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| 5/7/2010 10:31:00 AM | Email this article • Print this article | Family First: Incontinence doesn't have to rule your life
TONYA KERR
Special to the Leader
If I could shout this one from the rooftops, I would. A couple of weeks ago, I decided to go ahead with a "mommy" surgery, which has already changed my life! I'm still recovering, and my physician says things should only continue to improve.
It all began during my OB/GYN checkup and mammogram while my doctor was asking me all the usual questions. When it came to the subject of exercise, we talked about the many activities keeping me busy with three kids, and he asked if I did any of them on a regular schedule. I laughed. Out loud - a little too hard. And, I guess my expression gave me away.
You see, like most women who have given birth, I dribbled. I basically leaked urine unexpectedly when I laughed, coughed, played tennis, ran, or even jumped on the trampoline with my kids. Panty liners usually helped - when I wore them. However, it was still a situation I tried my best to avoid.
When women give birth, things stretch. The pelvic muscles and connective tissue supporting your bladder and urethra are weakened, and for many, they literally sag. More than 15 million Americans experience Stress Urinary Incontinence, and it affects one in every three women at some point in their life. In fact, both my grandmothers began wearing adult diapers in their 70's, and my mom told me dribbling is just something moms live with.
For years, I've practiced my Kegel pelvic exercises, and I've always refused friends' advice to try temporary bulking treatments with collagen. My incontinence was really just an inconvenience.
But my doctor asked me to stop and think. Did I enjoy jumping on the trampoline or playing tennis with the kids, and did my incontinence force me to stop or slow down? Did my grandmothers and my mom gradually start putting off activities that they had once enjoyed?
Weight-bearing exercise is the key to avoiding osteoporosis and other health problems. So, if we're dribbling in our 40's and slacking off on activities which we enjoy, what does our future hold? And if there is a way to change it, why wouldn't we?
After a whole lot of research and conversation, I elected to have a surgery to implant a mesh sling which helps support the urethra after it's surgically implanted through the vagina and pelvic areas. For me, it was 100 percent covered by insurance, and I was in and out in half a day.
My physician, Dr. Matthew Romberg, offices at the Heart of Texas Women's Center which is adjacent to Seton Medical Center Williamson in Round Rock. It was a great experience - from the pristine facility to the friendly staff - even the electric-warming hospital gowns! (If you haven't seen the new hospital - you should check it out).
Dr. Romberg used the Caldera Desara urethral sling, made of synthetic materia,l which acts like a scaffolding of sorts for my tissue to grow into. The tissue-in-growth shores up the sags and helps most patients regain continence with an average 80-90 percent success rate.
While there is a standing FDA warning about the dangers of eroding synthetic mesh, I talked with a physician representing the American Urological Association, Dr. J. Clemens, who told me distinctions were omitted in that warning. Dr. Clemens said, just like hernia surgeries, the small amount of mesh used for the urethral sling improves the lives of the majority of patients, and complications are extremely rare. It's all about informed consent, and I decided to go for it.
All in all, I was sore for a few days, and I'm not supposed to do anything strenuous for about four weeks. But already, I'm fresh, clean and dry - even when I cough. And I've been shocked by the number of friends who have admitted that they too dribble, and they had no idea this surgery was available.
So, despite losing one of my best excuses of why I don't like to exercise, I'm actually looking forward to breaking a sweat while trying to keep up with my three kids this summer and for many years to come.
Please let me know if you have any ideas for this Family First column. I'd love to hear from you!
Tonya Kerr lives in Round Rock with her husband and three daughters. She's a former television news anchor, congressional press secretary, and public relations executive. Contact her at tonya-kerr@hotmail.com.
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