\u201cI will not be at Strictly Strength on Friday,\u201d I told Marita. \u201cWhere will you be?\u201d she asked. \u201cGetting Bladder Botox,\u201d I told her. Here eyes bugged out. Marita is well aware of the benefits of Botox on her forehead and knows that it relieves migraine headaches for lots of people. But bladder, she had never heard of. We got together over lunch so I could tell her about it. She thought there were likely others in our age group who had no idea this solution for overactive bladder and urgency incontinence\u2014or, that Medicare will pay for it (After you jump through a few hoops).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Before I discovered Bladder Botox, the cabinet above my toilet was filled with a variety of types of pads worn daily for overactive bladder. Not a fun way to live and not one that suited my lifestyle. I used to get up 2 or three times a night.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The frequency and urgency were like a ball and chain. No matter where I was, I had to be sure I knew where the closest bathroom was. It determined where I sat on the plane and made car travel difficult. Plus, it was embarrassing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sadly, this is just one more symptom of being post-menopausal (at least we don\u2019t have to deal with having a period). But the good news is there are medications that are effective. For me, bladder Botox was the best option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The actual procedure is brief and the benefits reportedly<\/a> last 6-12 months. In my experience, it lasts about 9 months before it has to be redone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The in-office procedure is done by a urologist under local anesthesia: lidocaine. It is similar to getting a female exam. The longest portion of the treatment is getting the lidocaine distributed through the bladder and then giving it time to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In a post from UCLA Health<\/a>, they report: \u201ca small scope (about the size of a catheter used to drain the bladder) which is connected to a camera is placed into your bladder through the urethra and a series of injections of Botox solution are done into the muscle of the bladder using a small needle that is passed through the scope. The actual injection procedure takes about five minutes or less.\u201d This aligns with my experience. Once the lidocaine takes effect, each injection feels like just a minor prick.<\/p>\n\n\n\n