|
Questions posted in the
The Urology Forum have been answered by urologists from Henry Ford Health System and by Dr. Kevin Pho.
| |
|
Subject: Re: neurogenic bladder My mom is 65, enjoyed a generally good health so far and has been suffering from urine retention for the past 9 months now. After some tests, including urodynamics, doctors have diagnosed Neurological Bladder due to unknown reasons. The greatest suspicion so far is on a diabetics condition, since her sugar levels were slightly higher than average. She now uses a catheter at the end of the day, to help fully emptying her bladder, since her natural daily urinations are not able to withdraw the complete amount of liquid. The questions are: i)are there cases of similar conditions where normality is regained after a period of time? Yours sincerely, Maria Kurka
- Dear Maria, If your mother is experiencing an acute problem with urinating, there would be a good chance of her regaining the ability to empty her bladder. However, you mentioned Diabetes as a possible cause. If this is truly the case, this is a chronic condition and the bladder probably will not regain its full strength. The problem in a sensory neurogenic bladder secondary to Diabetes, is that the bladder cannot sense when the bladder is full. Typically, the bladder is large capacity and over distended, these are both signs of a chronic problem. Now I dont want to blow away all of your hopes because I have not seen your mother, her urodynamic work-up and it doesnt take much force to empty a females bladder. If your mother could remain on a timed urinating schedule, and does well with her night time catheterization, she might regain the ability to spontaneously void on her own. Only time will tell. Just remember that diabetes is a chronic condition that tends to have progressive symptoms rather than cures. Follow-up with your urologist will be important and possible repeat Urodynamic may give you an indication if her problem is getting better or worse. I would never want to tell you to stop looking for any other condition that might be causing your mothers problem, however, if here urodynamic study is consistent with a sensory neurogenic bladder and she has long-standing out of control diabetes, you may be wasting your time. This would be the final decision of your urologist. This information is provided for general medical educational purposes only. Please consult your physician for diagnostic and treatment options pertaining to your specific medical condition. More individualized care is available at the Henry Ford Hospital and its satellites (1 800 653-6568). Sincerely, |
|
[The Urology Forum] [The Urology Forum Archives] |