles per week and being in good shape. Later we discovered the stroke was caused by a hole in my heart. While I was still in the hospital, I felt like I had to urinate all the time, but I couldn't go. That seemed odd, since I'd never had problems with urinary urgency or retention before. However, I was pre-occupied with needing heart surgery, overcoming the stroke, and getting back home to my husband and kids, so I didn't address my difficulty with urination right away.

Months later I still felt like I had to go constantly, my back ached, and I also began having frequent urinary tract infections. As an R.N., I knew a stroke shouldn't cause problems with urinating, so I attributed it to stress. I adapted by not eating or drinking much at work and just tried to manage as best I could.

Finally, I went to see an internist. He was very compassionate and didn't treat me like I was crazy. He did a post-void residual test and determined that I had a very large volume bladder. He had me start catheterizing myself and referred me to a urologist. Cathing myself every 3-4 hours around the clock was incredibly inconvenient and I was always worried about overflow leaking. I knew where every bathroom was between my home in western Wisconsin and my job in the St. Paul metro area.

In Spring 2005, I saw a urologist. He ordered urodynamic tests which showed my bladder muscles never relaxed enough for me to go normally, so he suggested neurostimulation to deal with my retention. After I researched the therapy, we did the trial assessment in late August 2005. Within a day I could tell it would work and I was implanted in September 2005. I haven't needed to cath since then. Today I go every 4 to 6 hours, I don't get up at night, and I don't have any pain or pressure.

The best thing is that I can do almost anything now – go for 10 mile jogs, lift weights without leaking, wear a bikini, golf, and eat and drink normally. I can make it all the way through a trip to the grocery store without a bathroom break and I no longer have to keep catheters in my purse, at work, or in the car. Plus "seeing R.C." is a thing of the past

To contact Beckie, call 1-800-664-5111, ext 3016

This story recounts the experience of one patient who is receiving neurostimulation for the treatment of urinary retention. Medtronic invited her to share her story candidly. Please bear in mind that the experiences are specific to this particular person. Results vary; not every response is the same. Talk to your doctor to determine if neurostimulation is right for you. In addition to risks related to a medical procedure, complications from this therapy can include pain, infection, sensation of electrical shock, device problems, undesirable change in voiding function, and lead migration, among others.

 

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