InterStim Therapy Volunteer: Lee

For me, that day in October 2006 when I was implanted with InterStim Therapy was an amazing day.

Ever since I was a little girl, I've had to go more often than everyone else. I wet the bed for years and I'm told my mother used to carry a potty chair in the car for me. I outgrew the bedwetting, but even as a teenager, I still had accidents. When I was growing up and still having problems with my bladder as a young woman, doctors didn't really investigate the causes like they do now.

I've had every test and treatment in the book, but none of them helped. The various medications I tried left me too out of it. I've been an ultrasound technician for 36 years, and I help with cardiac stress tests, so I need to be clearheaded at work.

Before I had InterStim Therapy, whenever I drank anything, I was in the bathroom 1 hour after drinking. If I had anything to drink after 6:00 or 7:00 pm, I would have to get up several times a night to go to the bathroom. I tried not to let my bladder problems slow me down. I work 10 to 12 hours per day and I keep active away from work. I was a professional dancer for years and I taught aerobics. I love boating, kayaking, and running. However, I always wore pads and carried a change of clothes. I can't even begin to tell you how many times my bladder problems put me in extremely embarrassing situations.

So when I first learned about InterStim Therapy, I was eager to try it. I know a lot about pacemakers because of my work, so I understood how it functioned. In late October 2006, my doctor did the trial assessment. We tested it for a week, but I could tell right away it was working. I had the implant a week later. After being implanted with InterStim Therapy, my frequency dropped to 5 times during the day. Now I don't have to get up at night unless I've done something like drink a lot of iced tea or water.

I'm not 100% improved—more like 90%. But I can't say enough good things about InterStim Therapy—it's really done a lot for me. People sometimes ask me if I can feel it or if it hurts and I tell them, "I can't even tell it's there." Sometimes I turn up the stimulation temporarily just to be sure it's "ON."

In February 2008, I had to have the system replaced, because I fell while I was starting our boat's motor and I hit my back pretty hard. I'm extremely happy with the new system. I'm still very active. I ran a 5K race not long ago and I still go kayaking. I'm just so much happier with InterStim Therapy. I don't have to deal with pads or medications anymore. It's a wonderful thing. I feel very confident in the morning and all day long.

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Medtronic invited this patient to share her story candidly. Not everyone who receives InterStim Therapy will receive the same results as the patient in this story. Talk with your doctor to determine if sacral nerve stimulation is right for you. In addition to risks related to a surgical procedure, complications associated with InterStim Therapy can include pain at the implant sites, new pain, infection, lead (thin wire) movement/migration, device problems, interactions with certain other devices or diagnostic equipment such as MRI, undesirable changes in urinary or bowel function, uncomfortable stimulation (sometimes described as a jolting or shocking feeling), and others. Surgery is required to remove the InterStim Therapy system. Please refer to Important Safety Information. Always discuss the potential risks and benefits of the therapy with your physician. This therapy is not for everyone. A prescription is required.

Please note: InterStim Therapy volunteer program is not intended to offer medical advice, counseling or product-related technical support. For medical questions, please talk with your doctor. If you have a Medtronic product and need technical support, please call 1-800-510-6735. Your discussion with an InterStim Therapy volunteer is meant to be a one-on-one conversation with an actual InterStim Therapy patient. The InterStim Therapy volunteers are instructed not to disclose any information about you to Medtronic or anyone else, but Medtronic cannot guarantee this will not happen. Therefore, please do not share any personal information about yourself with the volunteer unless you wish to do so. Medtronic will not participate in or monitor your conversation with a volunteer. The volunteers are not employees of Medtronic, and Medtronic does not control what they may say to you. For these reasons, Medtronic is not responsible for any statements the volunteers make. Medtronic encourages you to carefully review the information about InterStim Therapy on this website, and to discuss this therapy with your doctor. Medtronic reserves the right to end the InterStim Therapy volunteers program at any time, or to change volunteers from time to time.