When Glenn L. saw a commercial on television for a revolutionary incontinence treatment, he wasted no time making a phone call and subsequent appointment. At 70 years old, he describes navigating incontinence issues for at least seven years, something his own father had also experienced. “I would have to get up at least five times a night to go,” he says. “As the years went by, I would have sudden impulses to urinate with no warning and that was very embarrassing at times.” He tried medications obtained through a local urologist, but describes being put off by their inevitable results—not good ones, he says. As a last resort, Glenn ended up relying on adult diapers while vacationing, simply to manage his symptoms. Enough was enough.
Meeting Dr. Sasse
Glenn says he was immediately comfortable with Dr. Sasse. “He was very easy to understand and answered all my questions at the time,” he says. Glenn contacted his Medicare Advantage plan representative to determine whether the SNM procedure was covered. In less than a week, he had his answer—it was. “I was really excited and scared at first, but Dr. Sasse’s demeanor was of a relaxing nature, which made me want the procedure even more. He is highly professional and of good nature,” says Glenn.
The preliminary procedure was scheduled to determine whether Glenn was a good candidate for SNM. “I went through it in perfectly and then scheduled the permanent device procedure a few weeks later,” he explains. “I live in Carson City, Nevada, and the travel was really nothing to me, but after seeing the results, I would have traveled a lot farther distance.”
Results After SNM
After dealing with incontinence for so long and experiencing no improvements with other treatment options, Glenn kept his expectations low. “I really was hoping for some little improvements to make life more bearable, but got a massive miracle instead,” he says. Not only has his incontinence been resolved, the process itself was easy. “Although you go under anesthesia, which I was not really accustomed to, all the personnel made me more than comfortable both before and after each time,” he says. “They said there might be pain after the procedures, but the most I had was a little discomfort from lying on that side for a day or two.”
