Questions regarding urinary incontinence

california_artist

Look for a complete discussion in the thread Question after radition therapy or something like that.

Here is what I put in the Google search to find these references:

radiation treatment incontinence

and these are some of the reports that showed up. If you look farther on the page of the report for references, you can find other studies and such.

This appears to be from the National Institute of Health (nih.gov)

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3725241?dopt=

Abstract Urodynamic changes in urethrovesical function after radical hysterectomy.
Scotti RJ, Bergman A, Bhatia NN, Ostergard DR.

Twelve patients undergoing radical hysterectomy were comprehensively evaluated urodynamically pre- and postoperatively using sensitive instrumentation, including microtip transducers. Five patients developed genuine stress incontinence, four developed loss of bladder compliance, three developed motor deficits consisting of either inability to relax the urethra or inability to initiate or maintain a vesical contraction, two developed impaired urinary flow, three had persistent excessive residual urine volumes, and two developed bladder sensory loss. These changes persisted beyond the one-year follow-up period. The degree of urethrovesical dysfunction bore no significant relationship to the radicality of the hysterectomy.
PMID: 3725241 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Actually, if your doctors are unaware of this possible result of the surgery, which they might be, you could show some of these studies to them and it might help the next fellow traveler in line. At least they might not so easily dismiss their role or responsibility in how you feel and might also not be so quick to dismiss your claim all together. How many things are "all in our minds and a few antidepressants will fix us right up?" and how many of those pills go right in the trash, cause, I'm sorry but pee is never in your mind!

I'm sorry. I'm part Sicilian and I'm from New York City. It doesn't get any more honest or real than that. Ask any New Yorker. It's our burden to carry. Someone asks a question, I have to try to find the answer.

Here's another:

Urethral pressure profiles following radical hysterectomy.
Sasaki H, Yoshida T, Noda K, Yachiku S, Minami K, Kaneko S.

Urethral function following radical hysterectomy was studied by chronologic analysis of the urethral pressure profile. Thirty patients who had radical hysterectomy were divided into 2 groups according to the degree of preservation of the plexus pelvicus at operation. The method of complete preservation is described. Urethral pressure profiles showed a significant postoperative decrease of mean maximum urethral closure pressure in the group of 20 patients with bilateral nerve transection; this was not found in the group of 10 patients with complete preservation of the plexus pelvicus. The decrease was ascribed to possible damage of sympathetic nerves originating from the hypogastric nerve. The results indicated that postoperative abnormalities in urination are caused by damage not only to the parasympathetic nerves (the pelvis nerve) but to the sympathetic nerves (the hypogastric nerve) as well.

here's another one:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/u101965567n3l1g8/

Stress-overflow urinary incontinence after radical hysterectomy and radiation therapy for cervical cancer

(1) Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Graz, Austria
(2) Department of Neurology, University of Graz, Austria

Abstract A 40-year-old woman was evaluated for urinary incontinence, loss of bladder sensation and residual urine 12 months after radical abdominal hysterectomy and external pelvic radiation therapy for stage IIb cervical cancer. The patient had no history of abnormal lower urinary tract function before treatment. The urodynamic follow-up study at 12 months showed 80 ml of residual urine, low bladder compliance (detrusor pressure of 77 cmH2O at 200 ml filling) and an incompetent urethral closure mechanism. Cystoscopy showed a pale bladder mucosa with telangiectasia. Two years later the urodynamic findings were almost unchanged, and pudendal nerve terminal motor latency measured according to Snooks and Swash showed prolonged motor latency to the external urethral sphincter. Thus, this patient had combined stress overflow incontinence with pudendal neuropathy and fibrosis of the bladder wall.

Just something to think about when you're trying to solve problems.

Love and kisses,

Claudia