2-years after InterStim Surgery

I have not updated in a long time about my InterStim so I thought, since it has almost been 2-years, I would write a quick post about it.

In one week it will be one year since I started stage one. I had no idea two years ago if I would be sitting here now with a success story. There was very limited information a couple years ago on the procedure and there was virtually no personal stories out there either. I had to go on faith and chance.

So far for me it has been a great success. The incontinence is still gone and I do not feel the stimulation anymore, at all. There has been only two times, in two years, that I have had to turn my InterStim off. The reason was the same both times.

Minor issues:

Out of the blue I would get a real big cramping in my left but cheek and down my left leg. It comes on super fast, out of nowhere. I will try to first stretch out the cramping, which works most of the time, but on those two times it didn’t I would try to turn down my InterStim and that does not help. I have had to turn it off at that point and wait for the cramping to stop. The first time I had to wait about half a day and the second time I kept it off one whole day.

After I turn the unit back on I start it, lower then normal, and ease it up during the day to get back where I need to be.

I know the InterStim works for me because the two times I had to turn it off…every bad symptom came back. Up all night going to the bathroom and incontinence, so bad I don’t want to go anywhere. Thank goodness for me this InterStim works.

I do forget to take my remote with me most times I leave, because I don’t think about it anymore. So far, the two times I have had to turn it off, I was home. So now I leave the remote in my purse and try to always have my purse with me. Even though the cramping does not happen a lot, I don’t want to be without the remote when it does happen. So for me this is the only problem.

Going through Security:

I have had people ask me if I feel it when I walk out of stores with theft detectors or go through security at the airport. No is the answer to both. No issues whatsoever. I even got gutsy one day and stood for a few second in a theft detector and still nothing, so no worries there. I have flown about 4 times with my implant and security is a breeze.

Exercising:

My total weight loss since 2009 is about 80 pounds and a good chunk of that weight loss has happened since my InterStim surgery. I workout fine with it. I don’t like doing much Yoga or Pilates though because they make you roll on your hips a lot and I don’t like feeling the implant when i do that. So I do other kinds of workouts and I don’t know its there and it works.

Mind games:

If I let myself think about urinating, all the time, then I will go more. I have noticed that a big chunk of this working for me is a big mind game. This is a tough one because in the first trial it is nearly impossible to get out of this game. Your mind can make or break you and if I start thinking, “I gotta go,” I am gonna go…and often. This may sound funny to some but think about it. If you are used to going all the time, then you get into a mind set that you got to go. It is almost like having an addiction. Not that I am saying that all over active bladder is an addiction, but I mean the thinking part of it.

So there are days that I do this to myself and when I sit back, take a deep breath, and quit worrying, then I go less.

This does not work for everyone, but I do have to wonder if it would work for more people if they weren’t playing the mind games and thinking about it so much during the first stage and beginning of stage 2. Again, I am only saying that because of my own experience. Please no-one take that as an attack. I know it does NOT work for everyone.

Anyway, there is my two year update. So far so good.

Have a great day!

If you want to read my entire journey thus far then check out My InterStim tab above on my blog. I have put on my blog post links on there.