September 25, 2019
Interview with Nicole Shulenberger, LPN
Revive™ recently had a chance to talk with Nicole Shulenberger, a licensed practical nurse currently working in pediatric care with a background in urology. In our interview, we discuss what stress incontinence is, what women struggle with the most with their symptoms, and how Revive is different. Q: Where are you located, and what are you currently doing in the healthcare field? Nicole: I'm in Middletown DE, and I'm an LPN in a pediatric primary care office. Q: Before you were in pediatric care, what were you doing with urology? N: I was an LPN in a surgical urology office. I assisted the doctors in outpatient procedures and had my own schedule of IV infusions, BCG bladder installations, and bladder lavages. Our office was the first in the state of Delaware to offer a cocktail bladder instillation for Interstitial Cystitis, it consists of Heparin, Lidocaine, and Sodium Bicarbonate. Q: Because you have a background in urology and urinary issues, could you give us your best description of what Stress Urinary Incontinence is, in your own words? N: Sure! Stress urinary incontinence is a condition that occurs mostly in women once they reach a certain age or after childbearing. The muscles around the bladder and urethra weaken and when increased pressure occurs in the abdomen, such as coughing, sneezing, or jumping, the muscles aren't strong enough to hold the urine in the bladder, resulting in incontinence. Q: When you were working in the urology office how often were patients coming in with SUI symptoms? Was it significantly impacting their quality of life? N: Since we were urology it was a frequent complaint of female patients in our office, I would say probably daily. It did have a huge impact on their lives, from worrying if their pad or undergarment would sufficiently hold the expelled urine, if it would have any odor, even having an "accident" during sex. Wearing incontinence pads or underwear could also make UTIs more likely. 
Q: What would you say were the most common causes (childbirth, athletes, smokers, age, etc,) and what were the most common solutions that were prescribed or suggested? N: Most of the patients were older women that had several children. The most common suggestion made to them by the physicians was Kegel exercise. A few have also tried pessaries but they tended to be so uncomfortable they didn't wear them and just dealt with their incontinence. Q: Do you feel that the Revive device would have been a better option for those patients? N: Yes, absolutely! Revive is soft and malleable to move with the body, it just feels like a high-quality silicone. It's small too! I was surprised when I opened it and just saw a double O ring. Q: Is the double O ring a better design than other solutions? N: It would seem to me to be much more comfortable than the other types available. If a device isn't comfortable to wear then it's not going to do these women any good because they won't want to wear it. Q: This is very true. Do you feel that Revive would be easy for women to use in regards to instructions and packaging? N: I thought the directions were clear and concise. The packaging is discreet but still clear enough to find what you're looking for. We want to thank Nicole for taking the time to talk with us and share some of her professional insight into Stress Urinary Incontinence and how Revive can help! 
Q: What would you say were the most common causes (childbirth, athletes, smokers, age, etc,) and what were the most common solutions that were prescribed or suggested? N: Most of the patients were older women that had several children. The most common suggestion made to them by the physicians was Kegel exercise. A few have also tried pessaries but they tended to be so uncomfortable they didn't wear them and just dealt with their incontinence. Q: Do you feel that the Revive device would have been a better option for those patients? N: Yes, absolutely! Revive is soft and malleable to move with the body, it just feels like a high-quality silicone. It's small too! I was surprised when I opened it and just saw a double O ring. Q: Is the double O ring a better design than other solutions? N: It would seem to me to be much more comfortable than the other types available. If a device isn't comfortable to wear then it's not going to do these women any good because they won't want to wear it. Q: This is very true. Do you feel that Revive would be easy for women to use in regards to instructions and packaging? N: I thought the directions were clear and concise. The packaging is discreet but still clear enough to find what you're looking for. We want to thank Nicole for taking the time to talk with us and share some of her professional insight into Stress Urinary Incontinence and how Revive can help!