We all know that many Parkinson drugs are associated with constipation, but does anyone suffer from urinary retention. I have stage III Parkinson’s and find great difficulty in emptying my bladder first thing in the morning especially. I can only pass urine in short bursts but failed to get a good stream going. These are symptoms associated with enlarged prostate and I have had that checked. PSA test etc. I was just wondering if these symptoms could be down to Parkinson’s due to the bladder failing to contract during urination. I know that Parkinson’s can give rise to urgency or incontinence but I have not heard much about urinary retention. I think I am going to press my GP for a bladder ultrasound just to see how much urine I am carrying around. Any comments from any sufferers from urinary retention would be welcome.
Thanks
G
Hello @GROBER,
I’m very sorry to hear about the trouble you’ve been having emptying your bladder - and that none of our members have stopped by yet to offer support and suggestions. You are most certainly not alone in experiencing this. Although we usually hear of urinary incontinence, urinary retention is also a possibility, and can be caused by a number of different things.
I would certainly recommend discussing this more with your GP, as they will know your medical history and will be able to work with you so you can find some relief. It sounds like you’re already making the right moves to try and understand the issue better, so keep it up!
Please do let us know how you’re doing - you’re always welcome to post updates.
Best wishes,
Joy
Forum Moderation Team
Hi Grober, I’d suggest definately follow up with GP for ultrasound. Not same issue as you describe, I’ve had several UTI’s and issues with either urgency and then not going as often as I would expect for the amount of water I’m drinking - told to drink a lot of water, I had ultra sound of bladder and kidneys, had to drink a lot before scans, then go to the loo and then rescan. Although he said my bladder can hold a sufficent amount I was not emptying my bladder in full. He offered meds which basically relax the muscles (unsure if male and female bladders work the same way ??) and when I asked him about any links between this and PD he did tell me that there is a possibility with the signal from the brain to the bladder being disrupted. I declined on the meds for now and he has suggested I follow a bladder training programme, it can take up to six weeks, basically learning to understand the messages your bladder is sending to you, which message you need to listen to and which to ignore, to help you recognise when your bladder is full and when it isn’t. I’m just over four weeks into it and touch wood have noticed a definate improvement. Hope you have managed to follow up with your GP, take care
Thanks for the helpful replies. I will be pursuing this with my GP- when I can get an appointment!