www.incontinentsupport.org

So earlier this year I started having bladder issues at night.
Prior to this I have had a hard time controlling the flow when I finished peeing ever since I had my injury in the army. I always had to milk the urethra to get the rest of what I could get of the urine out. Slowly over this year I started having day time accidents as well which became more and more frequent. So I was able to see a urologist first visit he found I was retaining he found this via an ultra sound machine. Next visit they did a urodynamic test found that I had retention and I had urgancey. Next was a cystoscopy which found a severely trabeculated bladder. The uro thought I may have a tight pelvic floor so next was physical therapy where they wanted to down train my pelvic floor. 2 visits later in physical therapy and three Awkwardly placed measuring devices physio says pelvic floor is awsome I think you have a neurogenic bladder. This long story leads me to my question. They now have referred me to a Back Dr has anyone else been through this and if you have what can I now expect?

Your account is similar to mine; however, my bladder never developed trabeculations; rather it was sending urine back up to my kidneys. The neurological exams involved placing leads over the peripheral nerves in my lower back which control urination, filling my bladder with saline, and watching them work or fail to work. It was another of the embarrassing exams that many of us endure. Good luck and report back when you can.

I was diagnosed with neurogenic bladder as well, but initially the urologist was clutching at straws to come up with a cause. He finally settled on that it must be due to my extensive use of sinus meds??? On my own, I went to a spine clinic and found that I have stenosis and spondylolisthesis, which the spine doc agrees is the actual cause of my issues. These conditions affect the nerve impulses/conduction to my bladder. That being said, I think referring you to a back doctor is appropriate and may point you in the right direction of causation, as well as possible treatments. Good luck!

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"When you die, on your deathbed, you will receive total consciousness. So I got that goin' for me, which is nice."

Another update had an MRI on my back to try and find cause. Findings I have degenerative disc disease in l3 l4, l4 l5, l5 S1, buldge disk in l5 s1 tear in l4 l5 and narrowing of one of the nerve canals. So we may have found cause now we just keep pushing forward to see what we can repair and see what we can improve.

I regretted reading about your spinal issues. However, now that they have been discovered, hopefully your physicians can begin some positive treatments based on firm data. Good luck.

It has been about a year since I updated this post. My general practioner was reading through my medical charts and all the findings and started matching things up and gave me some of the scariest news you can get. I may have a mild form of Cuada Equine Syndrome she wants a second opinion from my MRI so hopefully we can work on getting back to more of a normal life. However what I read about Cuada Equine Syndrome scares the heck out of me. Does any one on this form have any life experience of this?

I too was diagnosed with neurogenic bladder, though mine was linked to my repeated head trauma in the Army. Who knew getting blown up was bad for your health? Basically I was told that my bladder is perfectly functional, it's just not on speaking terms with my brain. It was measurable in a CT Scan, so for me at least I know that the cause is the right one. I get some warning, just not enough to make it to the toilet and the meds made me sicker than the Kuwaiti Crud did! I hope they figure out what is going on for you and give you viable options!

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When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.

Marcus Aurelius

itjustleaks,
My spine looks a lot like yours, just different details. A couple of years ago I had surgery on the worst region, laminotomies and nerve root decompression. I went from severe pain before, to no meds at all right after the surgery. My surgeon specialized in spinal neurosurgery rather than orthopaedic surgery, no fusions and hardware on my spine. My last MRI indicates that the problems have moved to a new level, but where he worked still looks good. It's looking like some more surgery, as the leg pains are getting worse and I have now pretty much lost bladder control most days. No one has suggested that I have CES but my symptoms seem related.
My main suggestion is push on the doctors for treatment and don't just let things slide; they aren't likely to just go away on their own. My best to you.