Lois Thayer has never acted her age.
“She was still mowing her yard with a push mower at the age
of 90,” daughter Judy Blair said, before adding that her mom
said she would have continued longer but “my son-in-law
asked to borrow my mower one day and I never got it back.”
While Lois appreciates her daughter and son-in-law’s watchful
eyes, she likes living independently. A healthy and active
95-year-old, Lois was not happy when doctors told her that she
would probably have to use a catheter for the rest of her life
due to urinary retention (the inability to empty the bladder).
In November 2015, Lois was hospitalized in Champaign
for three weeks after her kidneys nearly shut down. “That’s
when doctors told her that her bladder wasn’t emptying like it
should, and they put the catheter in,” Judy explained. When
Lois’ bladder retention failed to improve during the hospital
stay, doctors told Lois that the catheter would be permanent.
Weakened by the lengthy hospital stay, Lois spent several
months in rehabilitation and then tried to adjust to life at home
with a permanent catheter. “I didn’t like the idea of having to
wear it all the time, and I didn’t feel like doing anything,” Lois
said. Worse, she had to rely on her daughter for help changing
it every morning and every evening.
Lois wanted a second opinion and was referred to Sarah Bush
Lincoln Urologist David DiDomenico, MD, DO, FACS. He
recommended InterStim® therapy, a neuromodulation therapy
that targets problems with nerve responses moving between
the bladder and the brain. The innovative therapy involves
implanting an electronic device that acts like a pacemaker
for the bladder. It is often used to help people who have
not had success with medications or biofeedback options,
Dr. DiDomenico said. While it is used more commonly for
frequency and urgency issues, it is also effective in treating
bladder retention.
Lois was eager to give it a try. She discreetly wore the small
pager-sized instrument under her clothes for several days to
ensure its effectiveness before it was implanted. “During this
testing phase, if there’s at least 50 percent improvement with
bladder emptying, then we say that patients are candidates to
have the device installed,” Dr. DiDomenico said.
Lois and her daughter laughed about Dr. DiDomenico’s
excitement when he discovered the device was working. “He
came in the room laughing – pretty near dancing!” Lois said.
“I think he was just as happy as I was. I was able to use the
bathroom like normal.”
The following week, Lois had the device installed permanently
through a small incision near her tailbone. The procedure was
done on an outpatient basis under both local anesthesia and IV
sedation. She was also given a programmer, which she can use to
increase or decrease nerve stimulation.
“The nice thing
about this
procedure is that it
totally frees up the
patient. This was
life-changing for
Lois, because she had been
sentenced to a catheter.”
David DiDomenico, MD, DO, FACS
“The nice thing about this procedure is that it totally frees up the
patient. We just see them if they have a problem and we need to
make an adjustment,” Dr. DiDomenico said. “This was lifechanging for her, because she had been sentenced to a catheter.”
Lois and her family are extremely happy with the outcome
and want to make more people aware of the technology. Dr.
DiDomenico has been using InterStim® therapy to help people
since 2000 and is one of only a few urologists in the area who
offer the procedure. InterStim® therapy has been FDA and
Medicare approved since 1997.
“While it’s not effective for everyone, it’s important to note that
there are options outside medications for people suffering from
frequency, urgency and incomplete bladder emptying,” he said.
“The technology is only getting better, and we are discovering
new medications and techniques everyday.”
Pictured on the previous page are Lois Thayer, Jodi Morrisey, APN, RNP-BC, and David DiDomenico, MD, DO, FACS.
For more information or to make an appointment with Dr. DiDomenico,
call the SBL Urology Clinic at 217-258-4186
november 2016
healthstyles 5