Interstim Stage one, day two.

It has been so hard getting up and down today. I got stuck and couldn't get off of the couch! It was a really rough day, still no bladder pain at all, just sore from the incisions. I can't bend or anything so it's been really hard getting in and out of the car and getting on and off the toilet. We went to Wal Mart to get a shower head that could come off of the hook so that I could kind of bathe, being as I can't take a shower or a bath. I scheduled my PERMANENT interstim stage 2 for next Wednesday! I'm not sure what time it will be, but I will be updating every day. Walking isn't very painful at all, except when I'm trying to keep up with Abbey and my mom in wal mart! I'm off to try and rest, I'm going to try my best to get out and about for a little while tomorrow.

Interstim Stage one, Day one. wow.

Here's how day one turned out!.........
My techy controls, I shouldn't really have to change these the one knob with the A is what I control my pulses with.

Below is my three incisions, the one closest to my booty is where he put the lead I believe, the long one is where the pocket for the permanent stimulator will be and the one at the top is where my wire is coming out. The next picture is just me before surgery waiting and scared.

So after midnight last night I couldn't eat, I had to be at the hospital at noon for my interstim stage one. well,we waited...and waited....and waited.... I had not eaten since 7pm last night, well, at FIVE O'CLOCK they took me back to surgery. I have a medtronic rep, hes super nice, his name is Ken, and my god, he looks just like Ken from Barbie and Ken. and muscles...whew. But he is pretty, and nice..and says gemerly instead of generally, but that's ok, because he's nice and knows what hes doing. I came out of surgery in a lot of pain where my incisions are but NO pain whatsoever in my bladder! FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2007 I HAVE NO PAIN IN MY BLADDER. GOD DOES WORK MIRACLES! I have the nicest doctor and was very well taken care of.

It's hard to get around right now since I have a cord hanging out of my back. I can't take a shower or bath until at least Tuesday, but I can take a sponge bath and my best friend/cosmetologist is going to wash my hair at the salon. I MAY get the permanent stage two on Tuesday if things continue to go well. I can't bend or turn a lot, I find I'm more comfortable on the couch, because I can't roll over on my incisions and such.

Sorry this is such a short update, but I think I should rest since I was at the hospital for 8 hours.

:)

Let's start from the beginning.

Late one night in 2007, my senior year in high school, I thought I was having an appendicitis attack. We rushed to the Emergency Room thinking I was dying. They did test after test and sent me home telling me nothing was wrong. The next few days I was still hurting in my lower right side, I went to my family doctor and he decided to admit me into the hospital to figure things out. I stayed in the hospital for over a week, possibly longer, I saw every gynecologist, gastroenterologist and every other doctor that was there. No one could find anything wrong with me, but we all knew something was very wrong. I was discharged with no answers and sent home to deal with it on my own.

I saw doctor after doctor over the next 14 months, some doctors thought it was my female organs causing me problems since I have a history of ovarian cysts, they wanted to stop me from having my period all together and send me through early menopause with injections, I was NOT willing to do this at 17 years old.

Then other doctors wanted to take my ovaries out, I knew it wasn't my female parts so I wouldn't let them touch me.

I finally found a doctor that said, "hey, let's look in your bladder, I think you may have interstitial cystitis" and sure enough, in February 2008, I was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis.

Since then, I have had elmiron instills, DMSO instills, silver nitrate instills, been on 23 different medications, went into retention for 9 days, and had 11 hydrodestentions/cystoscopies.

Ten of the doctors I saw gave up me and stopped fighting, I had never felt so alone and scared. I found a new doctor here in my small town who know's all about IC. He is the third doctor to recommend interstim and the ONLY one to offer to do it for me.

I was scheduled for a hydrodestention this past Wednesday, and I found out they didn't plan on putting me under anesthesia, so I called and told them I had to be put under in order for them to do it. So we rescheduled for tomorrow.

I had to go "pre-register" today, which I've never had to do before. As we were going through paperwork, the nurse said, we have you down for a hydrodestention and your FIRST STAGE INTERSTIM IMPLANT SURGERY! I said no, no, no, somethings wrong, we were scheduling that AFTER he looks in my bladder, but sure enough, the orders were there for my first stage interstim implant to happen tomorrow at noon. I cried and threw a mini fit in front of the nurses, I'm not prepared, I'm twenty years old and I don't want a permanent nerve stimulator in my body! I'm going to set off metal detectors everywhere I go and have to explain to people why I have a "remote control" I guess it's something that you can't really prepare for. I am relieved that I only have one day to stress over it instead of knowing weeks ahead of time. If it helps though, everything will be worth it.

Now I am off to find a medical alert bracelet, and fix it up so it won't look like something a 90 year old lady would wear, and prepare for the days to come.

I wanted to post my story on here and keep a daily journal of my journey with this because I know how helpful it is for others out there considering the interstim or anyone who needs my support while dealing with their IC, I am not a medical professional and what I post is all opinion or what my doctors have suggested that I do as their patient.