Marilyn Smith

Urinary Incontinence – More Than Just An Inconvenience

When Marilyn Smith planned a vacation with her husband, she worried about the length of the flight and how much room would be needed in her suitcase for extra clothes and feminine pads—just in case.

“Having urinary incontinence is more than inconvenient, it is embarrassing,” she explained. “It isn’t just knowing where all of the bathrooms are in a building; it is also worrying about an accident that may show through clothing or on furniture. I would even worry about emptying the garbage so that no one else had to deal with my problems.”

The National Association for Continence estimates more than 25 million Americans are affected by incontinence. There are different types of incontinence—overflow incontinence, stress incontinence, overactive bladder, and mixed incontinence (stress and overactive bladder).

“I love to travel anywhere— throughout the U.S., internationally and even locally,” she said. “I am retired. I want to get out and explore new places and not worry.”

After more than seven years of struggling with this health issue, Marilyn told her primary care physician she was fed up. There had to be a solution.

Marilyn’s primary care physician referred her to Dr. Susan Oakley, a Urogynecologist at St. Elizabeth Physicians.

Instantly, Marilyn felt she found the person that would finally help her. “Dr. Oakley was so easy to talk to. I shared things with her I have never shared with anyone, even my own family doctor. She understood what I was dealing with and was committed to finding a solution that worked.”

It was a bit of trial and error at first. Marilyn started with medications, then moved on to Botox shots in her bladder—nothing was doing the trick. Dr. Oakley suggested a device she thought would help Marilyn, InterStim. InterStim is an implantable device that works like a pacemaker for your bladder. It controls the nerves that control your bladder, helping it to function normally again.

“At 71, I was apprehensive about having surgery,” Marilyn said. “Then, Dr. Oakley told me they could place it temporarily, as a test, to make sure it worked so I could decide if I wanted to undergo surgery.”

Marilyn had the device attached temporarily on January 24. She was so pleased with the results—she had surgery on January 31.

The surgery for InterStim is an outpatient surgery— you go home the same day. They place the device into the buttocks through a small incision, and the full recovery is just a few weeks.

Freedom from Worry and Embarrassment

“Getting InterStim has totally changed my life,” Marilyn says. “I have the freedom to travel when and where I want. I don’t search for the closest restroom as soon as I enter a building or make sure I have sufficient supplies for my day before I leave the house.”

Marilyn has only had the device a short time, but she no longer has to pack extra supplies when she leaves the house. “I can’t believe that overnight my incontinence went away.”

Dr. Oakley wants people to understand there is help for incontinence, “I think too many people avoid the conversation of incontinence because they are embarrassed. There are many options available that may help. We can talk through your concerns and find a solution that will work for you.”

To schedule an appointment with Dr. Oakley or another St. Elizabeth Urogynecologist, call (859) 757-2132.