Jane's Decision - The Urethral Bulking Procedure

Join us for an insightful conversation with Jane as she shares her personal journey with stress incontinence, a condition affecting many women of all ages. From childhood to adulthood, Jane struggled with symptoms that impacted her daily life. She discusses the challenges of dealing with stress incontinence at a young age and the stigma surrounding it.

 Jane's openness and honesty shed light on the importance of breaking taboos and seeking support for women's health issues. Learn about her decision to undergo the urethral bulking procedure and the life-changing results she experienced. Discover how Jane's journey toward healing has empowered her and inspired others to seek solutions for their own health challenges.

Feeling inspired by Jane's journey? If you're experiencing similar challenges, don't hesitate to reach out for support and explore treatment options. Take the first step towards improving your health and reclaiming your confidence today! 

• 0:27 - Introduction: Introducing Jane and discussing the topic of stress incontinence.
• 1:12 - Symptoms and Early Experiences: Jane shares her early experiences with stress incontinence, which began in childhood and affected her daily activities.
• 3:42 - Seeking Help and Support: Jane discusses the challenges of seeking help for her condition and the lack of awareness among peers.
• 5:57 - Treatment Approaches: Jane explores her journey through various treatment options, including pelvic floor therapy, before deciding on the urethral bulking procedure.
• 8:47 - Procedure Experience: Jane describes her experience undergoing the urethral bulking procedure, including preparation, anesthesia, and post-procedure discomfort.
• 12:27 - Recovery and Results: Jane reflects on her recovery process and the significant improvement in her symptoms following the procedure.
• 15:12- Impact on Daily Life: Jane discusses how the procedure has positively impacted her confidence, activity levels, and overall quality of life.
• 17:57 - Follow-Up and Future Plans: Jane shares her plans for follow-up appointments and discusses the importance of ongoing care and maintenance.
• 20:27 - Closing Thoughts: Emphasize the importance of raising awareness about women's health issues and encouraging others to seek support and treatment.

Transcript

Okay. I'm here today to talk with Jane and we're going to talk about her personal story with stress incontinence. So stress incontinence is leaking with coughing, sneezing exercise and the  Bulkamid procedure, which is a urethral bulking procedure. So welcome Jane. How are you today? I'm doing great.

How are you doing? I'm good. So can you tell me what symptoms you had?  What,  how did this all get started?  What were you dealing with? Oh goodness. This is something that affected me very early on, ever since I was a kid. It was, it would always show itself jumping on the trampoline or getting out and running or straining.

Ever since I was young, I was very aware of leaking and just needing to know where the bathroom was, honestly. And so I just pretty much coughing, sneezing, being active. Did you know anyone else who had these issues or did you feel like you were the only person? I didn't know anyone else in the sixth grade with this issue, but I did know many people over the age of 60 with this issue.

Yeah. And I think that's pretty common, right? Where everyone assumes that it's an older person's disease, but lots of, I mean, lots of kids deal with it. Lots of young women deal with it. Did you seek help for it? Did you just handle it on your own? How did things proceed? I think maybe what might be common for a lot of people is embarrassment when you're young, especially because you do hear about it with like, you know, women of a certain age or whatever.

And, you know, whenever you're in your 20s, you're just like, this is ridiculous. But whenever you actually do talk to your friends, it is very interesting. Saying how many of them are actually having an issue with it, but they just don't talk about it because of the taboo around it. I  don't have much of a filter and I kind of like to just shoot it straight.

So it was never it was such a big problem for me early on that. It just became a regular topic of. Like kind of conversation amongst my sister and I, and then with my friends. So it was about like that. Did you try anything before you tried the Bulkamid?  So before that, the people that I had seen told me that I really needed to focus on pelvic floor therapy.

And so I didn't get hardcore into that, but I did try out certain things and techniques that they told me. And there was really, I feel like.  Of course, I don't know because it's not my field, but I was fairly confident that it was going to take something a little bit more, a little bit more invasive than trying Kegels or trying these pelvic floor exercises and stuff like that.

I  always felt like it was going to take a little bit more than that. And when you say you didn't get hardcore  into it, what do you mean?  You didn't do it for long enough or I personally and it was probably a personal again. Like I said, I've always felt very certain that it was a  bigger problem maybe than the average case.

And so whenever I finally did Start seeking help from a professional. That's whenever they started to throw out, you know, well, let's try this before we try anything really intense. And already again, initially, in that moment in my mind, I was like, I will be amazed if there's a muscle that I can work enough to make this, better. So I already went into it, you know,  feeling like it was going to be in vain a little bit, you know, see, to me, it seemed like what they were telling me was something that I could do after I did something a little bit more. impactful. It seemed like that would be a good place to start after I had really kind of solved the root of the problem.

Yeah. Or not the root of the problem, but like a big part of the problem. Yeah. So you were thinking it was more maintenance. Yeah. Kind of, kind of. Okay. Did you try anything on your own? Did you try anything over the counter? You know, there's all kinds of things out there.  I did in my early 20s, I believe I was doing a very physical job and it would just be something that was very frustrating, you know being that age and having to wear like a pad every day, you know what I mean?

And especially being physical. And so But no, on my own, I wouldn't say that I tried anything that's worth noting. I would do Kegels as much as I could stuff like that. But like I said, it just always seemed like it was going to take a little bit more than working a muscle to kind of really curve the issue.

And how old are you now?  I'm 30. You're 30. Yeah. Which is super young to be dealing with this, or I'm sure it feels super young to be dealing with it. It definitely is not that young. I would say that it is super young and it feels super young, so you're not wrong. So what different procedures did you consider?

Did you only consider urethral bulking? Did you think about doing other things?  So, actually, through the barbershop that I work at, we have a client that comes in on a regular basis. And at the time he was selling, like, vaginal mesh and stuff like that. So we would always get to talk in a little bit.

And he told me about a buddy of his Dr. Parnell.  And I had only really talked to this client, this customer about it because he was you know, very well versed and it wasn't we were talking about it or anything. And he's actually the 1 that recommended. I would I talked to Dr. Parnell because he, we said that he was fairly certain that there was a pretty non invasive procedure or something like that that I could do to kind of again curve the issue. And so, no, I had never really heard of any thing else. I assumed there were procedures. I didn't know of any specifically until I saw my urologist and he kind of talked me through it a little bit and., as soon as he mentioned it, it was like the,  you know, as he was explaining how it all works, it just really seemed like it just made sense for what my body needed, you know,  so once you decided to go ahead with the bulkamid did you have it done in the office? Or did you have it done in a surgery center or the operating room?

It was,  I guess, technically, it was the surgery center. But it was very.  I don't know. I've had a couple of procedures in like one major surgery in my life. So I'm not super like, I don't get very nervous about it, but it really was kind of like a non big deal. You know what I mean? You do go into the surgery center and you do all that, but it,  did not feel as big of a deal as where I was at to get it done.

If that makes sense. It, it totally makes sense. So, but you did have a little bit of anesthesia.  Oh, yes, yes, yes. For sure, for sure. Yeah. So you describe it as kind of a non procedure. So you get there, what happened? Walk me through it.  So I got there and you know, they got me changed into my gown and everything.

Feeling very fancy, very confident, very fancy. Yes. And they're very nice. And so  I know I wanted to take,  but I, I got in there and I got changed and they kind of just came in and walked me through, you know, each person kind of does their rounds. It's got playing some part in it. They stop by to talk to you.

Everyone was so friendly and everyone was just very much like, just being very reassuring of, like, this is no big deal. You know what I mean? Like, this is going to be this is going to be a great thing. And so, for me, getting prepared for it, I was not very nervous.  Whenever they pushed me to the back,  I was informed after the procedure, cause it wasn't full anesthesia or anything like that.

I, my understanding is that it's just kind of enough to like keep you out of it and everything. And you don't remember much afterwards. And I was told that I was very chatty  throughout the procedure. So be careful, be careful.  Yeah.  But no, it was just as very simple. We got back in the room. I situated myself on the table.

We were all just shooting the breeze and just kind of, like, having, like, a morning banter. And then, you know, next thing I know, it gets a little cloudy, a little foggy and I'm, and I'm, like, in the recovery space. You know what I mean? It's very quick. How long did it take? Do you think? I  feel like it could not have been more than 30 minutes.

Yeah. Did you have any pain afterwards?  Yeah. So there was a little bit of discomfort whenever I would pee, it would kind of be like you could feel maybe where they had done the injections in there a little bit. Definitely not unmanageable. Definitely not.  It was not too much, but you, or I did have some burning sensation and I could tell where it was.

It was where he had. Put the solution there. I think that's pretty common. How long did that last for you?  I'm sorry. How long did that last?  I think that that only lasted  honestly, I think it lasted maybe 4 to 5 days. But, I mean, the 1st, 2 days were definitely the most intense. And like I said, at its most intense, it wasn't really anything to write home about, but it was pretty much all those little sensations were pretty much wrapped up by the 5 day mark.

So you didn't feel you didn't have to take any pain medication.  I think maybe that first day. Yeah, I might've taken like  a couple of ibuprofen, maybe like a Tylenol or something, but that was mostly just to kind of knock the edge off of it and kind of coast through it. It wasn't it wasn't like, I need Tylenol.

I need ibuprofen. It was like, that would be nice. That would just take that little.  A little hard edge off of it. Was it hard for you to pee right after the procedure? Did you have any difficulty? Kind of. It wasn't so much difficulty  as it is, you know, growing up with incontinence and not having any control of your bladder.

You're kind of used to it. Before your butt hits the seat, the P hits the water, you know what I mean? And so it was a very, very different for me to be sitting down and just kind of like, wow, where is it? You know, it's taking it a second, you know, and he told me that that would, you know, it might take a second or whatever.

So I wasn't nervous or anything, but I did, I did sit down and it did take just a second to be able to like, I guess, figure out how to like, really relax those muscles because they are kind of, you know, they're, they're done pretty tight.  It's such a habit, right? The way you pee is just a habit and it just feels different.

And, and that, well, it's, it's extremely weird to go from pretty much every experience. And I think my experience with that in the past ever since I was a child was kind of a, oh, got to get there. Got to get there. And it was a very odd sensation at I think at that time, I just turned 30. So it was a very odd sensation to, to sit down and nothing happened when you know that you needed to and it takes it a second. I was like, I'd prefer it take a second over that any day. So how long were you in the recovery room before you went home? I'm just wondering how long the whole procedure took.  It wasn't that long. Maybe, maybe an hour.

I had my wife there with me and she drove me afterwards. So I think that that's like a general thing. Everyone does have someone drive them afterwards. But I really, I think in total, we were there for under 2 hours total, if not like an hour and a half, like, including, like, getting there, getting situated, doing the procedure, waking up and being discharged or, you know, 

 So  you said you're a barber.
How much time did you take off of work? Cause that's a pretty physical job. Or did you not take any time off of work? Honestly, just because I have full control over my schedule. I went ahead and marked the following day out. But. If I, if I was in a position to where I really couldn't or didn't need to miss work, I could have totally gone to work.
I would have taken some Tylenol or something like that. But honestly, I felt like I could, if I had to, I could have gone back the next day, but comfortably I went back 2 days later. 

Okay. Okay. So you go through this procedure and, and now what, what's happened to your symptoms? 

 It's  absolutely wild. So like I said, for the first, little bit, it kind of takes a second to, like,  learn how to go to the restroom and, like, sit down and, like, relax enough to where, you know, you can kind of just get there.  But so the symptoms after the procedure were really kind of  non existent. I went from, like, wearing a pad a day to, like, I don't wear pads anymore.

I don't buy them, which, for me, is a huge deal since literally having to wear them since middle school  for this issue. And so, it  I'm not trying to sound dramatic, but it was very much a lifestyle changer for me. It was a game changer for me. Because, you know,  you want to go hiking. You want to go do things that cause you to kind of exert, you know, and in the past, it's just I held myself back so much just from the discomfort.

I know what's going on. Follow. Yeah. You know what I mean? So afterwards it was pretty, as far as symptoms, I could cough, sneeze,  I picked up heavy things and  not strained, but like it, you know, it took a little bit of effort and, it kind of occurred to me after I did a couple of things. I was just like, wow, before that would have been, I'd be having to deal with something right now. And like, this is kind of,  I just feel free, freer in a way. You know what I mean? 

Do you feel like you're more active? Do you feel like you're doing more things because you don't have to worry about this anymore?  Yes, a little bit more active this summer is going to be the real teller for everything. Because in the past, again, it's just like you just want to, it's just hot. You, you want to be active, but you just feel gross, you know what I mean? But yeah, I definitely been a little bit more active. I plan on being more active this summer. It has definitely been a game changer for movement without a doubt. 

Yeah, I just want to ask you about one other thing that you just said, because I think it's something that so many women feel. So you said, you know, before this, you kind of felt gross. Do you feel better about yourself? Because I think there are a lot of, you know, self confidence and body image issues, even for the most self confident women when they're dealing with these issues. 

 For me, I would definitely say my self confidence has grown leaps and bounds. You kind of don't realize the residual shame or something that you might be holding on to. Cause it's like when I was younger, I was very embarrassed by it. As I get older, I was like, well, this clearly is not going anywhere and I don't know how to keep a secret. So I'm just not gonna, I'm not gonna like stay locked up about it. But it's like, you know, there is that period of time where. There's just a lot of embarrassment, a lot of shame about it. And so what has really struck me now is that I,  that's something I didn't anticipate changing so much. In addition to being able to do more or whatever, but the way that I felt as far as self confidence towards myself was like, I knew it was gonna improve, but I didn't know that it was going to be one of the main things that I got out of this procedure. 

Yeah, that's so amazing. I'm so happy for you. I mean, I, I think that's something that we see all the time and, you know, physicians who do this work. I mean, this is why we do it because it just makes such a huge difference for people, but it's just so amazing for you to be able to verbalize that and say, yeah, this impacted just so many people and different parts of my life. I mean, I always tell people that you, you want your pelvis to work and you don't want to have to think about it. And then when that happens, it's super, it's super freeing for you.  

Well, I want to just say this really quick. That was another thing that was so huge is that also, in addition to the, like, subconscious, like, shame that might be lingering is also not really fully realizing how it does kind of dictate your day to day and it really does impact your life to the point that like, that's something that eventually it's just a part of your day where you're just stressing about it all the time and I knew I was stressing about it, but it wasn't until after the procedure that I realized that I was actually kind of, you know,  Which it sounds so obvious now, but mental health wise, like, that was actually really doing a number on me more than I realized.

And so that was like, something that was very surprising and relieving after the fact was to realize, like, I don't just have a constant tingle of anxiety going through me throughout the day to be so self aware. So aware of my surroundings. What am I going to be doing when I get there?  So I just wanted to throw that out there.

Yeah. I think you put that so well, right? I mean, I think that's definitely true. And then you feel like you just have a lot more bandwidth to deal with other things. I feel like a 30 year old now.  How how long ago did you have the procedure? I do believe it was August. I think it was late August of 2023.

Okay. So about nine months. Do you feel like it's wearing off at all?  I do just a little bit, but I was told that there was a chance that I would need to come back in for some sort of follow up to kind of top it off a little bit. I was and I plan on doing that. I just life has been so wild, but I'm going to do that this year.

Yeah. So it has worn off just a little bit. I would say that some of the leaking  I wouldn't say  it's just kind of occasional. It's just kind of there, but it's  one of those things where I'm so  I've just experienced such relief from the original procedure that I have the utmost confidence and my doctor and the procedure itself that getting it topped off  is going to do the trick.

You know what I mean? And I was also told about, doing a follow up like that is even less of a ordeal than the initial  procedure, which again was not an ordeal at all. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, it sounds like you've had amazing results. Is there anything that you didn't like about it? Is there anything you wish was different? 

I really don't think so because I mean, it's like,  also, I just struggled with it for so long that the thought of like,  having like a,  a thought of like, how I wish it was different just seems so foreign because it's like, it just like, it's all so much for me, you know what I mean? So first, what I wish was different.

I really can't even say that there is anything it's. I mean, how much easier can you want it to be? Initially, doctors were told we're telling me that I would need to see a pelvic floor therapist X amount of times a week or every so many weeks telling me all these exercises, giving me these pamphlets, things to research, which, you know, that's all good.

That's all like, rich information. But I, again, I always felt like I would need a little bit more and so to literally go put on a comfy gown, lay in a bed, have people wait on your hand and foot, get your Sprite and then to go lay down have that done. Like I said, I do believe it was like, about 30 minutes or less and then to wake up and to your life.

Your lifestyle changes. I mean, I don't want anything to be different. I understand. I've got to get it topped off, but I'm like, not complaining.  Yeah. No, I mean, it sounds like you've had an amazing change, right? Which is, you know, what we see all of the time. It doesn't always last. Sometimes you have to top things off and that's okay.

You know, usually we start with a very standard dose because you can always add more, but you can't really take it away. And then just kind of see how you do. I mean, you never want to do too much because I'm sure some people might hear that and be like, I'd rather just go ahead and go for it than to risk having to do a follow up.

I can see. So one of the things that he told me is that doing too much, too soon, it could lead to like the opposite problem of where you can't go to the bathroom. You can't. Urinate and so but just also wanted to throw that out there as well that I'm glad that he reigned it in, you know what I mean?

Like, so it doesn't feel like any sort of hassle to go back for the follow up, which he said that also could be done outside of the surgery center. So. I mean, and I, I think, I mean, everybody wants everything to be perfect. Right. But and, and when you're leaking, it's hard to imagine the opposite, not being able to empty.

Right. But anything we do to treat leaking can always make it harder to empty. And so you have to be careful, right. To get that perfect balance. Yeah. Well, I am so happy for you. I hope you have a great summer. Thank you so much for sharing your story. I think it's amazing when women share their stories, especially younger women, right?

Cause there is a degree of shame about it, but there are so many people who are suffering with this. And I think that you just did such an amazing job of, of talking about your symptoms and, and how, what is better for you at this point.  I appreciate that very much. I will say that it's being  trying to forgive yourself for something.

That's not your fault is a big part of it. And then also,  like, talking to friends about it, because  every virtually every other person around us is experiencing it, but we feel like we've got the spotlight on us. You know what I mean? Yeah, no, it's just awesome. It's awesome to be able to lose that mindset, lose that.

Yeah, weight that you carry every day. It is a mindset, right? And I think sharing things and talking about things is quite liberating for most of us,  but it's hard to do, right? Because you feel like you're the only one and you're so worried about embarrassment and, you know, what, what,  what people might think of you and all of those things.

But it's really, I mean, for you, especially since you've had this since you were a child, it's a structural defect, right? It's part of your body that's just not working perfectly. It's never quite worked perfectly for you. There shouldn't be any shame in that, right? I mean, it's like tearing an ACL, right?

Which people do all the time. And we talked about, and there's no shame there. So yeah, it's just a structural defect, right? That you had fixed.  Absolutely. Yeah. All right. So enjoy your summer and thank you so much. Absolutely. It was great chatting with you.