May 11, 2010
Print this pageAnne Brancaleone knew something was wrong.
Having grown up with frequent urinary tract infections, the Royal Oak woman was having the same symptoms - plenty of bathroom trips and a sense of urgency. But appointment after appointment with her doctor turned up nothing as her urine cultures sent for analysis showed no infection. So she put up with her symptoms, assuming that this was just something she would have to get used to.
But then the pain started and grew in intensity. "It's a burning pain," she says. "It's constant. It hurts so badly that it makes you clench your muscles in response."
When she began missing work and avoiding social situations, she realized she couldn't ignore it anymore. Anne went back to her doctor and then to a urologist. She underwent a cystoscopy, a procedure that involves threading a thin fiberoptic scope through her urethra and into her bladder. After ruling out other potential causes for her pain, including bladder cancer, Anne's doctor told her that she had interstitial cystitis, a chronic condition that causes pain, urinary urgency and frequent urination.
The condition affects more than a million Americans, mostly women; in severe cases, patients with IC urinate up to 60 times a day. The social impact is far reaching as some IC patients file for disability or become socially isolated as participating in daily or family activities becomes nearly impossible.
For Anne, however, hearing the diagnosiswas a relief. "I was just happy to finally have an answer," she says.
A Common Occurrence
In that moment, Anne joined the growing number of women with urological conditions. These conditions - including overactive bladder, pelvic floor dysfunction and stress and urge incontinence - affect one-third of all women, according to a 2008 study published in the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology. Statistics from the National Institutes of Health indicate one in six women experience pelvic pain.
While urologic conditions are common, women face many barriers when they seek help, says Kenneth Peters, M.D., chairman of Urology at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak. Some health care providers aren't familiar with leading edge diagnostic methods and treatments for these conditions. When women return time after time with what is thought to be a urinary tract infection but tests prove otherwise, they often have their symptoms dismissed as being psychosomatic.
"By the time that some women have been referred to the center, they have seen four to six health care providers on average and have not had relief of their symptoms," says Dr. Peters. "They are often told that what they are experiencing is all in their head. It's sad to hear women say that they have been dealing with their symptoms for years without relief, because proper care and treatment is available and we are here to help."
Another reason for a delay in treatment is that many feel that the symptoms arise as a "part of being a woman" or a natural effect of aging. Finally, certain symptoms - pain during sex, frequent voiding of the bladder, urinary leakage - are highly personal and not usually shared, even between the best of friends.
More than Physical Pain
However, the pain of these conditions often goes beyond just physical symptoms, no matter how severe they are. The effect of not talking about the conditions or not seeking further help frequently leads to emotional stress and social isolation, says Donna Carrico, a nurse practitioner at the new Women's Urology Center at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak.
"If you aren't a woman who lives with a urological condition, it's difficult to appreciate how difficult it is to live with something that causes pain without relief or requires bathroom access at all times," she says. "Because of the nature of these conditions, many women don't talk with others about what they are going through so they end up feeling alone in their struggles."
For example, a recent study found that the quality of life for IC patients compared to women without the condition was decreased due to significant pain, increased sleep dysfunction, depression, anxiety and stress; additionally, the IC patients reported more sexual and social function problems than women who did not have IC. Women with incontinence or urine leakage often have impaired quality of life due to alterations in sexual function, embarrassment from leakage or odor or lack of proper treatment.
Even when women do seek help, they often must go to several health care professionals - urologists, nurse practitioners, physical therapists, psychologists or integrative medicine practitioners - to obtain treatment. Anne did just that, seeking a general urologist to treat her symptoms, a nurse practitioner in another office to help her with her pain issues and a physical therapist across town to learn how to relax her muscles and control her pain.
A Dedicated Treatment Center
Anne now seeks her treatment from experts in female urology at the Women's Urology Center at Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, the only integrated multidisciplinary center dedicated to female urology in Michigan. Located in a private corner of the hospital, the center offers a multidisciplinary approach that includes urologists and a nurse practitioner who specialize in women's urology, chronic pelvic pain and female sexual function. Other members of the team include:
- physical therapists who are experts in pelvic floor dysfunction
- a psychologist who specializes in women's health issues
- integrative medicine professionals who offer guided imagery, massage, Reiki and more
"It's so nice to have all of my care in one location," says Anne. In addition to the convenience and privacy the center provides to patients, the staff members see only female patients with urological issues and are thus in tune with this group's special needs.
For example, female patients with urological issues may be sent for physical therapy, says Kristen Miles, a pelvic floor specialist in physical therapy at Beaumont. But to achieve best results, patients should see therapists who are specially trained and certified in pelvic floor therapy and use a facility with specialized equipment to evaluate and treat the condition.
"It is a very specific therapy and you have to be specially trained to perform it," says Kristen. "Most physical therapy businesses don't have the ability to specialize like we do. We have the largest pelvic floor therapy program in the state."
For now, Anne continues to experience flare ups of her condition, during which times she returns to the center for additional pelvic floor therapy or to see a physician or nurse practitioner. With the help of the center's staff, she adopted a diet that eliminates foods and beverages that irritate her bladder and uses meditation to help her to relax her body when she is in pain.
But she feels better because of the treatment she received. "It's amazing," she says. "When you are well, you almost forget just how much pain you were in when you were sick. It comes back now and again, but, for the most part, life is so much better now."
The creation of Beaumont's Women's Urology Center was the result of a generous donation by long-time member of the boards of directors of Beaumont Hospitals and the Beaumont Foundation, Susan E. Cooper. Learn more.
Comments
Post new comment