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www.servingourseniors.org 21 800-564-1856 419-624-1856
“Incontinence is more common than
people realize”, said Dr. Visci. He has
treated patients in their 30’s. Most,
however, are in their 50’s to their
70’s. “I’m surprised that they were
prepared to live the rest of their life
with incontinence”.
Paula was one of those people. She started to
experience bladder control problems at age 55.
To deal with it, she would wear feminine pads
and carried extra pads with her. As her condition
got worse, she used bigger pads and visited the
bathroom so frequently, it interfered with daily living.
“We use to go camping. At every rest area we had to
stop so I could use the bathroom. When I would go to
a friend’s home, I would have to use their bathroom,
a lot. You get embarrassed,” she said.
Then she discovered the outpatient procedure, “Interstim”.
Paula said, “It changed my life. It is well worth doing the
trial to see if “Interstim” will work for you.”
The “trial” is a matter of going to Dr. Rick Visci’s
office for a “Peripheral Test” appointment. Before that
appointment, the patient is asked to keep a written
log of how frequently he/she uses the bathroom. The
log is kept for a few days.
At the doctor’s office, a temporary wire, about the
diameter of a hair, is taped to the patient’s buttock
and a device is clipped to the patient’s belt. The
patient goes home and continues to log the number
of times he/she needed to use the bathroom.
Medtronic, the company that makes the device,
calls the patient. If there is improved bladder/bowel
control, the patient is appropriate for the “Interstim”
procedure, which takes about 30 – 40 minutes.
“It’s a small device that is implanted under the skin in
my buttocks. Medicare paid for it and I was back to
work in 1 ½ days,” said Paula.
Today, Paula has no more bladder problems.
She brags, “I can drive from here to Cleveland
without needing to stop. Now, I can play with my
grandchildren, which I couldn’t do before Interstim.”
According to Visci, “Interstim is effective 70% of the
time for bladder control. It is 90% effective for fecal
incontinence.” The procedure for implanting the
Interstim device is easy. It’s similar to an epidural or a
saddle block, which are procedures commonly used
during delivery.
For more information about treating incontinence,
contact Dr. Rick Visci’s office 419-625-2841, ext. 3230.
Losing Bladder & Bowel Control:
IT’S NOT NORMAL AGING
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