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Putting the Brake on Bathroom Breaks
After three years of worrying how she'd find a bathroom every time she went out, Brick resident
Sharon Coryell, 56, now has a new lease on life.
"My life was totally encumbered,"
says Sharon. "I was going to the
bathroom eight to 12 times per
day and four times per night. I was never
getting any sleep. You don't realize how
much an overactive bladder can impact
your life."
For overactive bladder (OAB) sufferers
with frequency-urgency problems, the signal
that tells the brain the bladder is full is
triggered prematurely and with more force,
creating the strong need to go to the
bathroom frequently and sometimes
episodes of leakage.
However, with today's medical technology,
physicians like Michael L. Howard,
M.D., a urologist affiliated with Ocean Medical Center, now are offering OAB
sufferers a treatment alternative called
InterStim therapy.
Similar to a pacemaker, InterStim is a
device implanted under the skin that stimulates
the nerves to the bladder. InterStim
has the ability to be customized to the
specific needs of each patient, and it also
can be used in people who are unable to
empty their bladder.
"Because the procedure is minimally
invasive and reversible, it was a very
viable choice for me," says Sharon.
Sharon underwent an outpatient
procedure for a test implant first, in which
a fine wire was placed near her tailbone.
The wire was attached to a small, portable device that acted like the implant
and ultimately would determine whether
Sharon was a successful candidate for the
implant. "When I had the test implant put
in, I was like a new woman," says Sharon.
"I was glowing."
According to Medtronic, the makers of
InterStim, 70 percent of the people who
have the implant see a significant reduction
in the number of times they use the
bathroom in a 24-hour period. For many
OAB sufferers, this means they can return
to normal daily activities without the fear
of not being near a bathroom.
"Sharon had such great results that
we both felt she should move forward
with the implant," says Dr. Howard. The
implant worked out very well for Sharon.
"I have my life back!" she reports. "I
can wear what I want to wear and do
what I want to do without worrying about
whether or not I'm going to need to use
the bathroom."
 – Beth Chunn
- 33 million people in the United States suffer from overactive bladder.
- The adult diaper business is a $4 billion per year industry.
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