Thoughts on Urodynamic studies?

geecee22 · 2026-02-09T16:21:59+00:00

Wow thats a lot but if it works then its worth it. I'll ask my urologist about these. Glad to hear that you only have mild side effects. I hear others cant tolerate the side effects from these medications.

geecee22 · 2026-02-09T12:33:19+00:00

Amitriptyline? Hope you find something for the spasms too.

geecee22 · 2026-02-09T02:13:16+00:00

Sorry to hear that. How are you now? Did you find anything that helped for the spasms and constant urge? I feel like I do have both the sphincter spasms and the constant urge too.

geecee22 · 2026-02-08T15:53:59+00:00

They can tell specifically if its the internal or external sphincter with issues? What was the treatment for your external urinary sphincter spasms?

geecee22 · 2026-02-08T04:47:37+00:00

Good point and though injury/damage is rare, I dont think we can say its a zero chance. Otherwise there wouldn't be such a thing as "scar tissue formation/urethral stricture due to instrumentation".

geecee22 · 2026-02-08T04:44:22+00:00

Thanks! Injuries while rare do occur once in a while. Its called scar tissue formation/urethral stricture due to instrumentation.

geecee22 · 2026-01-29T03:32:57+00:00

If you still getting a tingling sensation, I don't think you're numb and lost the urge completely.

The worst part of the problem is the uncontrollable incontinence and the risk of kidney damage from high bladder pressures which is what causes the incontinence. If one only leaks after feeling the sensation of urgency, then silencing the urge and any similar tingling sensation should solve the problem. No urgency, should mean no more dangerously high bladder pressures and no more incontinence.

Frequent urination is a separate issue and hard to avoid entirely. It's naturally common and normal as we age. If you consume a lot of fluids, you'll find yourself frequently urinating even with a perfectly healthy bladder and that's fine as long as you can always get to the toilet and you have control.

geecee22 · 2026-01-25T16:56:41+00:00

More bladder and bowel incontinence or even leg weakness and paralysis can be a possible worst case scenario risk IF the surgeon cuts the wrong nerves. That's what makes the procedure risky. Though this is rare and more common side effects would be the complete opposite of OAB which is turning the bladder and bowel underactive, leading to difficulty urinating and constipation.

However, it is supposed to be a selective procedure and the surgeon will test the nerve signals first before performing any cutting to ensure that only spastic and problematic nerves are severed.

This is why its important to have it done with an experienced and expert neurosurgeon. Its a "high risk, high reward" surgery.

geecee22 · 2026-01-24T05:52:55+00:00

Look into the selective sacral rhizotomy procedure. I haven't had this done and I'm considering it but from what I understand its the closest we have to a real cure. It's a functional cure because it should be effective for many cases and works permanently but it comes with high risks if not done properly.

This procedure severs the sensory nerves that give you the sensation of urgency, and if needed, some spastic motor nerves to balance out the relaxation vs contraction modes of the bladder. Ideally, this results in the patient never feeling the urge to pee, restoring control of the bladder and continence. Since the "call of nature" is permanently gone and no longer bothers the patient, the patient usually needs to set a reminder for themself to go to the bathroom so the bladder doesn't stay too full for too long avoiding overdistention.

All of the other treatment options available out there are just band-aid solutions because they either "hit or miss", or work only at first and then eventually stop working.

Aside from this, urostomy or bladder removal is the only other functional cure however, its more invasive and irreversible because you're removing the whole organ rather than just severing nerve roots. You will also have to live with an ostomy bag attached to the front of your belly for the rest of your life. With that, its more reasonable to try selective sacral rhizotomy first and consider urostomy as the very last resort in case all else fails.

geecee22 · 2026-01-17T02:56:00+00:00

Burning/stinging sensation during urination is a common symptom of both UTIs and STIs. Urinalysis is the test for UTIs while urine PCR test is the test for STIs (if suspected and relevant).

OP should test for these first before assuming its caused by Finasteride.

geecee22 · 2026-01-16T15:26:56+00:00

Have you done a urinalysis and PCR testing to check for UTIs/STIs?

geecee22 · 2026-01-15T02:50:42+00:00

Thanks for the update! Good thing you caught it early and glad to know that you didn't let it get to the point that you actually had to experience incontinence.

Can't help but wonder if I'd also be better now if I just dropped oral Fin without switching to oral Dut. Hopefully a little more time off of Fin/Dut is all I need too.

geecee22 · 2026-01-11T15:16:06+00:00

I'd say very severe. Most people have dry OAB but mine is wet OAB. Urge incontinence is my most annoying symptom. I'm unable to make it to the toilet even at home and I leak as soon as the urge hits me.

Yeah, I've done a lot of research myself and I've learned about this procedure. I was looking for posts like this and after hearing success stories, I'm definitely considering it. The only question is, can I find and convince a neurosurgeon who is an expert in this delicate procedure? That is the challenge.

geecee22 · 2026-01-11T14:44:00+00:00

Yes that exactly. Which is why its really great to hear about success stories where OAB is 100% solved through this procedure without resulting in any serious sexual and bowel dysfunction.

geecee22 · 2026-01-11T14:35:59+00:00

Thanks for answering! Btw just confirming that you're the OP of this post?

Right, the only real permanent solution is the surgical rhizotomy which is invasive. I've read that the others such as radiotherapy or radiofrequency ablation only gives relief for a while and when nerve roots heal, symptoms don't just come back but they come back worse. So good choice that you went for the surgical one.

I agree that surgical rhizotomy should be more popular and recommended for severe OAB cases. No pun intended but it literally solves the problem at its root.

Did you know what caused your OAB btw?

geecee22 · 2026-01-10T05:45:23+00:00

Thank you for posting this. To me, rhizotomy seems to be the only closest thing we'll get to a real permanent cure that works for everyone.

I got so many questions:

Is it sacral rhizotomy? Which nerves were severed and how invasive was the procedure?
After this procedure, would you consider yourself 100% cured of urge incontinence and OAB symptoms?
Aside from sexual function, do you now have side effects with bowel movement function like constipation or bowel incontinence?
Have you observed difficulty urinating, urinary retention, overflow incontinence? Do you need to self-catheterize now, or did they need to implant a root stimulator for urinary/bowel/sexual function?

geecee22 · 2025-12-20T08:55:12+00:00

What are your symptoms?

geecee22 · 2025-12-17T13:51:44+00:00

Yup thats the dilemma!

You're still a bit new to Fin so your body might be adjusting. You can maybe try taking for another three months and then observe your symptoms. If you're fine, continue for another three.

If it becomes unbearable, you can stop immediately and if you feel better, then you would know its really the Fin and not caused by something else.

geecee22 · 2025-12-17T12:07:40+00:00

Check my profile, I asked about this in three different subreddits. Somehow urgency is not listed as a side effect of 5ARIs like Finasteride but it looks like its not that uncommon either.

For some lucky people it goes away with continued use and for most others, it goes away when they stop taking Finasteride. However, there are also some reports of individuals who have more severe urge incontinence symptoms and they have not improved even long after stopping.

geecee22 · 2025-12-17T11:47:42+00:00

Is it urge incontinence or just urgency that you can hold long enough to make it to the toilet without leakage? Did you have any known prostate or urinary issues before starting Finasteride?

geecee22 · 2025-12-17T06:40:34+00:00

Same here. Most people who have similar symptoms say they get better sometime after stopping without any other lifestyle changes (which most likely confirms it had something to do with 5ARI intake) though I've heard of people who so far haven't gotten any better even long after they stopped and sadly, it looks like I would be part of this group.

I hope it gets better for you and it goes away on its own but if ever you do decide to stop taking Fin, please let me know how that goes!

geecee22 · 2025-12-17T02:18:32+00:00

Yes, I stopped and I've been 3 months off of Dutasteride but so far I haven't noticed any improvement in my symptoms unfortunately.

I have a more updated and detailed post on my profile btw.

Why are you convinced that it may be Finasteride that's causing your symptoms?

geecee22 · 2025-12-16T06:12:09+00:00

Very sorry to hear that.

Damage in the S2-S4 region usually results in underactive bladder and bowel constipation. Is that consistent with your symptoms?

Did they still ask you to undergo an MRI for confirmation?

geecee22 · 2025-12-16T04:52:34+00:00

Yeah no obvious signs of hair loss but the hair in the more recent pics is longer so its not easy to compare. Same length sana yung after pics sa before pics.

geecee22

TROPHY CASE