Do you burn after voiding?

[dreamy]

I was wondering if anyones bladder burns after they go. Its like when I have urine in my bladder I am okay but feel that horrible urge to go but after I pee my bladder feels raw and burns!

For the ones that experience this too, what helps you with this? I also would like to discuss what do you think would cause someones bladder to burn after they pee versus when someone burns if they have a full bladder and it stops burning after they go. What do you think?

[lisabar36]

Hi Dreamy, an irritated bladder can make it burn after you urinate, also urine has acidity, which can also make it burn. Atarax, Elavil and prelief all helped me with this. Now if I eat something I am not supposed to, sometimes that will cause my bladder to burn. To answer your question, all of us experience different symptoms with IC, some people after getting the acidic urine out of the bladder may feel relief, some still feel the burning after they urinate and it can be due to the irritated bladder. It can be many different things I am sure as we are all so different, maybe a good question to ask the doc?

[ICNDonna]

It's not unusual for an ICer to feel more pain immediately after urinating. However, if it's that burning, chilling, goosebump burning, it could be infection.

Donna

[bunnykinb]

The only time I have had burning after urinating is when I have had an infection. Otherwise, I have burning most of the time while the bladder is filling up again.

[Katrina]

A lot of burning after urintion is from pfd but the way you are describing this Dreamy I don't think that is the case for you. I have a good friend with IC that similarly feels that when her bladder is empty it is more painful than when there is a little moisture there. She has a chronic problem with infections and has pretty severe hunner ulcers....but I am quite certain that even when she doesn't have an infection she still has the same problem with raw pain when empty. I will ask her to look at this post.

In any case for the average IC patient burning after urination can often be from straining when you go...your muscles may tighten or spasm after that and can cause a burning pain. When that is the case look into Pelvic Floor Dysfunction which is very common part of IC!

:grouphug:

[Dreamlove15]

Oooh my gosh, I can't tell you how much of this sounds like ME! I'm usually ok when my bladder is full, I mean I still have the usual IC pain, but as soon as I go to empty my bladder, It burns like:rant: ****. It's almost like a pinching feeling in my urethra and then after im empty, my urethra feels like its on fire and inflammed. And my bladder spasms sooooooo bad. It's almost as if the walls of my bladder have collasped and are touching...making it hurt worse. It last sometimes an hour or so after i've emptied. It's usually worse in the morning especially my first void. I think this tops all of my other IC pain. And tot hink my doctor tried to tell me that people with IC get relief after voiding...grrrrrr...It's nice to know im right! IC is soooooo individualistic, but im glad you feel my pain. But, what I do to try and help with the burning is drink lotsssssss of water. It helps dilute the urine so its not so acidic. You might go more often, but it may help with the burning. Take care.:angel:

[Katrina]

I highly suggest those of you with this symptom that isn't from an infection or PFD or any other thing but IC....consider getting trained to do self instillations so that you can give yourself some lidocaine when that is bad. Since holding urine increases risk of infection and you feel uncomfortable empty you may also need to do some extra things to avoid infections!! Hope you can find some relief!

[leelee88]

Dreamy
I was having a lot of burning before I was put on elavil now tofranil. But sometimes I still have some burning and I use the lidocaine. I would really suggest you ask your Dr for a script of this. Or like katrina said ask for the instills.. This could really help you.

[chuchideb]

Your symptoms seem to be exactly the same as mine. All of my pain begins after I void. Often so severe that I cant walk. I have to lie down usually yelling and moaning as tears stream down my face. Then the cramping begins. I have had this for 9 months and was officially diagnosed with ic for the last 5 months. Because I am so afraid to pee it causes more stress which creates more pain. It is a viscous cycle for me. I am sorry to say i have never had even 1 pain free day. Drinking lots and lots of water helps a little sometimes. (bottled only for the last 2 months) I am now on a new med called lyrica and am actually getting sinificant relief along with loritab. because I can no longer work i have applied to the pharmac. co's and get these medications for free. It is the only thing that has helped me so far. I understand your pain only too well. Good luck. Deb

[muxerr012]

Great tips for you Dreamy and I sure hope they help you! :hi: I had a similar burning and cramping after going to the bathroom first thing in the morning. No pain like that since I've been on Lyrica though. I agree with Katrina about checking into Lidocaine instills. You seem to be in a great deal of pain every day. I'm so sorry!

Great post from Deb about getting the meds for free since no longer working. So many of us face this issue and the more info out there the better for us all.

Be well and bless you!

[GriffsMommy]

I have burning after I void if I am having a bad flare or haven't had enough to drink that day. What I finds works best for me is doing a rescue instill, taking a pyridium and upping my intake of water.

[Dixiefireball]

My Dr explain this to me this way. He said "the bladder is like a balloon when there is urine in the bladder its blown up. The pin point bleeding spots that is in our bladders are not touching each other while there is urine in the bladder, or open wound to open wound. (I have hunners). When I go to the bathroom the balloon starts to go down then goes flat allowing the bladders wall to touch each other. so I end up having pin point bleeding spots touching other spots in the bladder. Causing this pain."

I personally agree with him since I have felt that feeling so often. I notice Since I started retaining that I don't get that feeling like I use too all the time, but now I keep more real UTI's. For me it was a lose, lose situation. Either way it hurts! Once you find the right meds that will help you get your IC under control the way it should be you shouldn't have that feeling any longer.

Good Luck, and Best Wishes.
I hope I was some help.

Rhonda

[dreamy]

It literally feels raw and it burns as if I have fire inside of my bladder. There would be no difference between what it feels like or if there was actually fire on my bladder. I feel like I have an internal third degree burn. I just cant believe how I can even tolerate it. I really cant!! It feels like a severe infection but my urine is usually negative when using a regular doctors office urinalysis. The burning is insane and very scary feeling. Its like a raw wound inside :( I really think I might do the cysto hydro but I do get scared about it. If I wasnt hurting so much I would be more okay with doing it but since I am already in the maximum amount of pain I dont know if I should do it.

Thanks for the information about pfd. I am sure I am tense because of the severity of the pain I have felt since this happened. I hope that things will get better and my bladder will heal. Thanks everyone for the advice and information. I appreciate it.

[dreamy]

Yeah I think pyridium helps some because it numbs the bladder. It helps but it doesnt really take it all away. I still use it though since it does help some. I have done the instills and seem to get worse after. I dont know if I should do them or not. The only time I felt good was when they did an in office cysto and they sprayed cold water inside of my bladder. I wonder if bypassing the bladder with a catheder for a week or so would let things heal better. Have you ever heard of that?

[lnseagraves]

Dreamy,

The burning after I pee symptom is one of my biggest day-to-day symptoms of IC, so I absolutely understand what you are going through! In fact, I can't remember what not burning after you pee feels like...

I carry pyridium around with me everywhere, but you have to be careful not to take it too much. Too much can make you very sick, but it actually can also cause irritation to the bladder if you take too much. Of course, ICers really really don't want MORE irritation of the bladder, so be careful how much you take it.

I try to drink lots of water to dilute the urine, but if the burning after pee sensation gets bad, I will sit on my heat pack. I basically place it right on the urethra and hold it between my legs/sit on it. It looks a bit strange, but it can help relax that area... or numb it... but regardless the throbbing searing pain from the urethra goes away.

I also find that not putting pressure on the urethra during the day can help, i.e. lounging, not sitting up straight, one of the IC pillows etc. This doesn't make the burning after pee feeling go away entirely, but I do find that sitting directly on my urethra after peeing prolongs that burning feeling and can make it worse... so lounging really helps keep the pain from building on itself.

On a related note, I find that excessive jiggling makes this symptom worse, so I have trouble in some vehicles, running, horseback riding etc.

If it gets really bad, a warm bath relaxes the urethra well too. Thats what I do when I'm flaring.

Another thing I do when flaring is drink lots of vanilla milkshakes. I'm sure its psychological, but the idea of drinking something milky, and COLD is so appealing when you have an acidic HOT pain... I just visualize it calming the bladder down.. so it does help.

Please let me know if you find a better remedy. As I said, the pain after pee symptom is my biggest daily reminder of IC and Id love to remember what a normal void feels like!

[mimimama]

These are all FANTASTIC suggestions.

Dreamy~Please try some of these suggestions. I have the same issues and all of these things DO help to get some relief.

You may also want to ask your doctor to refer you to a pain management clinic. This is what REALLY helped me stop my flares in their tracks. I was able to go and have an in office Cysto w/biopsy since I am on long acting pain meds and it really wasn't bad at all!

Also want to say "Ditto"....all of the below suggestions are great! I also indulge with Vanilla Milkshakes when I feel really crappy:smile teeDreamy,

The burning after I pee symptom is one of my biggest day-to-day symptoms of IC, so I absolutely understand what you are going through! In fact, I can't remember what not burning after you pee feels like...

I carry pyridium around with me everywhere, but you have to be careful not to take it too much. Too much can make you very sick, but it actually can also cause irritation to the bladder if you take too much. Of course, ICers really really don't want MORE irritation of the bladder, so be careful how much you take it.

I try to drink lots of water to dilute the urine, but if the burning after pee sensation gets bad, I will sit on my heat pack. I basically place it right on the urethra and hold it between my legs/sit on it. It looks a bit strange, but it can help relax that area... or numb it... but regardless the throbbing searing pain from the urethra goes away.

I also find that not putting pressure on the urethra during the day can help, i.e. lounging, not sitting up straight, one of the IC pillows etc. This doesn't make the burning after pee feeling go away entirely, but I do find that sitting directly on my urethra after peeing prolongs that burning feeling and can make it worse... so lounging really helps keep the pain from building on itself.

On a related note, I find that excessive jiggling makes this symptom worse, so I have trouble in some vehicles, running, horseback riding etc.

If it gets really bad, a warm bath relaxes the urethra well too. Thats what I do when I'm flaring.

Another thing I do when flaring is drink lots of vanilla milkshakes. I'm sure its psychological, but the idea of drinking something milky, and COLD is so appealing when you have an acidic HOT pain... I just visualize it calming the bladder down.. so it does help.

Please let me know if you find a better remedy. As I said, the pain after pee symptom is my biggest daily reminder of IC and Id love to remember what a normal void feels like!

[traceann]

Oh I agree with Mimi - those are GREAT ideas from Inseagraves! Wow, what a great list ;) I do hope you give some a shot, as I know a lot of those worked for me too. :) If you are already on Elmiron etc, it can take a long time to kick in as I am sure you are well aware of, anywhere from 3 months to 12 months, so hang in there!!! :)

[muxerr012]

Dreamy I just thought of something else that happened to me Christmas day when I ran out of my Caress bath bar soap. I used some of Kevin's dial soap just once. When I used the bathroom 30 minutes later I peed liquid fire. Bath soap makes a huge difference and my doc said to use the mildest soap, like Dove, baby products or Caress.

The burning wouldn't stop until I put some Estrace cream down there and I had relief pretty quickly. I hope you've changed your bath soap. Maybe that will help hon. I honestly think your medical problem may go beyond what I can understand as far as what is wrong, but every little bit helps here and there. The vanilla milkshakes from Steak and Shake are HEAVEN! I do also indulge in one when I'm really hurting and it works! Hang in there Dreamy. :puppy:

[dreamy]

Thank you for the suggestions! I like the pyridium too. It seems like it helps some. I seem to worsen after the instills so I may stop those for a while. I also like to lay down when it gets really bad it seems sitting while flaring makes it worse. I appreciate the advice.

You know when this first started I didnt want hot food at all. All I wanted was cold food for like 2 months! I also like vanilla ice cream or milk while flaring. Maybe its the calcium in the milk that seems to make it better?

I also noticed that its better to use a mild soap when you have bladder issues too. I have tried the estrace cream also. Thanks for the advice!