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Has anyone had a video Video‐Urodynamics Test done? My urologist at every appointment kept telling me that he wants me to go see his teacher at Vanderbilt. I explained that I can’t afford the cost because he was out of network. Well he said something this year and wouldn’t you know, I had to change insurance companies. After listing to him while laying there having a Foley inserted, he asked me who my new insurance was. I told him and he said that they will cover me going there because he has sent others down there with the same insurance. So laying there in my most humbling attire, I agreed. His nurse setup the appointment for me. I went to see this guy and he is or was more than an instructor, he has actually written articles for Depends and as I understand it, is in the top 5 or 10 urologist in the United State.

I went down to Franklin TN to see this doctor. His nurse did this Video-Urodynamics on me, right there in the office. This office had a special chair in it that had so many hydraulics hooked up to it, I thought I was in some kind of flight simulator. Lol This chair made it easy for the nurse to apply the electrical leads and catheters that had to be used. She didn’t have to bend over at all. She raised the chair really high and leaned me back. Now right before this, another nurse came in and introduces to my nurse a student from Vanderbilt. Before the nurse could ask, I told her, “I don’t mind if she was in there, she needs to learn sometime.” After all I went though in 2007, I don’t have to many modest bones left, only modest when it comes to my diapers.

The nurse just finished a part of the test and in walks a female doctor. They talk while I am standing there with my behind leaning on a C shaped x-ray machine with a stand and funnel between my legs. Right before the nurse started, she said, “we can let your gown hang over for now so your no so exposed. Lolo The nurse doing the test wasn’t able to complete the test they way they normally do because my bladder was acting up so bad, they didn’t want to overdo it. The female doctor looked at the pictures and x-rays as well as the charts and she believes some of my problems could be from a damaged nerves. After all that I went back to a regular exam room and the doctor came in to talk. He explained that my bladder is messed up really bad, and he can't promise me that I will get better. So he recommend that I have Botox injections into the bladder to keep it from working. If it works, I would have to self cath in order to drain my bladder. I told him, I would talk to my doctor about it and go from there.

This was a Wednesday when I saw this urologist and the next Monday, I called my urologist to see if they had talked and to find out if he wanted me to keep my appointment with him for the end of this month. Two days later, I get a call from the hospital asking me to come in and fill out preregistration paper work my surgery that is scheduled in two weeks. I was like, “WHAT, what surgery?” They then explained they had me down for the Botox injections into the bladder. I was shocked because the doctor down in Vanderbilt said they do it in the office and normally doesn’t take more than about 20 minutes. Well my doctors are still behind times and they are going to do this in the hospital and they will be knocking me out. I still haven’t talked to my doctor and I am going to have this done this Wednesday.

I personally feel that the doctors and my wife are wanting me to try this to see if it will keep me out of diapers. From what I have read on the web, people had so many different reactions to it from going back to normal bathroom usage to having to cath in order to empty. Some that have to self cath were happy with it because they couldn’t handle wearing diapers.

Sorry for such a long post. It’s been a while since I have been on here. Through all this, I have been blocking everything and everyone out not wanting to be around others or do anything.

Hi KT,

I'm new to this forum, and site for that matter. Ricky, or Rick is my name. I've been incontinent for just over 6 years now, and I'm in diapers for both bladder and bowels. Anyway, I've had the urodynamic tests done to figure out what my problem was, and they discovered that I've got a neurogenic bladder with overflow incontinence. They had me cathing to try to stay dry, and it seemed to be working for the most part, however, not completely. And the other problem was the pain and damage that constant cathing was causing to my ureathra. I finally had to stop doing it because I would bleed every time I inserted a catheter. I figured that since I had to wear a diaper anyway to prevent a bowel accident, and to catch any bladder accidents in between cathings, that what was the difference if I just used the diaper completely and stopped the catheters.

Anyway, my point is this, if you have to have an injection to stop your bladder from working, do you still have your sphincter control over your bladder? Can you stop the flow if you wanted to? I quess I'm not understanding your problem completely, I haven't read all the posts, but if your bladder were incapacitated, why wouldn't it drain on it's own when it got full enough? That's what mine does.

If they do that to your bladder, the botox injections to stop it from working, can they not "uncork", or disable your ureathra sphincter muscle so that it will drain your bladder on it's own without having to use a catheter? The reason I'm asking this I guess is because of what I went through with the constant catheterizing. Have you had to catheterize before to any great extent?

I know that wearing a diaper isn't the most socially accepted thing, but I find that much more preferrable than the bleeding and pain from the 4 or 5 times a day cathing.

Forgive me if I'm missing something here, but I just hate to see anyone go through what I did. I wish you good luck on getting your problem corrected, I hope it works for you.

Rick

Hi Rick and welcome to the forums. I have read your other post and my prayers are with you. I personally haven’t had back surgery but I grew up with my father having to have about 10 of them and know what he went through, I hurt when I hear others having to go through that too.

For my incontinence, before the Botox Injections I was like you, my bladder would just release when it wanted to. After my first Urodynamics test the doctor said I was retaining to much in the bladder after it empties so he wanted me to cath after I went or had an accident. Yea right, I never did it that much.

After the Video-Urodynamics test, that doctor basically said something was messing with my bladder nerves and just to help calm things down, he recommended the Botox injections. He said it might help and wasn’t something permanent but if it does help it could be repeated.

Since the injections basically deaden the nerve ends, the bladder doesn’t know how much is in it. I have been able to go use the bathroom somewhat normally. I just have to pay attention to how much fluids I have had and how long has it been since I have gone. Many times the bladder doesn’t empty all the way so that is why I still cath some. Hear lately though, I have not been cathing, just trying to see how I can live without it. Right now I don’t have to wear a diaper, but I do wear some sort of pad or pull up because this isn’t permanent and could revert back to the way it was without warning. I am thankful that I have had the pads on because a couple of times I have waited too long between bathroom breaks and did leak a little.

I go back this Tuesday to see my Urologist and see where we go from here. I can tell already that this injection isn’t going to last as long as they thought it might. It’s been a month now and I am starting to feel spasms down there when I was my hands, and thank God though it is staying in for the time being.

hey KT,

I didn't know that it was working for you that well, I'm glad to hear that. So you've still got control of your sphincter muscles, or no? Is that how you keep from going on yourself, or is it just that you time yourself. The reason I ask is that you stated that you can now go somewhat normally, so I'm curious.
I don't blame you for not wanting to cath yourself. Like I said, I did that for almost a year after I first saw a urologist for my problem, but it only helped a little bit, and I still had to wear a diaper in case I did have an accident. But the main reason I quit doing it though was because it was hurting way too much, and I was bleeding every time I did it. My eurethra was getting so sensitive, and the lidocaine wasn't helping very much, and then I had lost bowel control as well, so there wasn't really any reason or need to continue with the catheters.
I appreciate your prayers, God knows I can use all the help I can get these days. I wish you luck on your doctors visit today, and my prayers are with you as well. I hope your doctor can find a solution for you so you don't need to keep having those injections. I can only imagine how much that must hurt. It must be like getting those rabies shots in the stomach area, OUCH!!!

Good luck to you,

Rick

That all sounds deliciously unpleasant.

I was poked and prodded and shoved full of tubes and tested enough in my teens to last me the rest of my life. As far as the cath thing... heh, no thank you. I'll keep that as an exit only.

I guess it all depends on personal preference... but if you are cathing and still have to wear protection "just in case" I don't really see the point.

I know all about the negative social stigmas (OMG! You have to wear diapers, eeewwww.) but honestly I look at it this way Those who matter, don't mind... those who mind, don't matter.

There are always worse things...

_________________
~~PuddleGuy

That is well put!

Yes, very well put PG, and you're right, most unpleasant. LOL!

My Urologist put me on the meds that would help slow my bladder spasms down and he had me self cathing. Well the meds were bad and the cathing wasn't helping as I was having to go every hour. Diapers we're the answer so I started using a condom catheter. It has changed my life for the better and I don't have to worry about an accident or changing. I wear a pull up because I have bowel issues sometimes.