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General urology doctors

We offer care for a wide range of urinary problems and conditions. They include neurogenic and overactive bladder, urinary tract infections, kidney and bladder stones, hematuria, nocturia and more.

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What our urologists care for

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Neurogenic bladder

Neurogenic bladder happens when you leak urine before you’re ready to pee. This can be caused by loose bladder muscles. These muscles can become loose when the bladder nerves, spinal cord or brain don’t work well together.

When problems with these nerves happen, it can cause:

  • Overactive bladder (when you often feel you need to pee)
  • Incontinence (when you can’t control when you pee)
  • Underactive bladder (when you can’t pee when you want to, or you pee slowly)
  • Obstructive bladder (when something blocks your urine and you can’t pee)
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  • Symptoms can vary. It depends on the type of nerve damage that happened. Symptoms can affect your quality of life and make it difficult to get through the day without interruptions. This is why it’s important to talk to a doctor about getting care.
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  • The type of care you get will depend on:

    • Your age
    • Your overall health and medical history
    • The cause of the nerve damage
    • The type of symptoms
    • How bad your symptoms are
    • Whether certain drugs or therapies work for you, and whether you have any problems with them

    If you think you may have neurogenic bladder, talk to your doctor. Ask what kind of care would be right for you.  

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Overactive bladder

When it’s time to use the restroom, your brain lets you know. With a healthy bladder, you’re able to wait, if you need to. But with an overactive bladder (OAB), you get frequent urges to go, even when you don’t need to. Without the proper care, OAB can make life miserable.

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  • Symptoms may include:

    • Feeling you have to go to the bathroom right away
    • The need to go to the bathroom often, day and night
    • Leaking urine

    Overactive bladder can affect your sleep and having sex. It can make you feel tired and cranky. In the United States, three out of 10 men and four out of ten women have it. Many don’t ask for help. 

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  • Talk to a doctor if you think you have overactive bladder. Your doctor can help find a care plan that’s right for you.
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Urinary tract infections

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is caused by bacteria and happens in the urinary system. The urinary system includes:

  • The kidneys. They filter your blood and make urine to carry waste out of the body.
  • The ureters. These are the tubes that carry urine from your kidneys to your bladder.
  • The bladder. The bladder holds urine until you’re ready to pee.
  • The urethra. This is the tube that carries urine from your bladder and out of your body.

Bacteria live all over the body and regularly pass through the bladder. Often, the body flushes bacteria out when you pee. This can help stop you from getting a UTI.

UTIs are most common in women. But men can have them as well. They affect people at any age. More than six out of 10 women will get at least one UTI. As many as two to four out of 10 of those women will have another UTI.

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  • UTIs can be caused by:

    • Having sex
    • High blood sugar
    • Menopause
    • Pregnancy
    • Kidney stones
    • An enlarged prostate
    • Problems with your immune system (the part of the body that fights bacteria and other things that can make you sick)
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  • Never ignore symptoms of a UTI. Talk to a doctor if you have:

    • Pain or burning when you pee
    • An urge to go to the bathroom often, even when your bladder is empty
    • Cloudy, bloody or bad-smelling urine
    • Pain in your lower back or around your bladder
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  • UTIs can be cured with antibiotics. Be sure to talk to a doctor before taking any antibiotic. 
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  • There are several things you can do:

    • Drink plenty of fluids; about two quarts a day. This will help flush out bacteria. Water is best.
    • Go to the bathroom when you need to. Don’t rush to finish.
    • Keep your genital area clean. Men who are uncircumcised should clean under the foreskin of the penis.
    • If you are a woman and use spermicidal foam and diaphragms, talk to your doctor. They can raise your chances of getting a UTI. Ask about other types of birth control.
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Kidney stones

Kidney stones are hard stones found in the kidneys. They form when your urine (pee) has high levels of minerals and salts. 

There are four main types of kidney stones: 

  • Calcium stones; these are the most common 
  • Uric acid stones 
  • Struvite/infection stones 
  • Cysteine stones 
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  • You can have kidney stones and not know it. But most often they cause a sharp, cramping pain in the back and side. The pain moves to the lower abdomen or groin. It can come and go as your body tries to get rid of the stone.

    Other symptoms include:

    • A really strong urge to urinate (pee)
    • Having to pee more often that you usually do
    • A burning feeling during urination
    • Urine that is dark or red due to blood
    • Nausea and vomiting
    • For men, feeling pain at the tip of the penis 
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  • To help keep from getting kidney stones, you can:

    • Drink more water
    • Eat less salt
    • Eat less meat
    • Ask your doctor how much calcium is safe for you
    • Stay away from foods that cause stones
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  • There are many ways to care for kidney stones. It will depend on the type, size and location of the stones. It will also depend on how long you’ve had symptoms. Talk to your doctor about the type of care that’s right for you.
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Bladder stones

Bladder stones form when a kidney stone leaves the kidney and is trapped in the ureter. (The ureter is the tube that runs from the kidney to the bladder.) Sometimes bladder stones can be passed out of the body when you pee. But, if the stone gets stuck in the ureter, urine can’t pass to the bladder.

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  • There are multiple types:

    • Calcium stones; these are the most common
    • Uric acid stones
    • Struvite/infection stones
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  • To help keep from getting bladder stones, you can:

    • Drink more water; aim for about two quarts a day
    • Eat less salt
    • Eat less meat
    • Ask your doctor how much calcium is safe for you
    • Stay away from foods that cause stones
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  • There are many ways to care for bladder stones. Talk to your doctor about the type of care that’s right for you.
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Blood in the urine (hematuria)

Blood found in the urine (pee) is called hematuria. There are two types:

  • Gross hematuria is when red blood cells turn your urine pink, red or cola-colored. It’s often the cause of problems in the lower part of the urinary tract, like the bladder and prostate. But it can also come from the kidneys. 
  • Microscopic hematuria means blood is in the urine, but isn’t visible. It can come from anywhere in the urinary tract, from the kidneys to the urethra. 
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  • Hematuria can be caused by:

    • Urinary infection
    • Enlarged prostate in older men
    • Kidney or bladder stones
    • Periods in women
    • Prostate infection
    • Kidney disease
    • Kidney trauma
    • Bladder cancer
    • Kidney cancer
    • Blood-thinning drugs
    • Anti-swelling drugs
    • Tough workouts

    Sometimes hematuria is a sign of a serious health problem, like a tumor in the kidney or bladder. Your doctor will want to rule this out. So be open about your health history, symptoms and anything you may have that could cause hematuria. 

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  • Your chances of having hematuria are higher if you:

    • Smoke (or have smoked)
    • Have been exposed to chemicals in the workplace
    • Have been given radiation for pain in the pelvis
    • Have ongoing pain or infection, or have had pelvic disease
    • Have urinary tract infections that don’t go away
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  • Your doctor can take care of hematuria once the cause is found. Your doctor will ask you a number of questions and run tests to find the cause. It’s important to be open about your health history and symptoms. This will help your doctor find the best care plan. 
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Nocturia

Nocturia means you get up many times during the night to go to the bathroom. One in three adults over age 30 have this problem.

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  • It can be caused by your lifestyle or problems like:

    • Polyuria: when the body makes too much urine in 24 hours
    • Nocturnal polyuria: when the body makes too much urine during the night
    • Bladder storage problems: when the bladder doesn’t store or release urine well
    • Mixed nocturia: when more than one of these problems happens at the same time

    You should be able to sleep six to eight hours without waking to use the bathroom. Having sleep interrupted by the urge to go to the restroom can affect quality of sleep and quality of life. 

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  • There’s help for nocturia. If you think you may have it, ask your doctor what kind of care is right for you.
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