Stage 1 Thursday

[med_head_09]

So i am taking the plunge. I have taken a bazillion meds, tried therapy (electric stim and physical therapy), counseling, behavior modification, diet, biofeedback, distensions, distills, and everything else under the sun over the course of the last six months and over a two year span 8 years ago. i want my life back, not that i remeber what that is even like anymore.

i am having the stage 1 done 7/13/06 and i am nervous. i see all the bad things that have happened to people, but i have to believe that there is a chance it will work for me. my symptoms are mostly frequency/urgency. the pain comes and goes, but it is not near as bad as other peoples it seems. my frequency is like 40 times a day, and i cannot keep that up.

my doc has done tons and tons of implants and i feel confident in his abilities. i do not like that my follow up appts are with the PA that i do not care for, but there is nothing i can do about that. i have already been in for my pre-op, and i have someone set up to help out on surgery day and with wound care afterwards, but i am still nervous. i have a sensitive rear end, and have already had one negative surgical experience with my rear end, so i am not looking forward to another. sigh...

so what happens if it does not work?? are there any other exciting innovative options out there, or is it my future job to come up with them if i make it through medical school. i have made it through my first year, btw. though i am struggling with what will happen during rotations if my frequency continues on in the current fashion.

anyhoo, just needed to talk it out a bit...voicing it (writing it) makes it seem more evident and real.

hope all is well or getting there with everyone else!

[dancemomof2]

Good luck!!!! Seems like you tried your fair share of oral meds. This is a personal decision for everyone. I struggled for months with the choice and so glad I did the stim and have been lucky with the results so far. Let us know how it goes when you feel like it.

[ICLori]

Best of luck to you, I hope that you get positive results. And I hope when you are in the medical profession, you will be an advocate for us IC'ers and try to tell docs that, yes, we DO need help with the pain and, NO, we can't just "learn to live with it" as they tell us to.

I had the Bion put in a little over a year ago. It helped with frequency but didn't do anything for my pain. If you do a search for the Bion you'll see what it is - an experimental (not yet FDA approved) neurostimulation device targeting the pudendal nerves.

Blessings,
Lori

[Prinny Joy]

I have just been through a Brand new pre study to a study on a ANS machine. It is the absolute latest on this sort of treatment for IC and I had to go through all kinds of screening to get accepted into this study. I am very fortunate to be able help science and technology by doing this. I can't go into detail about it but it is the latest study and when I am recovered I can chat about this. Still have a few more weeks of recovery to go but oppose to interstim it has 12 leads and not 2. Bless you, Peace and Joy!