21 March 2012
A patient who suffered from severe urinary incontinence for many years has had her life transformed following landmark surgery at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals.
Anne Jenkinson, a registered nurse who has worked in nursing roles at hospitals in Sheffield for 40 years, recently had a new procedure called sacral neuromodulation, which involves sending an electrical current to nerves surrounding the bladder to stop them making the muscles contract. She now says her life has been changed and she can get back to living her life to the full.
Anne, of Chapeltown, who now works as Moving and Handling Advisor for Sheffield Teaching Hospitals, first encountered problems nearly two decades ago after suffering stress incontinence as a result of childbirth. Bladder surgery sixteen years ago proved unsuccessful, leading to continual incontinence problems that deeply affected her life.
Mother-of-two Anne said: “I had suffered from stress incontinence after having my children, but following the surgery and a complicated recovery I had all sorts of problems. I was unable to do even basic tasks without the fear of leaking and I had consistent pain and discomfort. Multiple infections required long term treatment with antibiotics and sometimes use of bladder catheters.
“At the time I was working as a nurse and, as you can imagine, it is very embarrassing to have incontinence problems when you’re working on wards. I would often have to frantically disappear to the toilet, and of course I worried about what my colleagues thought. At one time, I knew all of the toilets in the Northern General Hospital!”
Things started to get worse when Anne turned 50, and so Anne considered other options, but could not find one she was comfortable with. Treatment undertaken with Botox injections directly into the bladder had an adverse reaction preventing the bladder from emptying and increased ongoing discomfort and problems.
Anne continued: “I came to see surgeon Ms Reid and Nurse Specialist Rachel Simmons at the Hallamshire Hospital. They offered me a trial of sacral neuromodulation.
“I immediately agreed because it sounded fairly straightforward and was the latest treatment around. I had some tests, and then went in for the procedure last year. It involved inserting a wire in the bottom of my back, along the nerve that goes to the bladder under a local anaesthetic. The wire was attached to a small battery pack, about the size of a mobile phone, which was then attached externally on my body for a couple of weeks.
“It worked, so I went back to have a smaller battery pack inserted under the skin in the same area, which was attached to the wire. I was given a remote control to manage it with.
“Straight away, I noticed a total transformation. It was like winning the lottery! I was able to live my life again, without having to worry about making it to the toilet on time. I’ve had no infections since having the operation, no side effects, and much better control over my bladder. I can now take regular walks with my Yorkshire Terrier and travel longer journeys in my car without having to stop regularly for the toilet.
“I’m so grateful to the team of doctors and nurses that has cared for me.”
Around 30 per cent of adults suffer from some degree of incontinence, and it affects twice as many women as men.
Ms Sheilagh Reid, consultant urological surgeon, said: “Sacral neuromodulation is an important addition to the treatment of incontinence caused by overactive bladder. With this type of incontinence, the bladder sends ‘faulty’ messages to the brain, causing it to contract suddenly and empty without enough warning. Although it is not fully understood how this treatment works there is evidence that electrical impulses are sent to the brain, probably offsetting the ‘faulty’ messages.
“We commenced insertion of trial wires in Sheffield in February 2011 and Anne was in our first group of four.
“We’re delighted to have been able to give Anne this treatment and that she has responded so well to it.”