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curiouswombatI spent this morning learning how to do Percutaneous Tibial Nerve Stimulation - this involved all of us who are part of the uro-gynae team on the island gleefully, or timidly depending on personality, sticking needles into each other's ankles and then sending an electric current through it!
This was to increase the treatments available to ladies who have over-active bladder problems ('ladies' simply because of the team who have learnt - we do a ladies' waterworks clinic). Part of our ethic is that, wherever possible, we should not ask patients to try something we haven't tried ourselves - so we were all there with our socks off and our trousers rolled up, or our tights off if we were wearing skirts, learning on each other - everyone from the clinic nursing assistant to the consultant - he was the first volunteer.
It was actually a really good morning - and the other staff in the vicinity said our laughter could be heard out on the corridor - they all wondered what we were doing that was such fun! And I can honestly tell patients that, having had it done to me, it tingles a little but really would be quite a nice way to spend half an hour a week for 12 weeks.
There is a really good video on YouTube - here for anyone who is interested.
This was to increase the treatments available to ladies who have over-active bladder problems ('ladies' simply because of the team who have learnt - we do a ladies' waterworks clinic). Part of our ethic is that, wherever possible, we should not ask patients to try something we haven't tried ourselves - so we were all there with our socks off and our trousers rolled up, or our tights off if we were wearing skirts, learning on each other - everyone from the clinic nursing assistant to the consultant - he was the first volunteer.
It was actually a really good morning - and the other staff in the vicinity said our laughter could be heard out on the corridor - they all wondered what we were doing that was such fun! And I can honestly tell patients that, having had it done to me, it tingles a little but really would be quite a nice way to spend half an hour a week for 12 weeks.
There is a really good video on YouTube - here for anyone who is interested.
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Date: 20/03/2012 02:09 am (UTC)~G
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Date: 20/03/2012 08:45 am (UTC)It is quite similar to TENS - but we are able to target one nerve in isolation by using the needles - which were much less scary than we thought. There is quite a bit of research now to prove how well it works - and so we can tell patients with conviction that there is an 80% chance of improvement in their condition, and it is really not painful at all.