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Bladder Issues with PD

My bladder issues with PD are a real drag !   Some people do not know that your brain "controls" your bladder.  Cells in the portion of the brain associated with urine control produce a chemical called Dopamine.  Its release helps to keep the bladder in the off condition (bladder is relaxed while filling with urine), and prevents the bladder from contracting - when the bladder becomes full, the brain is alerted and then signals the bladder to contract (turn on) to release urine.  In PD, these cells are lost or reduced in number resulting in bladder on and off problems.  My biggest issues so far have been overactive bladder and not being able to urinate at all. Overactive bladder for me means sudden urgency but not sure how full my bladder is until I get to the john (feels very full but may not be.)  Not being able to urinate at all is serious - I have plenty of disposable intermittent catheters and lube whenever that suddenly happens...Loads of fun !  I see my urologist every six months and once a year I go in for urodynamics and a cystoscopy...More fun !  I never knew that a urologist could do so many crazy things to multiple orifices !

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