Hi Mamas,
I was wondering if any of you have had the TVT surgery (the mesh vaginal sling used to treat stress incontinence). I talked to my ob/gyn today about it and was wondering if you all had any thoughts/stories regarding it?
Thanks a bunch!!
D.
I haven't had it done, but both my mother and MIL have had it done. They both wish they would have done it sooner. It has made a huge difference for them both. They were both feeling better within 2 weeks of the surgery.
Oh be careful D.. I am guessing you are young vs. my friend's mom's age (she's in her 70's) but she had some mesh surgery done that I am guessing is the same and it has been a nightmare for her. After the first surgery, she couldn't urinate at all and had to self catheter herself. So they did some other surgery to try to fix it and she began urinating on herself because she couldn't tell when she had to go. They even talked about vaginal injections to help or something. I still think she is trying to get everything fixed. :(
I think a urologist would be better able to determine if the sling is the best option for you. There are also medications available that can help with incontinence problems so that may be a better place to start than a major surgery. I would recommend that you make sure the urologist you choose is certified by the American Board of Urology and if surgery is determined to be the best route, check that they are a part of the American College of Surgeons too. You can't be too careful when it comes to surgery.
http://www.facs.org/patienteducation/patient-resources/su...
I haven't done this, but I know that some of the doctors at Magee hospital have recently done some research on the best types of sling to use, and the pro's and con's of each type. Here is a summary of the research:
http://institute.mwrif.org/viewnews.asp?ID=157
The good news is that in the study, 80% of women were helped by the sling. There were some possible complications with the different kinds though, and you should talk to your doctor about these, and make sure you understand the frequency of the possible complications - that piece of info isn't in the article.
Get on www.hystersisters.com.....it's an awesome site for any women having/that had a hysterectomy or things to that effect. They have information on there and I know a lot of women on there had that done. I believe a lot of them had it done with thier hysters but you should still be able to get a lot of info.
