How Prison Medical Neglect Left Me With a Neurogenic Bladder and Crushing Debt

Location: Now in Fort Worth TX

I was incarcerated at the Arizona State Prison Complex – Eyman, and a few months into my sentence, around September 2022, I started experiencing severe, abnormal urinary frequency and chronic constipation. I had never had any of these symptoms before. I was urinating 30–40 times a day, often just a few drops at a time, with extreme urgency and almost no sleep. It destroyed me physically and mentally.
The prison eventually sent me to a private urologist in late September 2022. After testing, he confirmed I had no enlarged prostate (BPH) or infection and suspected something neurological, possibly neurogenic bladder. He recommended I get a urodynamics test and tibial nerve therapy to treat it. Before those could happen, the prison switched medical contractors to NaphCare, cutting me off from that urologist.
A few months later, I was assigned a new urologist who claimed I had BPH—the exact opposite of what the previous doctor found—and started me on medication after medication. None of them helped. He never mentioned nerve therapy or the urodynamics test again. I lived in misery for over two years. I submitted more than 100 Health Needs Requests (HNRs) begging for proper evaluation and referral to a neurologist or GI specialist, but I was ignored.
In January 2024, this new urologist performed a UroLift surgery on me. I didn’t know it then, but that procedure is meant for men with an enlarged prostate or obstruction—conditions I never had according to the first urologist. The surgery changed nothing. My urinary frequency, urgency, and constipation only worsened.
From 2022 to 2025, I saw that same urologist 14 times. He prescribed over 14 urinary drugs and at least 10 laxatives with zero improvement. My mental health collapsed—I felt hopeless, anxious, and angry that I was being dismissed because I was an inmate. Just because I wasn’t in acute pain didn’t mean I wasn’t suffering. I repeatedly requested hospitalization or diagnostic testing to determine the real cause but was met with silence or lies.
I was released in June 2025 and immediately began seeing private specialists. My new urologist, neurologist, and GI doctor ran extensive testing—including a urodynamics study done on September 8, 2025—and officially diagnosed me with neurogenic bladder, exactly what the first prison urologist suspected in 2022. My current urologist told me directly that if the nerve therapy and urodynamics test had been performed when first recommended, I wouldn’t be in this condition today.
Now, because of their delay and neglect, I need an Axonics nerve stimulation implant, a permanent device that must be charged weekly. If that fails, my only option will be bladder augmentation surgery, which involves using part of the intestine to enlarge the bladder—risking lifetime self-catheterization and serious complications.
The cost is devastating. The Axonics device alone is $20,000, and my other medical bills total about the same. I can’t work due to the constant urinary urgency and constipation. My life has become extremely limited—no social life, no outings, not even walking my dog because of the need to stay near a bathroom. I’m now in therapy and on psychiatric medication for the mental and emotional damage this caused.
I have obtained over 500 pages of my medical records from the prison showing all of my ignored HNRs, false chart notes, and evidence of deliberate disregard. My prison urologist even lied in his notes, stating that I declined the very same urodynamics test he never actually offered. The documentation shows repeated warnings and inaction over nearly three years.
I want justice. What happened to me was deliberate indifference to serious medical needs, medical malpractice, and a civil rights violation under the Eighth Amendment. The statute of limitations on my claim began on September 8, 2025—the date I was officially diagnosed—so I must act within six months to file my case in court.
I am actively seeking an experienced civil rights or medical malpractice attorney, or a nonprofit legal organization that handles prison medical neglect cases against NaphCare or the Arizona Department of Corrections. I believe I have one of the strongest possible claims—supported by clear medical documentation, consistent records, and evidence of years of unnecessary suffering and misdiagnosis.
If anyone reads my medical file and the timeline I’ve organized, they’ll see how obvious this was from the start. I’m not just doing this for myself but so that others in prison don’t have to endure the same neglect. My legal advice question is do I have merit as I know these types of cases are costly? Ty