Bladder Sling scares me!!

I have mild stress incontinence and have an appointment to meet with the urologist in my gynecologist practice.

I am schedule for a TAH and this would be done at the same time..if needed.

Is this something done for mild stress incontinence or only severe?

It seems from threads that people suffer more with the Bladder Sling then the Hysterectomy?

Any help would be great

Last summer, my doc recommended hysterectomy and sling at the same time. I wasn't mentally ready to agree to the hysterectomy and just opted for the sling. HUGE MISTAKE! Now I have hysterectomy scheduled for 3/18 and wish I had done them both at the same time. Now i have this recovery 2 times in less than 12 months. Recovery from sling seems similar to what I've read in the post op forum - without the swollen belly. Post op was painful for about 2-3 weeks then back to work after 6 weeks. The sling itself is amazing. I didn't realize how much thought I was giving to peeing. My incontinence was not severe either- probably moderate. If you are going to be recovering, you may as well fix all your issues at the same time.

Good luck!!

thanks for the fast reply ...i'm really scared of it seems to have alot of side effects? sometimes I think reading and researching can hurt instead of help.

I'm wondering if the hospital stay will be longer? I was told 2 days for my TAH...would the bladder sling add a day or two?

I am also in a similar "boat". I have mild stress incontinence and the DR thinks I have uterine prolapse that is causing my problems. I am only 37 and I feel really sad about the surgery. I know I am not going to have more children but this is still affecting me more than I ever thought it would. I too have wondered if this is a common fix? I am also scheduled to have the vaginal hysterectomy and bladder tack at the same time. As well rectocele repair once surgery begins and he sees if it is in more need than he originally thought.

I totally agree about the research!! The more I find out the more questions/issues I have but it’s not stopping me. The more we find out the more empowered we will be to make the best decision for our bodies.

I hade moderate incontinence. I had slight leaking while coughing, laughing, and exercise and when I felt like I had to go to the bathroom, I did not have a long time to find one. All those problems are gone. The sling procedure was outpatient. It shouldn’t add any time to your hospital stay. Several women had the same surgery as I did that day and only 1 was admitted, every one else went home. The one lady that was required to spend the night had some additional health issues, she was in her mid to late 50's (I was 40 at the time and all the others were around the same age as me), and she couldn't pee on her own when the cathoder was removed. The irony!!! To have this surgery because you're peeing too much and then not be able to pee at all when you have to! I felt really bad for her.

An important thing to keep in mind is not only the pain/discomfort of recovery but the limitations. Hysterectomy and sling have similar post-op limitations such as no sex, no tampons, no pool for about 6 to 8 weeks and no lifting more than 10(?)lbs and no exercise for about 3 months. Even though my youngest “baby” is 5 years old, I still can pick her up sometimes and like to read to her on my lap. I feel very sad that since I didn’t do the 2 surgeries at the same time, I am going to lose this special time with her again.

ladysteelerfan,

From what I understand, the choice of surgical procedure is individual to what is discovered to be the cause of the SUI vs the severity...this is ascertained from the urodynamic testing and cystography

the healing time from abdominal surgery is similar to that of the sling although sometimes the sling needs adjustment...

if you haven't had the diagnostic tests yet, (since haven't had the appt with the urogyn)... then the doc may opt for a burch repair (I've a mild SUI also, my urogyn first suggested sling, but after testing said burch since also TAH and success rates very high when burch performed this way.... but then again, it really pends what is causing the SUI)...

Best of luck,
Kathy