Ann, of Hixson, TN, had her first child at age 25. Weighing in at over 8 lbs., he was the largest of her three babies. “That’s probably where my bladder control problems started,” she says today.
Like many active women, however, Ann said she learned to “put up and cope” with occasional leakage, thinking it was normal. As the years went by, however, the problem worsened. She lost bladder control while sneezing, running bases for her ladies softball team, and attempting jumping jacks during a Boot Camp group exercise program. “I was the only one going back and forth because I couldn’t do a regular jumping jack without leaking,” Ann confessed.
The turning point for the Hixson resident came this year, almost two decades after the birth of her first child. It began with a bronchial infection “which wore on for weeks and every time I coughed, urine came out,” she related. Her distress and embarrassment were compounded one night when she went out with a group of female friends and started laughing. “Let’s just say I was glad I had black pants on,” she said.
“I had finally reached a point where I got sick of it, realized something had to be done, and made an appointment with my doctor,” Ann said. Her gynecologist, Dr. Carol Adams, referred Ann to local urologist, Dr. Norman Galen, a specialist in treating female incontinence.
Taking Action
“I told Dr. Galen that I was done with this, I was tired of being embarrassed, and that whatever I had to do to make it better, I would do,” she said. Dr. Galen, with Academic Urologists at Erlanger, explained that with stress incontinence, women leak urine when they cough, sneeze, lift, or exercise because of weakened or damaged muscles. “Common causes include childbirth and pregnancy, aging, medical conditions and obesity,” he said, surmising that Ann’s muscle damage began with the birth of her largest child.
After undergoing a series of tests to determine the appropriate treatment for what is called pelvic prolapse, Ann was scheduled for a SPARK procedure at the Erlanger Baroness Campus. “SPARK is a same-day, minimally invasive procedure that has a success rate of higher than 90 percent in appropriate patients,” Dr. Galen said.
Specialists like Dr. Galen use a mesh – either synthetic, biologic, or both – to restore pelvic structures to a more normal anatomical position and to reinforce the structures around the vagina to maintain support. Used in surgery for many years, mesh is soft and has large pores designed to allow one’s body tissue to grow into it, providing a framework of support.
In Ann’s case, three procedures were done simultaneously on the day of surgery: an ablation, the removal of a polyp from her uterus and placement of the pelvic sling. “Surgery took less than hour and the recuperation wasn’t bad at all,” reported Ann. “I had surgery on Friday, took pain pills Saturday, and was able to run an errand and go to church on Sunday,” she said, adding that she returned to work Tuesday (after being off on Monday, Labor Day).
Immediate Results
As for post-surgical restrictions, “I was told I couldn’t lift more than five pounds for six weeks after the operation,” said Ann, “but after three weeks, Dr. Galen said that wasn’t a problem since I was fit.” Best of all, proclaimed Ann, “I did my first jumping jack five weeks after surgery!”
If she has any regrets, the 46-year old woman says she wishes she had sought medical intervention sooner. “Now, with the latest technology, it’s so simple and you can’t even see the scars,” she said. “Once we have a child and start experiencing incontinence, we put up with all these problems when we laugh, cough, sneeze and exercise – but I say why not get back to the point you were before you got pregnant?” said Ann, who has become a strong advocate for corrective surgery.
“The biggest misconception is that so many people associate incontinence with the elderly, but that’s not the case,” says Ann, adding that “they also think there’s a lot to the surgery, but it’s simple.” She tells friends, “Knowing what I know now, I wish I had done this 10 years ago.”