How One Woman Found Relief From Bladder and Bowel Incontinence After 12 Years

Karen Carlson has long played an active role in her Maryland community. In the mornings, her neighbors would see her out on her daily run. On the weekends, she would mow her elderly neighbors' lawns. For work, Carlson was a school nurse for students with developmental disabilities. So much of what gave Carlson joy was helping others.

But all that changed when she started experiencing debilitating bladder spasms and urinary incontinence, and later daily fecal incontinence. "My bladder spasms and bladder incontinence progressed, and I regularly reported my symptoms and side effects to my doctors." After trying maintenance products like pads and diapers, and following a long journey with medication, Carlson was repeatedly told there were no other options. She says she felt as though her symptoms and complaints about medication side effects were minimized in part because she believes her doctors didn't know what else to offer her.

For years, her incontinence ruled her life. She became essentially housebound, unable to be involved in her community or participate in hobbies that used to give her joy. But when her new urologist told her about AxonicsTM Sacral Neuromodulation (SNM) Therapy, an implantable device used to treat overactive bladder (OAB) and fecal incontinence, everything changed. She decided to give the Axonics device a try, and her symptoms improved immediately after having it implanted.

In the U.S., nearly 30 million adults ages 40 and older have bothersome symptoms of OAB, but it isn't something anyone should have to live with.1 Want to know more? Here, Carlson shares her health journey firsthand, including the role Axonics Therapy has played.

‘Ninety-Five Percent of My Thoughts Were Consumed With Managing My Incontinence'

Like roughly 10% of the U.S. population, Carlson was no stranger to kidney stones.2 In fact, she was 44 when she developed a very serious infection related to several large kidney stones. As part of her treatment, a ureteral stent was implanted for two weeks. The stent caused her to experience severe bladder spasms with incontinence and, unfortunately, the problems didn't go away after her stent was removed. What Carlson didn't know at the time was that this was the beginning of a years-long battle with incontinence that would get increasingly worse over time, a common occurrence if left untreated.

In the 12 years that followed, Carlson's doctors prescribed her numerous medications, all of which caused significant side effects, including vertigo, high blood pressure, weight gain, dry mouth, migraines and dental issues.

"By 2019, I was occasionally having fecal incontinence. By 2020, I had developed daily fecal incontinence," Carlson says, adding that she had to get up multiple times during the night to empty her bladder and bowels.

As Carlson's condition worsened, she was forced to make drastic changes to her daily routines. "I was experiencing urinary incontinence more than 20 times a day, plus daily fecal incontinence. I had become essentially housebound, with the exception of going to work, which involved significant planning, including emptying my bowels and bladder, not eating or drinking all day and having immediate bathroom access at all times," Carlson says. "Ninety-five percent of my thoughts were consumed with ‘managing' my incontinence."

‘Now, I Don't Think About My Incontinence Because I Don't Have To'

Carlson battled her symptoms for 12 long years until, in 2023, a new urologist she started seeing, Dr. Melissa Mendez, told her about Axonics Therapy. Designed to be user-friendly, sacral neuromodulation (SNM) is a safe, clinically proven therapy that uses nerve stimulation that may help restore healthy communication between the brain, bladder and bowel. Axonics SNM therapy delivers this stimulation through a miniature implant-roughly the size of a quarter-to the sacral nerve.

After reading more about Axonics SNM therapy, Carlson cried, both out of hope for a possible solution and frustration that it took more than a decade to find a long-lasting treatment option. Five months after learning about Axonics, Carlson underwent a short surgery to get the device implanted.

Immediately after the procedure, Carlson says her symptoms went away.

Since receiving the device three years ago, Carlson says she has been able to return to her normal life. She eats well, sleeps well and is back to being active, which helped her lose the 95 pounds she gained since developing incontinence. She also changed jobs for the first time in 19 years and feels as though she has her life back.

"I can sit, sleep, wear a belt and roll on a foam roller and not feel it in my back." The only required upkeep Carlson noted is that she places a charger over the device "every 10 months for about 10 minutes to keep it fully charged. That's it." The rechargeable Axonics device Carlson received is designed to last at least 20 years.

Now, at 58, she says she hardly ever thinks about it. "I don't think about it, because I don't have to," she says. "It seems basic to just live a life, but it's not basic. It's huge."

To find out if Axonics is a fit for you, talk to your healthcare provider and visit FixIncontinence.com. Relief may be closer than you think.

Sponsored by Boston Scientific.

CAUTION: U.S. Federal law restricts this device to sale by or on the order of a physician.

Important Safety Information

Axonics SNM Therapy for urinary control is indicated for the treatment of urinary retention and the symptoms of overactive bladder, including urinary urge incontinence and significant symptoms of urgency-frequency alone or in combination, in patients who have failed or could not tolerate more conservative treatments. Axonics SNM Therapy for bowel control is indicated for the treatment of chronic fecal incontinence in patients who have failed or are not candidates for more conservative treatments.

Axonics SNM Therapy is contraindicated for patients who have not demonstrated an appropriate response to test stimulation or patients who are unable to operate the Axonics SNM Systems.

With all medical procedures, there are risks associated with the procedure and the use of the device, including long-term implantation. The risks include but are not limited to: adverse change in voiding function (bowel and/or bladder), infection, pain or irritation at the implant site, lead or device migration, electrical shock, change in sensation or magnitude of stimulation which has been described as uncomfortable (jolting or shocking) by some patients, and heating or burns at the device site.

If one or more of these complications occur, you may need medical treatment or surgery. Be sure to talk with your doctor so that you thoroughly understand all of the risks and benefits associated with the use of the device.

Statements presented are the opinion of the individual depicted and are not indicative of future performance or success. Results from case studies are not necessarily predictive of results in other cases. Results in other cases may vary.

Sources

1. Coyne, et al. "National community prevalence of overactive bladder in the United States stratified by sex and age." Urology. Volume 77, Issue 5, P1081-1087, MAY 2011. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.urology.2010.08.039
2. "Kidney Stones." National Kidney Foundation, 6 Mar. 2026, www.kidney.org/kidney-topics/kidney-stones.

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This story was originally published May 11, 2026 at 12:49 PM.