Bladder issues 16 months after TVH

I had my TVH in Jan. '08. It was an easy recovery but for some reason, my GYN did not do the bladder sling that she thought I needed. She is not happy with the mesh that is on the market and thought I could wait for a "better" product. Well, in May of last year things started to really go down hill for me with the strong "urges" and "accidents". I'd pee with no warning and would think I was finished only to stand up and pee down my leg. I am 62 and this is no way to live. I went to the GYN last May and she put me on Detrol which helped a little but still did not give me the quality of life that I want. I am tired of wearing pads and being afraid that I have an odor. I went back to see her a few weeks ago and demanded that she do the sling no matter how opposed she is to the material she would have to use. She promptly passed the buck to a urologist whom I go to see tomorrow. I have no idea what to do. I now assume a rather ackward bent over position to empty more of my bladder after I use the toilet. I know that I am not emptying it and that is my problem. Any hints? I will read more and more of the posts here. I'm sure there is a wealth of knowledge. My appointment is in the AM so I better read quickly.

Downyocean but you can call me Kay

Kay--

What did you find out from the urologist? Did you know that there are urogynecologists (and maybe urologists) who can do procedures using your own fascia--called 'autologous grafts'--to make urethral slings? There really are. So polypropylene is NOT the only choice out there. There are also slings made out of porcine, bovine, and cadaverous materials. These biological slings usually carry less risk of mesh erosion than do the artificial ones.

It sounds like your doctor is being protective of you. The artificial ones have a far greater risk of erosion and when that happens--trust me as one who knows personally--it can ruin your life and health for such a long time.

I hope you can find a solution you can live with. You can always find another doctor. It's important to find one you can trust and who will keep you in the best health possible.

Sending you many good vibes..........

Kay:
I had a TVH with A&P repair 3 years ago. I went home with a catheter sugically implanted in my pubic bone--definitely not fun--and had it in for 2 weeks until I could prove to my gyn that I could empty my bladder completely. I have to plead ignorance as to whether he used the mesh, I didn't even ask.

For a while things were great but, like you, about a year ago I started having incontinence that was annoying and aggravating. I asked my gyn about it and he said that I needed to talk to a urologist.

So, in January of this year I finally had had enough and went to a urologist. He said that often those repairs result in the bladder being pulled up too tight causing it spasm and that's what causes the incontenence. He put me on Vesicare to see if that would help in order to avoid more surgery. He said I had to retrain my bladder not to spasm and to completely empty.

I've checked back with him twice since then and the meds seem to be working. I'm definitely not having those leaking moments or emergency accidents. So, I'm staying on this until October and see what happens next.

I see my gyn next week for my yearly check and will discuss this further with him, but for now I'm all about this particular med.