Urinary Problem..

[wareagle]

Hi all...I'm so frustrated and uncomfortable right now I could scream!

Four weeks ago I started to feel like I had a bladder infection coming on...went to the doc. and was dx. with a mild bladder infection and put on antib. without incident. But my symptoms never went away...so I went back to the doctor 2x's now and both time the urinalysis comes back negative...but I DO have a vaginal yeast infection...and have for over 3 wks now apparently. I did one 3 day OTC tx. for the yeast...one Rx. dose...and now have been on another OTC for 5 days now with the same freakin' symptoms!!

The problem is it doesn't FEEL like a yeast infection to me...my main symptom is the urge to urinate...it's like something is really irritating my urethera there's lots of pressure there and it feels like my clitoris is being effected too( hard to explain..it almost feels like I'm being stimulated?). There's no itching and no discomfort in my vaginal region...it's all up front so to speak. Also feel pressure in my lower abdm. I'm really getting worried b/c I have to go out of town next weekend and will be gone for 2 wks...I need something to help these symptoms. The GP I'm seeing is a new doctor for me...she seems very competent but I'm beginning to question this dx. I have a pelvic scheduled with my OBGYN for Wed. for a second opinion.

I read prior posts on IC...can that come on so accutely? I usually don't have ANY urinary problems..only 3 UTI's my whole life...I'm starting to get worried.

Has anyone had a vaginal yeast infection cause mainly urinary type problems? HELP!!

[Tanzanite]

Yes. I have systemic candida and I dont get the usual symptoms down there, I just feel sore and can feel sore when going to the toilet.

[pat57]

I'm not a doc but what you describe is consistent with my uterine prolase. This is cylicical depending on the time of the month. symptoms are the worse 2 days before my period.

sorry (to worry you?), but the good news is that for me this condition progresses at a snails pace.

[flop]

Have they checked your urine for yeasts? You can get urine infections from yeast that might cause these symptoms. Good luck with your OBGYN tomorrow - I hope they find an answer for you.

flop

[DancingLight]

OHMYGOSH! Wareagle!

I cannot believea another person just described symptoms like I get! I don't have vaginal yeast or a bladder infection. I have had this symptom for YEARS!

And that is how I feel, like it's in the urethra area and clitoris. I actually wake up moving my pelvis to wake me up to pee. It is so embarrassing. Try telling male urologists this. NO, I am NOT having wet dreams! Especially NOT for 5 hours straight in the mornings when I am trying to sleep.

I have been so puzzled by this symptom myself.

For me, I found quite a bit of relief from a drug for overactive bladder, for bladder spasms. BUT, I can only take it at night b/c for some reason it makes me hold fluids if I take it twice a day.

Sooooo, during the day my symtpoms bother me more, esp. when I want to rest. I can block it out more when I am not just lying there, but otherwise it is insane.

Last night, despite my DDAVP and Sanctura I had a horrible night of the symptoms you are describing. I have tried several other OAD drugs and NOTHING touched my symptoms.

Do you pee out teeny tiny bits? Like, feel like you have to go (b/c it feels 'stimulated') and it doesn't feel like it's in your bladder? It feels like it is in your urethra?

And sometimes you can go and sometimes you can't. But, sometimes just a little teeny tiny amount of urine will come out and you will feel better? But, then five minutes later it happens again? This is what happens to me all afternoon when I want a nap! So frustrating. I CANNOT rest with that feeling.

It's so weird you posted b/c

1. I am seeing my urologist next week and I want to talk about this same issue. B/c he keeps dismissing and, doing a bladder scan and saying 'well, you're emptying fine'...but emptying to them is as long as you have less than 100 ccs in your bladder. And I feel like it's not even in the bladder, like you describe. And it's teeny amounts. I was planning to post on this very topic this week!

2. I haven't seen you post much and really have been wondering how you are doing. You said you were out of town for two weeks while Melissa was in the hospital and you are going out of town for another two weeks...which made me wonder if you were doing better??????? So anxious to know!

I hope someone can shed some light on this problem, b/c I am as frustrated by it as you are!!!!!!

You keep me posted, I'll keep you posted! Deal?

A desperate Emily and Wareagle are hoping for answers!!!!!!!

Later alligators!

Emily

P.S. Have you ever had symtpoms of IC before? B/c it can be 'episodic' or triggered by something like a bubble bath. But, I don't seem to have that. Although, it can fit with folks who have things like Lyme, FMS, and CFS....the drug for IC is Elmiron.

[DancingLight]

For those like Pat and Tea who have problems with prolapse (uterine, bladder, or otherwise)...how do you diagnose that????

I have wondered about this myself...

TEA...are you reading??? You have had a lot of bladder stuff yourself!

Emily

[pat57]

lol, I'll send a description of symptoms in private!

But the dx is for the doc.

[pat57]

your inbox is full- I could'nt send. you could do a search-

http://kidney.niddk.nih.gov/about/Research...sesFall05/3.htm

[P SUDIK]

Oh,double ohmygosh,Wareagle and Dancing Light. This subject Is so hard to talk about let alone deal with ! I have been suffering with this for 4 yrs.,since a lumbar lamenectomy(extensive lower back surg.) That is also when my POTS started.

I kept the bladder problem to myself for over a year. I have had many uti's and the synptoms of a uti and no infections.excessive amounts of blood in my urine,urinary incontinence,and that feeling like the nerves were being exposed and I was being stimulated.So hard to explain! I have also felt like I was jumping out of my skin. I have had to take pain meds. and RX called Pyridium to calm the symptoms. I also a kidney stone in Dec.of 2006. I had a cystoscopy Feb.22,2007,seeing the doc. next Mon. for follow-up.What he did tell me ,the day of the cysto.was "no cancer. no kidney stones, but there is a thickening of the bladder",I don't know what thickening indicates,I'll find out Mon.

I really understand and feel for you. I will keep you posted,please do the same. Lots of Hugs Pat

[runningshoe]

Hi Ladies,

If you have followed any of my posts these past few weeks you will know that my girl parts have been acting up as well. I thought it was a yeast infection but it was a flare of IC (after 12 years of remission). The clitoral thing you describe is talked about on the ic website. All the nerves down there are connected. Some women have that....I don't. I just have pain. I sugget that you ask for a complete vaginal and urine culture - look for yeast and bacteria. You need to rule that out. Take a look at the ic-network website if you think you need to but don't freak out! That just makes it worse. The most important thing is just like with pots, you need to find a dr that knows a lot about all that kind of stuff.... There are drugs to help other than elmiron and diet is really important. I am beginning to think that my flare was caused by the high salt diet. Forgetting about my bladder I was drinking salty water all lday long. DUH!! I was trying to get rid of the pots and went to far.?? Maybe if you cut back on certain acidic foods your bladder will calm down. Good luck.

[Guest tearose]

Sorry to get here late...I've been distracted with trying to sleep better

anyway,

So yes, I have urinary problems and I will avoid being shy...a bladder prolapse can make you ache down there and I have frequency and sometimes leaking. The way the doctor dx this is by studying your voiding journal, and doing a pelvic exam. When we bear down, they examine how much we kinda loosen or sag as we bear down. Some people leak when they cough or sneeze or bear down...this is a loosening of the sphincter. The bladder can be a problem so can the sphincter. Also, if you have a colapse in your colon, it can colapse into the vaginal area and cause bladder dysfunction too!!! Add to that, some people will have a uterus that starts to colapse and again you can irritate your bladder.

"bottom line" go and have a good "Urogynecologist" do an exam. I twice had a regular gyn say I was "fine" and three times both urologists and urogynecologist said I was in colapse mode!

take care, tearose

[morgan617]

I have these symptoms too and they drive me crazy. One thing I do that often helps, well two things. On really bad days, I don't wear underwear...I hate that, but it helps...and really loose fitting stuff that doesn't touch anything. I also get a washcloth, and get it wet with as hot as i can stand water and just place it there till it starts to cool. It's temporary, but it helps a lot.

I do have IC, i have had blood in my urine for over 25 years, but only ONE actual bladder infection....so if it feels acute, that is what i do. Also, I once saw a gyn for it and he did a vag culture, although he said there was nothing, but just to be "on the safe side" I was inundated with yeast. he was shocked, I had no discharge, no odor, no anything, but had to take a six week course of diflucan to finally get rid of it.....

So good luck with your appt, what a bummer....

[DancingLight]

pat57?

did you type a whole message and then lose it b/c my box was full??? i'm so sorry. it is always full. i'm horrible about cleaning it out. i'm a 'keeper' and hate deleting good messages! anyways, i just deleted some stuff, so there is room, if you are able/willing to share what you didn't want to post on the board.

THANK YOU FOR ALL THESE ANSWERS! It sounds like I need to get my urologist to be a bit more agressive about investigating? Or travel to a urogyn, (a female one). I feel so glad just not to be alone with that stupid 'stimulation feeling'. Gosh, was I embarrassed and thougth I was a total weirdo--esp. b/c the urologists treat you like you are one!

Em

[morgan617]

Also remember that although prolapse is a common malady, it's almost always caused by having kids, or a trauma or something that would damage those supporting muscles and cause them to weaken enough for a prolapse.....

So if you haven't had kids and are relatively young, they may need to investigate further.....

It's always a comfort to know you aren't alone, em!!!! morgan

[pat57]

yep my first baby was almost 9 pounds and an emergancy forcepts delievery. Meaning the nurse was literally on top of me as the doc pulled with the forcepts. I only pushed once.

Em, I think the e-mail is saved in your Dinet messages ?? might send when theres room. ??

[runningshoe]

Okay,

So do people with pots get more bladder pelvis problems then the rest of the population or are they totally unrelated? UGH! Hang in there ladies!

[P SUDIK]

Ladies,certainly do not want to be negative,butttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt,I did not have any of these other problems(bladder,chills ect.)until I got POTS. I wasn't "medically challenged" til POTS. Medically Challenged is what a technician at the hospital called me? Should I be insulted? P

[DancingLight]

pat57...nope no message yet...hmmmmmm....

morgan....yup, i feel so relieved that wareagle posted this! i cannot even express it! and usually, i'm pretty open about stuff, ya know? omg, i would so love to not wear panties, esp at night, but i spot/breakthrough bleed ALL of the time! and during the day i'm so compressed it isn't even funny...all things i KNOW don't help the situation.

no kiddos for me, so probably not prolapse...

lina...i know that people with cfs/fms can have a higher likelihood of something like IC, but don't know about it with ANS issues. i also have lyme, and kind of thought that some of it might be from that, as IC can come from that.

now, i am beginning to wonder if the OAD med and DDAVP is masking something else though? i feel best once the DDAVP kicks in and OAD med kicks in and there is no urine basically being produced to go into my bladder/urethra and irritate it.

QUESTIONS: Tea, Lina, Pat, Morgan or others with these problems...

anatomy question: can you hold urine in your urethra? can the urethra itself be irritated, rather than the bladder? how would you tell this?

can anyone recommend a reasonable path to pursue with my urologist testing wise or med wise on monday? what helped you discover your problems and figure out what was what?

Thanks,

Emily

[morgan617]

Yes Em, you can have an irritation of the urethra. Caused by inserting tampons, sex, anything that irritates the vagina can irritate the urethra.

If you spot all the time, you probably wear mini pads? Blood is irritating to everything, but the vessels it's supposed to dwell in. It won't digest, which is why it comes out looking like blood, it is quite an irritant, so if you spot all the time and have to use pads or tampons, it can be very irritating to the female urethra.

The urethra is just inside the vagina (hence irritation after intercourse etc) and is only about 1 1/2 inches long. That's why we are much more prone to bladder infections than men. A much shorter distance to the bladder (one would hope )

It's why little girls shouldn't have bubble baths, the urethra is very short, the soap is very irritating, and it causes her to complain of her pee pee hurting. If it gets into the urethra, germs can travel that very short distance in record time and then, bladder infection. It's like getting soap in your eye, it still burns long after you wash the soap out.

Then once it's irritated, everything just exacerbates it. It can become quite a vicious cycle. men can develop a condition called non specific urethritis. They will generally think they've got an std, but cultures come back negative and the cause is usually not discovered. It is not an std, but an irritated urethra. They are typically placed on antbx. So either sex can have this irritation, and it drives both sexes crazy.

As far as the over stimulation you feel, I wonder if it's hormonal or just irritation from the clitoris always being annoyed by pads. They can be rough. Imagine using paper towels for TP all the time, that will make anything irritated after awhile. The clitoris is so sensitive to begin with and then you add constant irritation from pads, even mini ones. The more it's irritated the more irritated it feels. Hopefully everyone wears cotton lined panties to help absorb moisture.

I used to wear mini pads to save my underwear and found I was miserable all the time, so now I just buy new underwear. To heck with that.

So, yes is my short answer to the question, "can just the urethra be irritated?" The rest of course, is just blathering on tidbits, which is what I generally do best.....shedoesgoonmorgan

[DancingLight]

This post has been so helpful to me. I am really going to talk to my urologist more this time around. It's hard to talk about this stuff with such a handsome doctor though!

nursemorgan--VERY helpful information and much appreciated.

i do wear pads all day every day--the pantyliner kind. such a pain. i do of course wear all cotton panties though! plus, i pee a zillion times a day, so even if i'm not using paper towels to wipe with (ouch!) that is probably not helping things, and bringing more of the blood to the already-irritated area. better work on that 'back to front' wiping thing, eh?

i would love to go to a urogyn but it is quite a drive to get to one, and that seems such a daunting task right now. i'll see where i get with the local dude, and go from there. perhaps he can consult over the phone with the urogyn that he often refers patients too (and is part of the 'system' that he is in). we're just a branch of a larger medical center.

btw, mammamorgan....

i realize this is a bit off topic, but if i don't just type it now i will forget!

1. i know you miss being a nurse so much. but, man, you are such a huge help on this board. i find myself hoping you will post with some of your wisdom when i have a question! i get so excited when you do. and, i know that it takes so much to post for you. so, just wanted to know, that in you own way, you are still being a nurse to so many of us.

2. i really loved reading your profile in the newsletter! you definitely deserved to be featured! yeah!!!!!!!

okay, later alligators!

emily

[P SUDIK]

I have another question about the urinary problem,but first like to say how much I appreciate everyone's input. I have learned more from all of you than all my docs. Thanks!

Does anyone have back pain related to urinary problems?

P

[morgan617]

It's very common Pat. I think it has something to do with one inflamed area affecting the surrounding areas. We can have what is called referred pain, for instance, someone with gallbladder pain, but it will manifest by pain in the shoulder or even the left upper quadrant, not where it belongs. In the right upper quadrant of the belly.

It is very common for women with bladder infections to have low back pain and many times they just don't put the two together. An ovarian cyst can affect the bowel. And so on. When everything is crammed together in there, one thing wrong can effect many others......

(Thanks Em, you are way too nice )

[DancingLight]

Morgan,

Hey, don't I get called sweetie?

Later misscrankymorgan,

Emily

[wareagle]

Hey guys..just thought I'd post an update. Went to my OBGYN yesterday and had a pelvic. She said it was still yeast...no bacteria, etc. So she gave me a sample of gynazole-1 to use...I actually used that earlier in this whole saga but maybe this time it will work better? So now I'm just waiting and praying that this will all get better soon. As far as the urinary issue...I'm not completely convinced it's related to the yeast...but untill I get this infection cleared up I really won't be able to get any other answers.

It's just frustrating...I feel like this should have been cleared up over a week ago. If my GP would have just given me the proper tx. I have some problems with anti-fungals...some I can tolerate and others I have bad reactions to. My GP prescribed terconazole almost 2 wks. ago...I tried to take it on that Friday and had a bad reaction so then I had to wait the whole weekend without tx., when I called the office to see if she'd give me something else rx. strength I was told to use OTC meds. Which obviously was a complete waste of time b/c instead of feeling better..I felt worse. My gyno. was surprised the GP had me use OTC and instructed me to call her office from now on for the rx. treatment.

So, now I wait...have to leave on Sat. for two weeks and should be looking forward to the trip but so worried that I'm going to feel like this the whole time I can't really get excited. Sometimes I feel like my body has just up and foresaken me!!

[P SUDIK]

Hi Ware,I hope you start to feel better soon and that you can enjoy your trip. Be safe P