Urinary urgency and incontinence, and erectile dysfunction

Posted by chiefd67 @chiefd67, Aug 31, 2022

I have been diagnosed with urinary urgency, incontinence, and erectile dysfunction. I have had many years of degenerative disc disease in my cervical and lumbar spine collapsed L-4/5 and L5/S1 near collapse with a small bulge into my spinal cord.

Also when I go to urinate and any small amount of pressure I exert causes burning nerve pains in my penis upper & lower legs and my feet. I have addressed these issues with both my urologist and neurologist and they have yet to give me an answer as to why I have these issues other than I am aging.

I was wondering if anyone has had the same problems and if these issues could be caused by small fiber nerves. I did have one
neurologist suggest I should go to Mayo as they have studied small fiber nerves in the abdominal and pelvis region and can tell me if the small fiber nerves are causing my issues.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Kidney & Bladder Support Group.

Hi, @chiefd67
Welcome to Connect. I cannot fully address your problem because I am a woman but I can tell you that there are devices that stimulate the muscles to help with incontinence. I have been using one for a while and it has helped me to be able to hold my urine but if I wait too long I still leak, sometimes heavily. I have to drink a large amount of water daily so that exacerbates the problem. I don't think anything will help me with frequency due to that.

You mention going to a urologist. If that doctor was not at a major medical center/teaching hospital I would try going to one there. I have found that the local doctors are not as good at diagnosing anything unusual as the doctors at major medical centers, simply because the doctors at larger places see a greater variety of conditions. That might give you more help than you have had so far. I hope so. I was first referred to a urologist but I chose to go to a urogynecologist instead. I believe they only work with women though.

I hope you find a doctor who can diagnose what is causing your nerve pain.
JK

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Hi @chiefd67, I have added your discussion to the Men's Health group as well. See the existing discussions here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/mens-health-1/

I think @jakedduck1 @gcranor @kayak461 may have thoughts to add.

You may also be interested in this related expert blog from Mayo Clinic:
Temporary causes of urinary incontinence https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/take-charge-healthy-aging/newsfeed-post/temporary-causes-of-urinary-incontinence/

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Hello @chiefd67 , I’ve not experienced urinary symptoms as you have described, and I do hope that you find a solution soon. My recent experience with my urinary system resulted from 12 years of BPH. My Urologist treated me with prescription drugs for many years for this problem, but it wasn’t really helping me. I went to a different Urologist and at my first appointment a simple Ultra Sound test was given to me….my first….to see how much urine retention I had. As a result of this test, I was sent for other tests, which ultimately ended with required prostate surgery. Not all Urologists have the skill set needed to perform the surgery required. I went for second, third, and fourth opinions. You really need to research your problem. Don’t be satisfied with “it’s old age!” Your Neurologist did recommend that you go to the Mayo Clinic….perhaps your Neurologist will help you with a referral! I will tell you that the Mayo Clinic is an absolutely wonderful facility with expert Doctors that can provide expert care. As JK (@contentandwell) mentioned in her reply, a major medical facility/teaching hospital have so many resources in their arsenal to provide you with the absolute best care. Your best chance to get to the end of this is lead the charge! Best of luck!

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@kayak461

Hello @chiefd67 , I’ve not experienced urinary symptoms as you have described, and I do hope that you find a solution soon. My recent experience with my urinary system resulted from 12 years of BPH. My Urologist treated me with prescription drugs for many years for this problem, but it wasn’t really helping me. I went to a different Urologist and at my first appointment a simple Ultra Sound test was given to me….my first….to see how much urine retention I had. As a result of this test, I was sent for other tests, which ultimately ended with required prostate surgery. Not all Urologists have the skill set needed to perform the surgery required. I went for second, third, and fourth opinions. You really need to research your problem. Don’t be satisfied with “it’s old age!” Your Neurologist did recommend that you go to the Mayo Clinic….perhaps your Neurologist will help you with a referral! I will tell you that the Mayo Clinic is an absolutely wonderful facility with expert Doctors that can provide expert care. As JK (@contentandwell) mentioned in her reply, a major medical facility/teaching hospital have so many resources in their arsenal to provide you with the absolute best care. Your best chance to get to the end of this is lead the charge! Best of luck!

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Thank you! Do you know which Mayo Clinic is best; Jacksonville, FL or Minneapolis, MN?

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There are actually three major Mayo clinics available in the U.S. I live in the Phoenix area where we have a large hospital and 2 speciality buildings. Another building is in Scottsdale. The Mayo Clinic Hospital is in Rochester, MN, not Minneapolis. I would think that all 3 provide equal excellent service where their skill set ranks very high in the U.S.. The original "home" of Mayo is in Rochester.

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@chiefd67

Thank you! Do you know which Mayo Clinic is best; Jacksonville, FL or Minneapolis, MN?

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I live in Florida and went to the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville. My personal thought is that the Mayo is such a fine organization with knowledge and treatments aligned between all three……I would bet that they are all equally wonderful, caring, professional facilities with the best treatment plans for patients. I can’t see how you could possibly go wrong with any of the three! Keep us posted on your plans, we’re all hoping you find resolution to your health needs!

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@contentandwell

Hi, @chiefd67
Welcome to Connect. I cannot fully address your problem because I am a woman but I can tell you that there are devices that stimulate the muscles to help with incontinence. I have been using one for a while and it has helped me to be able to hold my urine but if I wait too long I still leak, sometimes heavily. I have to drink a large amount of water daily so that exacerbates the problem. I don't think anything will help me with frequency due to that.

You mention going to a urologist. If that doctor was not at a major medical center/teaching hospital I would try going to one there. I have found that the local doctors are not as good at diagnosing anything unusual as the doctors at major medical centers, simply because the doctors at larger places see a greater variety of conditions. That might give you more help than you have had so far. I hope so. I was first referred to a urologist but I chose to go to a urogynecologist instead. I believe they only work with women though.

I hope you find a doctor who can diagnose what is causing your nerve pain.
JK

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Agreed! Local drs are pretty much worthless when it comes do these unusual disorders, I have bladder spasms that turns to tachycardia, and I take flomax so I don't have incontinence and I go but I have to double the dose! Also I can have intimate times with my wife but I don't ejaculate anymore and I've tested positive for a carcinoid tumor also and had mnthe rest of my thyroid out today with two parathyroids that were over active with tumors.

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@chiefd67

Thank you! Do you know which Mayo Clinic is best; Jacksonville, FL or Minneapolis, MN?

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The one area of my life where I'm pretty assertive is medical care. I spent 30+ years going to MN. Now I go to AZ. Both are excellent but my guess is that MN (which some Mayo employees refer to as "the Mother Ship") may have more extensive research resources. Even though I'm a huge Mayo fan, I've still had two unhappy incidents with doctors which I did report - just remember that you always have to be your own advocate and don't be afraid to ask for what you need.

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@chiefd67

Thank you! Do you know which Mayo Clinic is best; Jacksonville, FL or Minneapolis, MN?

Jump to this post

@chiefd67 I have not been to any of the Mayos but I am sure all of them are excellent. In reading hospital reviews though they have not all been rated equally for certain specialties. If you have the ability to choose which one to go to I would check the ratings for what you are specifically looking for. I find the ratings put out by US News seem to be the gold standard.

I think when you are considering any one of the top hospitals in the country you can't go wrong though.
JK

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