Every now and then a patient touches you so much that you are sad to see them go. Recently I was taking care of someone that was going through such hardship, as he had ALS. He was on the steady decline, yet always had a smile, always had a thank you. I was shocked at how well he and his supportive family were handling everything. Such life was there, such love and support.
I was sorry to see him go, even more sorry a special man like that has such limited time left on Earth.
About Me
- Betsy B.
- I'm a nurse at a large teaching hospital in Boston, where I've worked for 3 years. I work with some of the best, most inspiring nurses I've ever met and look forward to going to work each day.
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7 comments:
New Promise for Treating SUI
Hi Betsy,
I came across your blog and thought you might be interested in this release. It's 11-years' worth of data showing the effectiveness of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) in minimally invasive treatment of stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women. The cure rate was found to be 90% objective and 97% subjective. This is major good news for the 13 million American women suffering from SUI -- often an embarrassing condition for which only one in 12 women seeks treatment. Please let me know if you need any more information.
Many thanks,
Alec Drozdowski
Tel: 212-253-8881
Fax: 212-253-8241
berrypr.com
Berry & Company Public Relations
57 East 11th Street
Sixth floor
New York, NY 10003
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Corporate Contact:
Devon Prutzman
ETHICON Women’s Health & Urology
908-218-2783 (office)
New Study Offers More Than A Decade Of Evidence For
Minimally-Invasive Surgery To Treat Female Incontinence
Results add to body of clinical evidence demonstrating the efficacy and safety of
synthetic mesh slings for treatment of stress urinary incontinence in women.
SOMERVILLE, N.J., SEPTEMBER 8, 2008 - A new study published in the August issue of International Urogynecology Journal analyzes data of an 11-year follow up study on the safety and effectiveness of tension-free vaginal tape (TVT) as a treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI) in women. Researchers followed women treated with GYNECARE TVT™ Retropubic System Tension-free Support for Incontinence and found that after 11 years, 90% were objectively cured and 97% considered themselves subjectively cured or improved. This study represents the most extensive follow up for modern mid-ureethral sling operations to date.
The three-center prospective observational cohort study led by Professor Carl G. Nilsson, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland, reports on 90 women suffering from urinary stress incontinence who were treated with GYNECARE TVT. Pre-operative assessment included a 24-hour pad test, a stress test, physical examination and a visual analog scale for assessing how bothersome the condition was to each patient. Of the original cohort, 69 women were available for post-operative follow-up 11.5 years after surgery. These women were evaluated using a stress test, a pad test, the patient’s overall impression of the cure and a questionnaire administered to assess the patient’s quality of life. More than 11 years after surgery, 97% of women assessed subjectively considered themselves cured or improved and researchers determined that 90% of patients were objectively cured based on 24-hour pad tests and stress tests.
“Our results substantiate the evidence showing that the TVT procedure is a safe, effective solution that offers excellent long-term cure rates for women suffering with SUI,” said Professor Nilsson. “We are encouraged by the fact that we saw no reports of adverse effects such as tape erosion or tissue reactions found during follow up and continue to believe that the TVT procedure represents a significant advance in the treatment of female SUI.”
SUI, a condition that affects more than 13 million women in the United States, is the involuntary leakage of urine during routine activities that put pressure on the bladder or urethra, such as laughing, sneezing or coughing. It can be an embarrassing problem that women are hesitant to bring up with their doctor and as a result, only one in 12 women seeks treatment.
To date, more than one million women worldwide have been treated with the GYNECARE TVT family of products, helping to restore their quality of life.
About GYNECARE TVT
The minimally-invasive GYNECARE TVT* Tension-free Support for Incontinence device uses a mesh sling to provide support to the middle of the urethra, the section that is strained during physical activities. This positioning of the device provides support only when needed and creates a “tension-free” treatment solution that reduces the risk of over-correcting.
As with any suspension surgery, this procedure should not be performed in pregnant patients. Additionally, because the PROLENE polypropylene mesh will not stretch significantly, it should not be performed in patients with future growth potential including women with plans for future pregnancy. Although rare, complications associated with the device include injury to blood vessels or nerves, difficulty urinating and bladder and bowel injury.
The family of GYNECARE TVT products is marketed by ETHICON Women’s Health & Urology, a division of ETHICON, INC., a Johnson & Johnson company.
About Ethicon Women’s Health and Urology
ETHICON Women’s Health & Urology offers treatment solutions for a range of common, female pelvic health disorders. The technologies are marketed under the GYNECARE family of brands and include treatments for menorrhagia (heavy periods), fibroids, stress urinary incontinence and pelvic organ prolapse. ETHICON Women’s Health & Urology is a division of ETHICON, Inc, a Johnson & Johnson company. For more information visit www.gynecare.com.
# # #
I think your blog is great, and I would like to feature you on the new
Wellsphere. We feature only the best health bloggers on our WellPages,
which are special pages that our Health Knowledge Engine crafts to give
our users answers to their health questions. We would feature you on all
the pages on topics that our knowledge engine finds are related to your
blog postings. Because we have over 2 million visitors each month (and we
are growing rapidly), you would benefit from an expanded audience for
your writings. If you would like us to feature you, send me an email to
Dr.Rutledge@wellsphere.com
Cheers, Geoff
I have had this "tvt" procedure done and do not regret it in the least. I could tell it worked immediately. Though while recovering, I was told no intercourse. Does this include anal? There is no mention anywhere about it. Some people would really like to know the answer to this question and I cannot answer it for them. Please mention something about it somewhere!!!
Thanks!
More touching stories...Finally, one of our fellow nurses took the time to write a book which acknowledges nurses and gives them the credit we so deserve. I'm so glad to see this heartwarming, inspirational account of what nurses go through and the caring forces which drive them to continue on in their work. It's a great read: Nurses Are From Heaven: Nursing Through Eyes of Faith by C. Feist-Heilmeier, RN.
This is really a well laid out website. I like how you have presented the information in full detail. Keep up the great work and please stop by my site sometime. The url is http://healthy-nutrition-facts.blogspot.com
What a sad story. It really shows the personal side of the job and shows your complete dedication to the patient. This is by far the hardest part of the job, but also sometimes the part that deems our utmost respect.
Hello!
Given the popularity and prevalence of twitter, I put together a list of 50 different nurses on Twitter that you can follow to potentially get some insight on their medical lives. If you wouldn’t mind, could you share my list with your readers?
Here's the post:
http://blog.onlinecollegeguru.com/health-care/50-nurses-you-can-follow-on-twitter/
Many thanks!
Richard
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