I finally got a date for my bladder sling surgery and it’s coming up fast, less than two weeks. It’s hard to describe how I feel. I’m looking forward to staying dry, no accidents, and I’m afraid the surgery won’t work.
This is my second time around, the first time the sling moved out of position which rendered it ineffective. My doctor has never seen it happen before and so the “why” of it remains a mystery. After this surgery I doubt there will be any room to do it again if the sling fails or moves out of position. My plan is to take it super easy for about eight weeks after surgery. I want to make sure that sling doesn’t move one bit.
Assuming the surgery works, my PTSD symptoms surrounding having accidents should be significantly diminished. It will feel good to be able to go out and do things without fear of peeing my pants halfway to a bathroom; or worrying about the smell should I dribble while I’m out; and I can hardly wait to stop wearing bulky and expensive incontinence pads. I expect my quality of life to improve mentally and physically.
If all does not go well, I need to be prepared for that too. What happens if the surgery doesn’t work or it maybe works too well? If it doesn’t work, there’s still one other thing we could try; bulking up the urethra which will apparently help block unwanted leaks. I’m working on losing weight and I do kegel exercises which also help with incontinence. I’m not sure what the protocol is for the sling working too well but I assume it involves going back in to loosen things up a tad.
Here’s to hoping all goes well with my surgery.
My Phoenix Rising 