InterStim and Its Use with IC

When confronted with a chronic disease two questions usually come up   1  Why is this happening to me?  2  How can I get relief from these miserable symptoms that are plaguing me day in and day out?   The first question will be difficult to answer based on the current model of healing and is based on theory

And the second question is more to the point of “allow me to get comfortable so I can at least function”   This question also has loads of responses doing online searches because you are empathetic to the other’s suffering and want to alleviate it if you can  What would life be like without this chronic pain?  What would I be able to do that I can’t do now?

The Surgical Option and the Overactive Bladder(OAB)

The FDA approval for the surgical use of Medtronic’s InterStim is for the OAB syndrome not IC   And the urinary frequency/ urgency and urge incontinence is improved by the device in about 50-70% of cases as reported in 2009 but  usually doesn’t eliminate completely the voiding difficulty so as to give normal bladder function   The use of the device has carried over into the IC patient group because of the desperate needs of the IC patient to at least control the voiding problem aside from the associated pain

This is to say, the IC pain complex will not be taken care of by the device   As always there are anecdotal reports of pain cessation but this is not what the device is designed for

There will always be a surgical or mechanical alternative to chronic pain or for that matter any problem   Weight loss surgery, pancreatic islet cell transplant for diabetes, and for the OAB  InterStim has become a surgical option in the management of IC   If you pass a 2 week trial period then a permanent stimulating neuromodulator can be placed in a subcutaneous pocket overlying the right gluteal region

The bladder is innervated  by the sacral nerve roots S2-3  By placing needles that emit a low grade electrical current to the nerves going to the bladder, the nerves sending signals from the bladder that urination needs to occur(resulting in frequency, nocturia, and urgency) get overridden by the nerve stimulator   The result is a reduction in the bothersome voiding pattern of OAB but not the pain complex

Complications range from 10-25% and related to the mechanical aspects of the procedure such as infection and dislodgement of the wires due to falling or jarring can occur particularly if the needles are not well seated    At times such stimulation can bring on chronic pain from the placement compounding the problem rather than making it better

The Energy Science Perspective

Surgery is a part of the energy science of Ayurveda discipline   It clearly recognizes that surgery can be the best option in certain patients   But it also brings to the table a rich understanding of the origin of disease and therefore uses the surgical option in a more refined way   When adding the matter science technological approach to disease this can lead to a very effective holistic medical system

With this being said the use of a mechanical device should not be offered unless there has been an adequate trial of nutrition using energy science guidelines  Over the last 10 years I have personally witnessed OAB symptoms resolve using this kind of nutritional approach

As discussed in my upcoming book, IC Bladder Pain Syndrome, the OAB separates itself from the disease label of IC due to the pain component   You see the OAB problem is a Vata disturbance of bladder function whereas the IC disease label is a Vata AND Pitta disturbance of the bladder leading to not only the OAB symptoms(Vata)  but the Pitta energy pattern presence leading to the sharp shearing pain of IC that can be episodic and recognized as the flare

Patience is the KEY  Don’t Jump Too Fast

Using a surgical approach is an option  Using a nutritional approach is an option  But if the latter has not been given an adequate trial then that leaves the former as the only viable option

So my suggestion is to not act too hastily and give the energy science approach a really good trial before you open yourself up to the potential problems associated with surgery    And if you elect to have the implant know that the pain may not be affected

All the best                               To Health as a Skill     Love DB