Walt,
This will probably be the last time I'll make a post for a couple months as I'm going to travelling soon. However, I will try to give the billboard an update sometime while I'm there. You were right about the pain from the cystoscopy going away. It just would have been nice if the doctor had told me that so I wouldn't have to worry about it for the whole day. Two doctors ended up doing the cystoscopy, my regular urologist and a visting doc from some prestigious hospital there for the day with medical students. Anyway, they both agreed that the urethra (I asked them to look especially close) and bladder looked completely healthy and normal. They said there was no reason for a urethrogram to look for a diverticulum because of what they saw and because of the symptoms I describe. The urologist told me there's really nothing else they can do and to come back in three months. She did prescribe Detrol. I just wanted to know if you agree with them on the point that because of the cystoscopy results, there's no reason for the urethrogram. Obviously I would like to forget about the whole diverticulum thing and just focus on the SR being confident that it is the cause of my symptoms. I thought I'd give you a quick run down of my symptoms again just in case there's something you were unaware of.
1. constant feeling of needing to urinate more in the urethra than bladder-some relief after going
2. never any pain or burning
3.gets worse as the day goes on
4. gets worse after sex
5. feels temporarily better after a bowel movement
6. gets worse from stress, diet, alcohol
7. no improvement after atleast two and a half weeks on amitriptaline, impramine, daypro, cystospaz, and other anti inflammation/anti spasmadic drugs.
8. symptoms went away completely for three months after cystoscopy 2 years ago
9. half the time during skilled relaxation, the sensation is reduced to the point where if it always felt that way, I could live with no complaints
Thank you for all your help over the past few months. It's so nice to talk to a doctor who actually cares about helping people get better.
Follow Ups:
Re: urethral diverticulum
Posted by Walt Stoll on November 12, 1998 at 12:23:42:
In Reply to: urethral diverticulum posted by NV on November 11, 1998 at 19:36:53:
Dear NV,
A urethrogram is such an innocuous test, my guess is that they are not doing it because it it YOU that suggested it. Docs that would not tell you about the post cystoscopy symptoms are the kind who would do that.
Anyhow, the chances of a urethral diverticulum are small. If it were me, I would insist on having one (urethrogram) and get the doubt behind me. Your SR will help anyhow. If you have the diverticulum, you will just not be perfectly resolved with that alone.
A urethrogram consists of catheterizing you and putting some dye in the bladder. THEN, while you are urinating the dye out, they take a series of pictures of the urethra---
simple, huh?
Walt