Urgent PC/PTNS Update

After finishing the series of bladder instillations without much improvement, I decided to try the Urgent PC to help with the overactive bladder part of IC. I was fortunate to get approval from my insurance company for this treatment since it is relatively new. A needle electrode is inserted into the posterior tibial nerve located a few inches above the medial malleolus (the bony point on the inside of your ankle). The electrode is then hooked up to a small box that provides an electrical current into the nerve for 30 minutes at a time. While the posterior tibial nerve is located near the ankle, it originates from the lumbar-sacral nerves (L4-S3) which control the bladder detrusor and pelvic floor. Treatments are given once a week for 12 weeks, then tapered to every other week for 6 weeks, then once a month and eventually, one every couple of months. According to the Urgent PC website, most patients begin to feel some sort of relief around week 6 with the most common improvement being made in nighttime urinary frequency. The treatments are not painful. In fact, I would often bring a magazine to read during my treatment session. FINALLY, I have a bit of good news!!! I have finished the weekly series of 1 a week for 12 weeks and am now tapering down to 1 treatment every other week. Around week 4, I noticed that my nighttime frequency was decreasing to around 2 times each night. After my eleventh treatment, a typical night for me consisted of getting up 1-2 times. It's a drastic decrease from my previous history of getting up 4, 5, 6, 7 or more times each night. Although the Urgent PC has not done much to improve my daytime schedule, I am still pleased with the results. I am overall in a better mood because of my ability to sleep. However, I have noticed that the Urgent PC does not provide me with pain relief. If my bladder becomes more irritated, then I may still be up several times a night, so I really try hard to stick to my diet and eat the foods I know I can tolerate. This treatment is definitely worth trying, provided you can get it reimbursed from your insurance company. I went the route of having it pre-approved before having the procedure, since the cost of the treatments is rather expensive and considered "experimental" by many insurance companies. I hope this procedure can be more easily available to patients. For me, it's been a blessing.