Retention?

[Dreamlove15]

I Have a question. Ok so Some days I notice that it is easier for me to empty my bladder and than on other it is not. I am drinking just about the same amount of water on the days im emptying more often as the days im not. Is retention just part of the disease or what? I sometimes I find myself having the urge but go and can barely empty at all. I have to literally concentrate to go. This is so frustrating, as i have not experience this very much. Could it just be a flare causing my bladder to be inflammed and making it harder to void? Anyways, I just thought i'd see if anyone else has experienced this as well. I swear I feel like I h ave a new IC question everyday...so I guess you will be hearing from me alot ...haha. Sorry:(

[leelee88]

Are you on any OAB medicine? Because That is what caused my retention and I had to get off the medicine, because it was doing more harm than good..

[leelee88]

Oh I wanted to add that PFD will cause retention also..

[Sally939]

For me I think it is part of my IC. I remember about a year ago out of the blue before I had any IC problems it being hard to go for a day here and there. It was strange and I thought that then. It also happens to me more often now. It seems to happen at the same time I notice the IC belly and have a flare. I am on OAB meds also. I think when I am swollen and inflamed it is causing the problem. I do have to consentrate at those times but can go. If you think you are not voiding completely or are having a retention problem please speak to your doctor about it.

[Dreamlove15]

I quit taking my ditropan about 4 days ago. So I dont think that it is my meds. I am also taking atarax and I dont think that causes rentention but I dont know.

[anewday]

Retention and pain are my main problems- in fact my bladder backs up so bad my kidneys ache. When I went to the uro, they did the bladder scan right after I left a sample and they said my bladder was full- and I had just "emptied" it about 5 minutes earlier. My bladder also doesn't hold as much as it should.

[lisabar36]

I also have the same problem, some days are worse then others, some days I can just go, some days I feel that I am not empty unless I push, but I was told to NEVER do that! So I have stopped, my Doctor told me if I have to get in the shower to go then try that, a warm bath helps he said, putting your hand in warm water I hear helps. Try sitting in a bathtub full of warm water or running the water in the bathroom to stimulate the flow of urine. Of course you should always consult with your doctor and let them know you are experiencing that and see what they suggest. I find it most hard to go in the morning sometimes and then through the day I start to feel more empty.

[ICNDonna]

I think it would be a good idea to discuss it with your physician. There are some meds that will help relax those muscles to make life easier.

Hugs,
Donna

[Dreamlove15]

I think I found my own remedy for this...GALLONS AND GALLONS of water. It's better than not being able to empty at all. grr...where's the happy medium in all this...

[aprilchen]

Jamie,

For what it's worth, most of the literature on IC discusses that urgency and frequency have to be a criteria for diagnosis, but my URO told me that retention can also happen. If you're on Narcotics like Lortab, it is a double edged sword because we all need something for pain, but that could cause some of your retention.

Has your urologist taught you to catheterize yourself? Because besides the previous answers, this is the last option to empty the bladder. Also, have you ever been given instillations of lidocaine and heparin via a catheter? That makes the pain completely go away when you're flaring in a lot of people. You just have to be careful that your hands and the area where you are cathing is completely clean, otherwise you risk infection. It works well almost like Elmiron, and you can use it during pregnancy also I was told by a high risk perinatologist. You hold the heparin and lidocaine for about an hour if you can and it kind of coats the lining of your bladder. At first, I was doing these instillations everyday, but it has gotten to where I only have to do them when I am flaring or have eaten something I shouldn't have like Chocolate or Caffeine. But my husband agreed we would go completely decaff at our house...tea, coffee and all because he hates to see me suffer.

Also as suggested earlier the following are options before catherization (since no matter where you're catheterized, there is an increased risk of a UTI.

1. A hot water bottle placed just above your pubic bone...sometimes this relaxes your muscles enough for you to urinate.
2. For me, Valium in low doses like 5mg does the trick and relaxes it enough for me to urinate.
3. Try a heating pad over the bladder area.
4. Also, as suggested earlier sometimes sitting in a hot bath can help. I used to do that before the home catheterization and urinate in the tub. Then sanitize it.
5. Running the faucet in the sink also can help stimulate those nerves.

All in all, everyone's case of IC is different and the best advice is of course from your doctor, but it does not hurt to ask about the instillations and if you can get them in the office and if they work, be possibly trained to do them at home so that you can avoid going to the URO so much. Most insurance companies cover heparin and lidocaine under medications and Catheters, Syringes (2 types-one to draw up the mixture and one to put the mixture in after it is drawn up that fits the catheter tip) and needles are covered under most insurance plan's DME or Durable Medical Equipment. I worked on the Urology/Nephrology floor as a social worker before I became so ill I could not work with other problems also and that is where I first learned about instillations. They are a blessing! The pain stops immediately and the best part is that all I have to take for pain and spasms now is the lowest of the low of narcotics--Darvocet and low dose Valium.

At first my URO was against me learning to do them at home, but after some persuasion on my part, I got my wish because it was impractical to try to teach and go to the doctor three and four times a week. It was ruining my work record and I just couldn't risk getting fired from yet another job because of medical issues.

Anyway, you can learn to do them and they help a whole lot!

If you have any specific questions, please PM me. Good Luck with finding the best treatment plan for you! :pray:

April

[Dreamlove15]

Thanks so much for the informative post. I don't think my retention is that bad, but then again I dont really have anyone to compare it to. I just know If I don't drink enough water I am having a hard time voiding. I never really had a frequency problem...only when I have a really BAD UTI. I also don't take Loritab on a regualr basis. I stopped about a week ago just because it barely does anything for the pain, it just makes me really sleepy. So I figure if I am dying in pain I will take one, but if not, I will resort to other options to manage my pain. I'm not a fan of taking pills...:rolleyes: I tend to use the heating pad or hot baths if I am hurting really bad. As for knowing how to cath myself. I have no idea...I don't think I could handle that quite yet. I am newly diagnosed and have just been given my first treatments...Elmiron. Atarax and ditropan. I have started the atarax, but not the Elmiron because im waiting to be approved for prescription assistance. I stopped taking the ditropan because it was causing horrible headaches and making retention worse...I also don't think my doctor is the best one I could be going to either...which means I dont know what he thinks about instills. Although I've heard of them, the teaching hospital I go to is soo crazy. Different doctors everytime...miscommunications...and not reading charts and telling me I dont have IC. when THEY diagnosed me 3 weeks earlier. I was lucky enough to get an apology and a push out the door with scripts without even knowing what they do for IC. But its something im going to have to deal with for awhile since I am unisured....oooh the fun of being a college student...and losing your job due to illness...anyways. so I guess in 2 months when I see whomever again I shall ask about retention issues...I'd hate to call and ask because it seems as though im a nuisance everytime I do call...even when Im in their ER...severely sick after procedures they performed.... I just figure if i have a question, I can get it answered here. Which you have helped alot...thanks for all the info. Take care.

[humpieumpumkin]

Although my main symptoms were urgency, frequency and suprapubic pain, I cycled with ocassional retention. What I tell everyone ( and I know this sounds stupid) Is to imagine the big castle doors opening when you have retention or holding them closed with urgency. Hope this helps.

Erika:lmao:

[Claredale]

I haven't had to deal with retention since I started taking Prosed DS (even better then any muscle relaxer helped me!). My voiding is completely normal these days and I pray everyday that it will continue! I have been on Lortab for many years and retention was always a come and go thing for me. I read on the side effects that retention can happen, but it was never an issue for me. It was just part of my IC symptoms. It always seemed to be worse during the time I was ovulating as well or if I held it too long. Caths were definitely out of the question in my case. They always caused a flare no matter what the size. My uretha just didn't tolerate them at all.

Hope you find what works for you!

T83