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Lately, when I urinate, it takes me a longer time to empty my bladder and doesn't seem to empty easily. The flow feels restricted and I have to press on my bladder to help empty otherwise I feel like I have to bear down to keep urinating. This isn't consistent. Seems to happen mostly after i've been sleeping or if I get up at night to go. I have no pain and no burning. In my mind, it's the feeling of being blocked. This is a departure from my norm, which has generally been a more overactive feeling. Typically I have had frequent urges to go, and not necessarily much to produce as I can go so many times my bladder has nothing left in it, just the sensation of feeling like I have to go. This has also been worse at night. I have felt that the latter has been potentially food related at times as well as some kind is stress symptom or at times some kind of positional issue.
Optional Information: Person's Gender: Female Person's Age: 47 Already Tried: For this new situation, nothing yet.
Thanks for your question. If I don't respond to you immediately, it is because I am busy with a patient. I WILL get back to you ASAP.Do you have a history of diabetes or any spinal cord injury or disc herniation?
Hi Dr. Y,I have no history of diabetes. Last August was when I had my last blood work taken. My hemoglobin A1C was tested and it was 5.9 which showed in the range of increased risk (5.7-6.0, according to this particular test). I have no spinal cord injury.While I have had no diagnosis of lumbar herniation. I am pretty certain I have had some kind of herniation at some point in my lumbar. A few months ago, I had a bit of a flair up of that type of pain. I have a history of herniations, and bulging discs in my cervical spine. The cervical herniations were diagnosed in 2007.
With your history of the cervical herniation, you definitely need to get into see a urologist to have formal testing done to figure out why you are having difficulty urinating. It is possible that the nerves that control the bladder that allow the muscle to squeeze may be impinged or damaged from the disc herniation. The urologist should do a test called urodynamics which is like an EKG for the bladder to determine what the underlying problem is. This is the very first place you should start as the result of the test will determine what needs to be done . Hope this helps and let me know if you have questions.
Hi Dr. Y,I wonder if you could explain to me what the urodynamics test is.I just looked it up and it looks like a series of 7 tests. (http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/kudiseases/pubs/urodynamic/index.aspx#tests )Should I expect to get all 7 tests or just certain ones. I am assuming that the whole series is done.Thank you
Yes, all seven tests listed on that website are part of the urodynamics test. However, to you, it will only seem like one procedure. It is really just seven different measurements that are taken with the catheters in place.
Experience: Specializing in general urology and reconstructive urology