It's gross I know but does anyone have bad smelling urine?

[ibtracy]

I know this is a very personal question and I'm very embarrased to even be asking this on the boards but has anyone else ever experienced offensive smelling urine? My labs came back with no bacterial growth so I know that I don't have an infection but I'm flaring horribly today and now my urine smells horrid. I can't even describe what it smells like but it's very offensive. I have a tendencey to retain large amounts of urine periodically and wondering if the smell is coming from it sitting in my bladder so long. Normally I've only noticed this when I have a bad bladder or kidney infection. I'm a very clean person so this is definately not a matter of poor hygiene. I watch acidic food consumption, do not drink alcohol and have been on Elmiron for 6 months now. I just started taking Elavil 10mg last night but this urine smell thing has been going on for quite a while.

Please don't think I'm weird, I just had to know if I'm the only one having this symptom. :hiding:

[ICNDonna]

Usually if I have foul smelling urine, it's because I haven't been drinking enough or I have eaten something to cause it, like onions. My system doesn't like garlic, but that can do it too.

Donna

[ibtracy]

This has been going on for quite some time now but I'll try flushing my system with more water and see if it improves.

[ICLori]

Hi, IBTracy, a few of us have noticed that when our symptoms are at the worst, we have strange smelling urine. If you do a search, you might find old posts about this. There was a thread about this awhile ago - within a year ago I think. Anyway, one young lady with this problem was told by her uro that the most severe cases of IC tend to have this - that it's the smell of inflammation in a way - some kind of protein being excreted in the urine. Those who do not flare frequently - who go into year-long remissions etc. - tend not to get this "IC pee" smell, LOL!. So you will get probably most people saying "it must be an infection" and only a few of us with especially severe IC who will be nodding and saying "yep I get that too" and who will know exactly of what you speak.

Blessings, Lori

[shennan]

yes, i have that same smell a lot. almosts smell like it is burning in my bladder.

:hiding: me too...from my husband...

i do have severe ic.

good luck.

i tried to stay away from any sugar and carbs. it helps a little...

shenna

:dizzy:

[Am2974]

I am having that right now as we speak. I had 1 1/2 weeks of no symptoms when my period started. Now i am starting to urinate more frequently, and my urine stinks! I have taken 2 showers today because it smells horrible down there after i pee. I didn't have this when i went for my urologist appt. Monday,but when i have my cysto. on Tues. i will address this with him.
My urine smells like if you walk into a restroom and someone peed and didn't flush and it has sat there for awhile. Lol sorry thats gross. but thats the smell it reminds me of. Old stinky urine!

[classics]

I get that sometimes. It just smells strong like animal urine, but not quite as bad a cat urine. At first I thought I wasn't cleaning the toilet enough.

[jen_dahling]

Me, too. Mostly when I drink a diluted cup of coffee or don't have enough water. But especially while I am on antibiotics! Bleck.

[Sarojini]

Yes, I get it too... I think we discussed this on Yahoo the other day, but just wanted to post here and say that I get that gross IC pee smell too. Sometimes it smells fine, but sometimes, especially right before and during flares, it is pretty gross. :yikes:

[Kimbamor]

Wonder if it is higher leucocytes, or even blood...anyone have urine test strips? The ones that test everything from leucocytes to acididty, specific gravity etc? I know that the smell is gone when I test negative for blood and leucocytes as well as a different orange/amber colour. The specific gravity is good (concentration) so not dehydration and ph is 5-6. The smell is differenet then a uti smell or even a diabetic passing ketone smell. I thought it was my imagination but knew it smelled before this all started so couldn't blame meds. I have some flushable wipes and find they help (very mild and don't bother me). It's still embarrassing esp since my kids walk in on me in the washroom all the time (party is in the bathroom once my butt hits the seat).

[jen_dahling]

I am in an anatomy class for nursing so I'll be doing a pee test strip real soon! I wonder if they will notice a few strips missing.......

I had this class last semester (dropped) and I was there to do the pee test. My blood strip was the darkest on the bottle so my prof. chalked it up to me maybe being close to my period. I wasn't, and didn't know what to do because this was before I knew I had IC. That was actually the beginning of my getting dx. Weird now that I think about it. Class full of people I don't know examining my urine strip and looking at me like I was fatally ill. :yikes: But now I am blabbing all about IC to the fellow nursing students!

[Kimbamor]

I am in an anatomy class for nursing so I'll be doing a pee test strip real soon! I wonder if they will notice a few strips missing.......


I'll never tell... :ignore: I think you can buy them online ($30 for 100). Maybe we could get funding to test our urine oursleves...Many things we can track from PH changes with foods and leukocytes, blood etc with odour. Think of how symptoms compare with some of the results...high PH=high pain, leucocytes=smell, bilirubin changes colour....WOW....the wheels are turning..... we could always buy bulk and mail out to all members say 10 strips with scale... :idea:

good luck in rn school....
Kimbamor RN