Having Bladder or Bowel Challenges??

[ByeByeMS]

Hello! I am new to this Chat Room and I am excited to have been invited by a current participant, MrsMike9!! She asked me to share some information regarding overactive bladder and/or bowel (aka bladder and/or bowel incontinence).

First, I have to say, I am NOT a medical professional but just a fellow MSer sharing information that is publically available.

Medtronic Interstim Therapy (medtronic.com/us-en/patient...

Medtronic Bladder Control Therapy works with the sacral nerves, located near the tailbone. The sacral nerves control the bladder and muscles related to urinary function. If the brain and sacral nerves are miscommunicating, the nerves can't tell the bladder to function properly. Medtronic Bladder Control Therapy modulates the sacral nerves with mild electrical pulses. This helps the brain and the nerves to communicate so the bladder and related muscles can function properly. Medtronic Bladder Control Therapy may help you resume normal activities and help you avoid frustrating or embarrassing experiences associated with overactive bladder.

Medtronic Bladder Control Therapy may offer several benefits, including freedom from the embarrassment of leaks. It may also help reduce the need to interrupt your sleep due to waking many times during the night to urinate.

Medtronic Bladder Control Therapy may reduce symptoms for many people who suffer from overactive bladder. This reversible treatment option can be discontinued at any time by turning off or removing the device. Unlike other surgical treatment options for OAB, Medtronic Bladder Control Therapy starts with an evaluation, where you can experience how it feels and see if it will help reduce your symptoms, prior to going forward with the implant procedure.

**Reference Link: medtronic.com/uk-en/patient...

**Q&A Link: medtronic.com/uk-en/patient...

Medtronic Bowel Control Therapy (Sacral Neuromodulation delivered through the InterStim™ System) is a proven treatment option that targets the communication problem between the brain and the sacral nerves. These nerves help control the muscles related to bowel function. If the brain and sacral nerves don't communicate correctly, bowels will not function properly. This can lead to symptoms of bowel incontinence. Medtronic Bowel Control Therapy targets these symptoms by modulating the sacral nerves with mild electrical pulses. Medtronic Bowel Control Therapy may help you resume normal activities and help you avoid frustating experiences associated with bowel incontinence.

Medtronic Bowel Control Therapy is a reversible treatment option that can be discontinued at any time by turning off or removing the device. Many people with Medtronic Bowel Control Therapy have reported: Significantly improved quality of life

Proven control to stop or greatly reduce accidents

Studies of patients followed for one year found that seven out of every 10 patients experienced at least a 50% reduction in weekly accidents compared with accidents before starting Medtronic therapy.

**Reference Link: medtronic.com/uk-en/patient...

**Q&A Link: medtronic.com/uk-en/patient...

[Xvettech]

Hi and welcome 🤗. Thank you for all of the great information!

[Kenu]

Thanks for info one of my good friends with ms is having this problem 👍🏼🙏😉

[Frances_B]

That's a lot of "copy/paste" advertising from websites which are readily accessible to anyone who puts the name of the company/ device into a Google search!

You've said you are a PwMS, but have you actually trialled one of these devices? Do you have one implanted and working to help manage your bladder problems? If so, how about telling people about your actual experiences - if you don't have one of these devices how about telling people why you have chosen not to use one.

[ByeByeMS in reply to Frances_B]

Hi Frances! Good Morning Actually, YES, I have the medtronic device implanted in me. I had the trial and final procedure completed last year. I am MORE than satisfied with my choice. My experiences before this therapy were rather embarrassing and life altering, I am not sure what PwMS means (forgive me) but I have had MS going on 24 years. If I mistakenly put that in my profile, I will correct it

I was not "advertising" the device/procedure. Please do not take it that way. Our chat member, MrsMike9, asked me to provide detail information about the procedure and I was just keeping my promise. As someone new to this chat room, I will get more and more comfortable sharing my personal experiences, in general, as time goes on.

I am looking forward to chatting and learning from others!!! Have a beautiful blessed day

[ByeByeMS in reply to ByeByeMS]

ALL - I have really benefitted a lot from having this device!! Less embarrassing accidents, I don't pee EVERY hour, have reduced urgencies - I actually can get to that toilet "in time", I sleep on avg 6-7 hours/night (WOW), I can leave my home more, fewer UTIs, and now I can even go fishing on a boat in a lake 'far from a bathroom'!!! In all, my quality of life is much better! Gone are the days planned solely around bathroom stops/locations. I am much happier!!!!

[Frances_B in reply to ByeByeMS]

Thank you for posting about your real life experience - which is always of far more benefit to people than stuff copied from a commercial website where everything is always written up as wonderful and amazing and with the commercial vested interests embodied within the writing - the corporate sector will never let anything intrude upon a solid sales pitch!!!

PwMS stands for exactly what it looks like - an acronym for "Person with MS" - which I feel is much preferable to the awful term that some people use of "MSers". PwMS put the person first and the MS last - which is how I believe all people should be described - they are people first, and pink/ purple/ gay/ straight/ young/ old/ disabled or whatever is a secondary and much less important descriptor. To use the term MSers puts MS front and centre and ignores the fact that PwMS are people first, and that they were people long before MS came along and screwed up their lives to some greater or lesser degree. "MSers" is using language which makes it all about someone's MS and not about the person who lives with it. (sometimes you may occasionally see PlwMS which stands for "person living with MS".)

[twooldcrows]

thank you so much on this subject ...very interesting ...thank you very much...

[kdali]

Welcome! Ty for sharing!

[Tuliplover]

Thank you so much for sharing this information and that this is working for you! My bladder & bowel issues related to MS definitely affect my quality of life. Love what you said about going somewhere “far from a bathroom”… unfortunately, I understand this very well!! Thanks again - will be reading up on this!

[goatgal]

Mrs. Mike mentioned that part of the system is implanted. Where are implants placed? And how well do people with a history of implant rejection tolerate them?

[mrsmike9 in reply to goatgal]

When I was looking into this (I have not ruled it out yet. Just wondering if I'm "bad enough".) There is a wire that is implanted down by the upper part of your butt crack, then the 10 year battery (looks pretty small and flat) is off to the side, a bit further up. There are no bulges in your skin and nobody knows it's there. She told me there is a video online (not a real person being cut open) that shows it. Very helpful. There is also an external device, like a remote control. ByeByeMS definitely knows more about all this since she has it.

[goatgal in reply to mrsmike9]

Thank you.

[ByeByeMS in reply to goatgal]

Hi!! Yes, with the final procedure, the leads are connected to your Sacrum and a battery is implanted. My battery is located under the skin at top of left butt cheek😊 Regarding implant rejection-this is a medical question and I recommend asking a physician.

[lbenmaor]

Hi ByeByeMS!😀

Welcome to our group!🌸🌼🌸

Leslie

[Cutefreckles72]

Welcome to the group. And thank you for the information.

[Neworleanslady]

Thank you!