Lordy...will the urine ever stop?

[amyrising]

I have amazing bladder control, for that I am very thankful. It is so amazing that sometimes I forget to go for long periods of time It hasn't been a huge issue, when I start to hurt or feel full...I remember, "Hey, I think I better go to the bathroom".

My issue is when I sit down to go...it takes forever and seems to come in waves. I tinkle, tinkle...tinkle, tinkle...you get the picture. It takes me a while to get my bladder empty. Is this common? I had my bladder scoped a while back because I always have a small amount of blood in my urine. The doctor just casually mentioned it looked like my bladder was struggling to empty but if I didn't have any complaints he didn't think it was a problem.

[Kimba22]

Amy,

This sounds like you really have retention issues from a neurogenic bladder, not necessarily "amazing bladder control." It would be Niagra Falls once someone with "normal" bladder function let those floodgates open. If you haven't been to one yet, I'd strongly suggest seeing an urologist.

There's also no way you would really know if you've completely emptied your bladder each time you do finally go, unless you were having your bladder scanned afterwards each time. Retaining any amount of urine for more than 4 hours can set you up for UTIs, especially if it's frequently. They are really something it's best to avoid! UTIs have contributed to relapses, kidney infections, and sepsis for me.

I usually had more issues with urgency than retention. But after several UTIs within one year, it was determined I was still retaining urine even after I "thought" I'd completely emptied my bladder. Now that I've learned how to self-cath, I have avoided another UTI for a year so far (Yay!).

Something else to consider is the damage retention is doing to your bladder, and this could very well back fire onto you. Retention causes your bladder to actually loose muscle tone. Once that happens, the bladder is weaker and unable to retain even a "normal" amount of urine. A good analogy is to think of an overstretched balloon. It becomes much easier to inflate after it's been weakened, and the bladder just won't hold much urine anymore after it's been weakened.

I've learned all these things the hard way. Hopefully, you can learn from my experiences so you won't have to do the same.

Good luck to you,

[amyrising]

It isn't emptying all the way. That did show up on a scan. Some days I feel like I have to go all the time, I think that is when it isn't emptying completely. I also feel like my output is greater than my input. That may just be because it takes me so long to go, it seems like I have so much. I will talk with my doctor about seeing the urologist again.

[misslux]

There are three videos here about bladder issues that are worth watching, starting with Dr. Tania Bruno. These won't play on iPhone or iPad though.

http://mssociety.ca/chapters/toronto/elibrary.htm

[amyrising]

Thank you! I don't know how much more "good news" I can take