Appointment with Urologist

[mareintx]

So, I have an appointment with a urologist Friday morning and I'm scared to death.

Can anyone tell me what they are going to do? What to expect?

Another problem I have is that I don't always have issues, they seem to come and go. So what if when I'm there I don't have any issues?

I'm in limboland, my neurologist feels like I do have MS but we are still waiting on test results and such. The urinary symptoms are fairly new so he wants to to be seen to be sure there is nothing else going on there. I'm just at a total loss as to what to expect and that sort of freaks me out.

Thanks for any insights!!

[jazzgirl]

It's your first visit, so they most likely won't do anything invasive. They'll probably just do an ultrasound to make sure you're not retaining urine.

Your symptoms are transient so I wouldn't be too worried. Good luck with your appointment!

[mareintx]

Thanks Jazzgirl!! An ultrasound isn't bad at all, I can deal with that easily.

[cosake]

Yes, your first appointment will probably be more of a consultation, with additional testing to be scheduled for another time.

You will probably be asked to give a urine specimen - so be sure that you can go when you get there.

Be sure that you have notes about your symptoms, frequency, when they started happening, etc. The history is important. And, a list of any medications that you are currently taking along with dosage and frequency.

Then, you may be scheduled for other testing such as an ultrasound, or urodynamics (which was gross - I had to stand up on a table and try to urinate into this odd shaped contraption so that they could watch me empty my bladder. It made an embarassing mess because the contraption didn't work right.), or a cystoscopy (under general anesthesia they check the inside of your bladder).

Good luck with your appointment and keep us posted.

[jazzgirl]

I had two cystoscopies in the office w/a topical anesthetic put into the scope to make the procedure less traumatic for me. I've never been put to sleep for one.

Don't worry, regardless. That test was really not that bad, and most likely you won't have to have it done.

[cosake]

Sorry, forgot - thanks for clarifying that. My first cystoscopy was done under anesthesia because the doctor did it with a hydrodistension.

No problems - no complications from the procedure. I ended up being diagnosed with Interstitial Cystitis as a result of it.

[jazzgirl]

No need to apologize, c. I had them a LONG time ago, and you know how medicine changes from minute to minute now (or so it seems! )

[mareintx]

I'm not sure I could even pee if I had to stand on a table and pee into something while someone watched me.

I hope I don't have to do that...or the cystology thing. Just the ultrasound for me please and thank you. lol

I have a list of all meds and of when it started and what's been going on. I hope they don't think I'm crazy....it is really intermittent and varies greatly day to day.

[cosake]

I actually see a urogynecologist and she is great. She understood when I told her that things were intermittent.

The other thing I had to do was a voiding diary. I had to track how much fluid I was drinking, and then had to measure how much urine I was voiding. I did this for 3 days, I think.

I had to stand on the table and hold the container myself; while they did an X-Ray of some kind while I was peeing. So, no one could really see it except on the X-ray. Still embarrassing, but at that point I was willing to do any test to find out what was going on with me and how we could treat it.

Hope you don't need too many tests.

[mareintx]

Thanks so much ya'll!!

The appointment went ok this morning. He checked things out and did an ultrasound to be sure my bladder emptied. Everything was pretty normal. I have to go back for a urodynamics study to see what happens when they fill my bladder and if I have lots of muscle spasms or what. Just knowing what to expect makes me feel much, much better.

So, just one more appointment and then maybe I'm done with this doctor for a while.

[jumpinjiminy]

Good to hear it went well.

Is hydrodistention supposed to be painful? Cause I didn't feel a thing when they did it, while awake. They used a numbing something or other when they did the cystoscopy. IC here too.

[cosake]

JumpinJiminy - I believe that it can be. My dr. didn't even give me an option of having it done while awake.

I was glad that I was knocked out, though. I had a major anxiety attack when I had to get my stents removed from having kidney stone blockages and I was awake for that. It was similar to having a cystoscopy.

I, however, am afraid of catheters, etc. I don't know if there is a phobia named for that, but if there was, I would have it.

I had to have many catheters as a young girl because I had chronic UTIs that were asymptomatic (no symptoms). And of course every time we went for a checkup I couldn't pee in the cup so I would always get a catheter. To me, one of the worst things in the world.