DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 75-year-old male in excellent health. I exercise daily for at least one hour. Due to a service-related spinal cord injury I have an issue with bladder retention. Under a doctor’s supervision, I am now using a daily catheter but am having ongoing bladder infections as a result. I have been on and off an antibiotic for almost one year. My doctor claims it is from the daily use of the cath. Another specialist I saw suggested inter-stim therapy. Are you familiar with this? Please let me know your suggestions on how to prevent this ongoing infection from my daily catheter use. Thank you.

DEAR READER: Technically known as sacral neuromodulation (sacral nerve stimulation), InterStim therapy is essentially a pacemaker for the bowel and bladder, designed to treat urinary retention, incontinence or specific related symptoms. [Read more...]

DEAR DR. GOTT: I’m an avid reader of your daily column and hope you can offer me some advice about an embarrassing subject. I am a woman, 49 years old, somewhat overweight, with two teenaged children, both born by natural methods. I’m taking no medications other than a daily multivitamin and I exercise regularly by walking daily.

I’ve noticed that my urgent need to urinate has intensified and that I leak frequently. I recently considered joining an exercise class but realized it would be out of the question because the impact of even some light dancing would cause me to wet my pants. I once discussed this with my doctor and she quickly wanted to prescribe a medicine for me. [Read more...]