I dont drink much.... a few every 4-5 days. I only need to self cath at night and once or twice during the day as I can still do a NV sometimes...... When I do drink I'm pizzen like a race horse. I've also noticed the urine is almost clear which my docs say for someone doing CIC is good sign of urinary health.
So my question/thought is that a few drinks may be beneficial in keeping the bladder flushed. I would think caffeine and other natural diuretics would have the same effect assuming you still have a NV..
Thoughts..
Hi jw, alcohol relaxes muscles so it probably relaxes bladder and prostate as well, therefore making peeing more easily. Hank
Both alcohol and caffeine have a diuretic effect. How that effects bph is a very individual thing. I've found at different times they've had both positive and negative effects, and a lot has to do with the timing. Really got to experiment. If they work for you, then they work. If not, they don't. There are some studies that suggest both alcohol and coffee in moderation are good for your overall health, so there's that. As to keeping the bladder
"flushed", that I really don't know. Maybe it's the alcohol, or maybe it's just the extra fluid. Again, if it works for you then it works.
Jim
I would think the best fluid for flushing the bladder/kidneys would be water. Diuretics removal water from your body. Maybe not a good thing if you not getting enough water in the first place
Yeah I think it is kind of an individual thing. I know during the day a beer or a coffee or tea will go right through and I don't have to bother cathing., but if I drink ar at night even if I cath before bed I'll have a total void in the morning of 5-600ml.
" ... So my question/thought is that a few drinks may be beneficial in keeping the bladder flushed ... "
That sounds right, jwrhn1951, but only when you're drinking, and here's why; you have a hormone that under normal circumstances essentially stops us from peeing everything out. Without it, we would dehydrate. This hormone - antidiuretic hormone (ADH) - is essentially shut off in the presence of alcohol and caffeine. High levels of ADH cause the kidneys to retain water inside the body, which ultimately makes you have to go to the bathroom much less. Alcohol, on the other hand, prevents the ADH from releasing, which is what causes an increase in urine production and dehydration. Moreover, alcohol will help you and your prostate to relax, thereby enabling you to void more easily, but the duration of the effects only last as long as you're metabolizing the alcohol. The next day, the body overcompensates by retaining that which was lost. Hope this helps. Take my comment for what it's worth. "A few every 4-5 days" could be a few too many for someone with prostate issues. No disrespect intended.
Thanks for the info. I'm one of those self cathing at least 3-4 times a day due to a nuerogenic bladder and although I realize caffeine or alcohol is not something I could use to replace CIC, for me there is a certain emotional satisfaction with being able to have a natural void that completely empties the bladder. I guess even after doing CIC for the last year and a half I still have some issues with the prospect of doing it forever...