{"id":7416,"date":"2026-07-26T20:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T20:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7416"},"modified":"2026-07-26T20:30:00","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T20:30:00","slug":"va-augusta-offers-veterans-a-new-treatment-for-overactive-bladder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7416","title":{"rendered":"VA Augusta offers Veterans a new treatment for overactive bladder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Originally published:<\/strong> 2026-07-26T20:30:00+00:00. Historical source article: benefits, rules, amounts and deadlines may have changed. Check the official source for current information.<\/p>\n

A new bladder therapy is changing Veterans\u2019 lives<\/h2>\n

For many Veterans living with overactive bladder and \u201curge urinary incontinence,\u201d daily life requires extra planning, and with it comes feelings of anxiety from constant interruption. But at VA Augusta Health Care System<\/a>, the Altaviva implant is rewriting that story and giving Veterans back the freedom they thought they\u2019d lost.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, VA Augusta became the first hospital in Georgia, and the second VA Medical Center in the nation, to offer a new noninvasive therapy using a device that reshapes how the brain and bladder communicate. For Veterans receiving it, the change isn\u2019t subtle. It\u2019s life\u2011altering.<\/p>\n

\u2018I\u2019m not waking up in the middle of the night\u2019<\/h2>\n

For Bryant Murray, a 54\u2011year\u2011old Army Veteran who served four tours in Iraq, the therapy has meant reclaiming some of the simplest, yet most meaningful, parts of daily life. <\/p>\n

After battling overactive bladder for more than a year and trying multiple medications, Murray said it was the first time he\u2019d felt in control again.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was aggravating,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI would go to the bathroom but would have to sit there and wait 10 to 15 minutes sometimes to get it all out. The pressure would build up. It was painful.\u201d<\/p>\n

With the implant, that chapter is closing. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not getting excess leakage. I don\u2019t have to wait. My flow is continuous. I\u2019m not waking up in the middle of the night two to three times just to go,\u201d Murray said.<\/p>\n

Today, he describes life with a freedom he had almost forgotten, especially while driving.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a huge relief not having to worry, anymore,\u201d he shared.<\/p>\n

Small implant, big impact<\/h2>\n

The Altaviva device<\/a>, cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2024, is placed near the ankle in a quick outpatient procedure using only local anesthesia. It sends gentle pulses to the tibial nerve, restoring the connection between brain and bladder, without requiring a spinal implant or trial phase.<\/p>\n

Dr. Thomas Dykes, chief of urology at VA Augusta, performed the state\u2019s first procedure.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis therapy gives Veterans a less invasive alternative when medications or lifestyle changes aren\u2019t enough,\u201d Dykes said. \u201cBeing the first VA in the state to offer it means more Veterans can get the care they deserve without traveling long distances.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Murray, the procedure was surprisingly simple.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was nice and quick in the clinic. They numbed the area, made the incision, put the device in and programmed it,\u201d he said. His device is scheduled to activate three times a week at 9 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u2018Now I can drive two hours without stopping\u2019<\/h2>\n

While Murray\u2019s story is one of reclaimed rest and confidence, Navy Veteran Gayla Kunis describes something equally emotional: dignity restored.<\/p>\n

A trailblazer as the first woman engineer in her department aboard the USS Canopus, Kunis spent nearly 20 years learning to manage, hide and endure her symptoms. It wasn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have been known to pull over on the side of the road and go right there,\u201d Kunis admitted. \u201cI would bring an accident bag\u2014underwear, pads, toilet paper, hand sanitizer. Six pads a day, sometimes more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her mother, a retired nurse practitioner, saw a magazine article that finally connected the symptoms to the Altaviva therapy. Kunis became one of the first Veterans at VA Augusta to receive the new therapy, and the transformation, she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow I can drive all the way to my mother\u2019s house in Anderson, South Carolina, about two hours, and not even need to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n

Around her home, she speaks with a mixture of disbelief and pride.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the house, I never have to wear a pad,\u201d she said. \u201cIf I feel like I have to go, I can finish cooking, finish what I\u2019m doing, then walk\u2014not run\u2014to the bathroom.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meeting a critical need for Veterans<\/h2>\n

In the last two years, nearly 800 Veterans at VA Augusta have needed help managing urinary incontinence, and more than 600 have been treated for overactive bladders. Nationally, the conditions affect up to 33 million Americans.<\/p>\n

For many, symptoms can be isolating, even debilitating. Leaders at VA Augusta see the new therapy not only as a medical advancement, but to restore confidence, connection and quality of life. The Altaviva implant joins a growing portfolio of specialized urologic services offered at VA Augusta, part of its commitment to meeting Veterans where they are with treatments that work for their lives.<\/p>\n

Changing more than symptoms<\/h2>\n

For Kunis, the biggest sign of change didn\u2019t come during a drive, it came at Christmas.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hosted Christmas Day dinner for the whole family last year,\u201d she said. \u201cIn the past I would have been super stressed, but I wasn\u2019t at all. I delegated, I stayed calm, and it went smoothly.\u201d<\/p>\n

That night, her mother told her it was the perfect Christmas.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt meant everything,\u201d Kunis said. \u201cI waited years to hear that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs<\/a>. Its Veterans is an independent publication and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Two VA Augusta Veterans who received a non-invasive urology treatment for an overactive bladder find relief from all of their symptoms<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":54,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7416","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-u-s-veterans-health-care"],"yoast_head":"\nVA Augusta offers Veterans a new treatment for overactive bladder - Its Veterans<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Two VA Augusta Veterans who received a non-invasive urology treatment for an overactive bladder find relief from all of their symptoms\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/itsveterans.com\/?p=7416\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"VA Augusta offers Veterans a new treatment for overactive bladder - 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