loss of bladder sensation

[notmybestday]

hi all --

i'm wondering whether this is a known symptom of IC. i have ceased to feel my bladder. urethral urgency and burning have accompanied me from the start, but i at least felt my bladder in the mornings when i woke up. now i only feel the need to urinate by sharp stinging in my urethra. lately, i've had vague aches in my lower back (kindeys?) telling me i have to go as well. i feel absolutely no bladder sensation at all. no normal bladder contractions. when my bladder is fullest (drank a lot of water), i feel horrible pressure pushing down on my urethra, but nothing from the bladder...

does this point to neurological issues? bladder neck obstruction? this scares me.

other symptoms: frequency, pain in vulva area upon sitting, dribbling, incomplete voiding.

i was diagnosed with IC in august. tried elmiron and elavil but stopped due to side effects. am only taking a few supplements now.

thank you.

[cgirard]

The sensation from those various body parts could be referred pain -- in other words, the sensation is from your bladder, but in your nervous system it gets scrambled so that it feels like it's coming from somewhere else. This is common in IC. Most of the time when I feel I have to go, it isn't in the bladder that I feel it first.

If you have retention and other voiding symptoms, you should talk to your uro about urodynamics.