Nothing Can Stop Her Now

At 76, Alice Virginia Daniel of Tupelo describes herself as a “get up and go” person. She sings, water walks, plays cards, keeps up with lifelong girlfriends and belongs to a book club. Fun has always been a big part of who she is.

But for several years, bladder problems were quietly changing that. What started as a bothersome issue about five years ago became, in her words, “awful” over the last three years.

Life Interrupted

“Anytime I went anywhere, I would have to think, ‘Where’s the bathroom?’” Alice Virginia says. “I had to plan around a bathroom and be near it.”

That meant even her favorite activities came with worry. She sang in the adult choir at First United Methodist Church in Tupelo for 59 years, but being in the choir loft felt risky knowing she might have to rush out. At Tupelo Aquatic Center, where she water walks two to three times a week, she found herself getting in and out of the pool constantly.

“I was feeling too old,” she says. “I had reached the point where I would do anything. Last fall, I told my doctor, ‘This has to stop. I can’t live like this anymore.’”

Ready for Answers

Her primary care physician, Dr. Pami Taylor, referred Alice Virginia to Dr. Elizabeth Tarsi at North Mississippi Urogynecology. Dr. Tarsi is a board-certified OB-GYN with three additional years of specialty training in urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery.

North Mississippi Urogynecology cares for women with urinary incontinence, overactive bladder, pelvic organ prolapse, bladder pain, bowel control issues and other complex pelvic floor disorders.

Alice Virginia arrived ready for answers. “You could’ve written ‘help me!’ on my forehead,” she says. “I have never encountered a doctor’s office that was so friendly. They were very professional but so kind in dealing with a situation that is not pleasant. From the moment I walked in, I was set at ease. I felt like they were listening to me. There was no doubt in my mind that this problem was going to go away.”

As part of her care, Alice Virginia also worked with Heather Holland, an occupational therapist who offers pelvic floor therapy at North Mississippi Urogynecology.

A Simple Procedure That Made a Big Difference

Dr. Tarsi recommended Botox injection for overactive bladder and Bulkamid for stress urinary incontinence. 

Botox helps by blocking nerve signals that trigger the bladder to contract even when it isn’t full, causing sudden urges, frequent urination and leakage.

Bulkamid is a minimally invasive injection treatment that uses a soft hydrogel to bulk up the urethral wall and improve urine control. “It works by supporting the urethra’s closing mechanism, helping prevent urine leakage during activities like coughing, sneezing or exercising,” Dr. Tarsi explains.

Alice Virginia needed no convincing. “I asked for the earliest appointment because I was so ready to have it done,” she says.

Treatment required no incisions, and Alice Virginia went home the same day. She was surprised by how simple it was and how quickly she recovered.

“It was easy,” she says. “I was expecting a little burning… but nothing. I kept thinking, ‘Is this true?’ And it was! Dr. Tarsi is my hero.”

Today, Alice Virginia is back to the life she loves without having to search out a bathroom or sit anything out.

“It really has been life-changing,” she says. Now, nothing can stop her.