QUESTION:
Dear Dr. Heller,
I am 39 years old and have a shy bladder. I have been to a urologist for it. He has put me on Flomax. I was wondering if you could tell me, why Flomax? He is going to do an electroscope on me the next time I go to see him if the Flomax does not work. If I heard him right, he is going to go through my penis to do this. I am wandering if you could tell me what he is looking for, whether it will hurt, and if it is going to make me impotent. I tried to ask him, but he said I need to see if the medication works first. Can you tell me anything?
ANSWER:
A "shy bladder" means difficulty urinating when anxious - usually when others
are around. A common manifestation is when urinating at a urinal in a men's room next
to another man, or with someone waiting behind you to finish.
It's usually caused by anxiety problems. Social anxiety disorder and the generalized
anxiety disorder are the most common.
Your urologist is trying to find something physically wrong, and to see if a surgical
solution may be present. It's highly unlikely that Flomax would help. The procedure
is uncomfortable, but will not cause impotence.
It would be a good idea to have your mental health diagnoses evaluated and treated prior
to surgery, particularly at your age. The
screening test
I use
for my patients may be of assistance to you.
