edlee, on May 26 2009, 02:03 PM, said:
Tho interesting, particularly from the technological view,,I have to agree with Q,,, What's the point???
I do , however, appreciate the effort,, and the idea that there are people thinking about our situation.
Maybe better a robotic bowel/bladder controller,,,,, might not make the newspaper,,, but I'd definately give it a try.
ed
Well the ReWalk is promising but it is primarily to be used at home or work not for long distance outings. As for the bowel/bladder devices there isnt much for bowel except the good ole’ “magic bullet” and going knuckle deep! Lol As for Bladder there is a device called the Vocare Bladder System, which got FDA approval about 10 years ago. I discussed this with my DR. shortly after my injury. After having a foley cath in for almost 8 mos. My bladder had shrunk down to only hold about 250ml. I asked about the device and he said no one is performing the surgery in the U.S. yet and insurance doesn’t pay for it. The real kicker is the surgery is 12+ hours long!! I don’t know about anyone else but that’s along time to be under! I tried botox injection which worked for about a month to the dot and shortly after was back to pissing on myself 24/7. I then begged for a superpubic cath but found out that any responsible Dr would not put one in a young person because they have to replace them every 5-7 yrs and there is a great risk of bladder cancer. My DR then suggested a Gastroentero Cystoplasty which is where they fillet the bladder open and take a 1ft section of your bowel and create a “pouch-like” cover over the incision. Within 4 mos. Post-op I was back up to holding 700-800mls! It was a miracle. Thanks to my Urologist @ USF which came recommended by every Dr I had consulted. He is famed to be the best in the South East. Here is the info on the Vocare system….
CLEVELAND--(BW HealthWire)--Jan. 5, 1999--The world's first commercially available implanted device that restores bladder function to people with spinal cord injury was approved today for marketing by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Humanitarian Device Exemption (HDE) provision. Called the VOCARE Bladder System, this neuroprosthetic device for people with complete spinal cord injury at any level allows people to empty the bladder without the use of catheters, medications or adaptive equipment.
There is also the InterStim device which is essentially the same thing.
The implantable InterStim® neurostimulator uses mild electrical stimulation of the sacral nerves to influence the behavior of the bladder, sphincter, and pelvic floor muscles. While anticholinergic drugs address the muscle component in urinary control, the InterStim neurostimulator addresses the nerve component. 1-2
In properly selected patients, the InterStim neurostimulator can dramatically reduce or eliminate symptoms of overactive bladder (OAB) and urinary retention. Mild electrical pulses stimulate those nerves that provide the most distal common autonomic and somatic nerve supply to the pelvic floor and lower urinary tract.* 3
*The precise mechanism of action has not been established.
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