Urology: what’s up below-the-belt?

What do kidneys, bladders and prostates all have in common? A urologist treats them.

Below the belt health includes most of what a urologist treats. Conditions include disorders of the kidney, urinary system, bladder, kidney stones, incontinence and prostate cancer.

“The country celebrates women’s health in October and men’s health in November. This month is a great time to man up for men’s health below the belt,” JRMC Urologist, Dr. Brent Williams said.

Bladder. One of the most common signs of bladder cancer is blood in the urine. Frequent urination, blood in the urine and infection should all be treated by a urologist.
Kidneys. The kidneys are located just below the ribs on each side of the upper back. Each person has a right and left kidney that creates urine to get rid of liquid waste and excess water from the body. If kidneys are causing a problem, signs like blood can show up in the urine. Other kidney signs can include back pain, burning sensation when urinating, fever, nausea and vomiting.

To keep kidneys healthy, maintain a healthy diet and weight, along with exercising regularly and drinking plenty of fluid.

Urinary system. Is a sneeze or cough causing sudden bladder leakage? Kegel exercises can greatly improve the strength and function of the pelvic floor muscles and help treat this problem. These exercises can be done in the car, at work or at home.
Prostate enlargement can cause frequent urination, weak or interrupted urination stream, blood in urine and pain in the hip, pelvis or back.

A family history of prostate cancer in a first-degree relative (brother or father), in their 50’s, being an African-American and obesity are risk factors for prostate cancer.

MEET THE UROLOGIST

Dr. Williams not only focuses on medical care but also care from a health and lifestyle perspective.

Symptoms are a good way to determine if a person may need to see a urologist. To clarify, if someone is using the bathroom frequently or urgently, they should see a urologist. If things are not going well in the bedroom or if he does not feel like himself, a urologist can help.

In addition to below the belt health, Dr. Williams performs vasectomies.

Dr. Williams also focuses on vasectomies during the month of March. As part of the madness of March, men are encouraged to schedule their vasectomies and recover with guilt-free NCAA college-basketball-watching couch time.