OK...Here's a Weird One...

[BT2008]

As a typical symptom of my version of IC, I have experienced my share of dribble-itis, hesitation, retention and occasional post-pee leakage.

Over the past few days, however, I noticed that whenever I have finished peeing more urine starts to come out as I stand up. So, a few days ago I started standing up a bit at the end to see if anything else would come out (so I wouldn't end up peeing on myself!:ignore:) And usually -- more would come out.

Earlier this evening I had some terrible retention for several hours and I wondered what is going wrong now???...:rolleyes: ... I felt the urge to pee, really, really bad, but despite urethral massage, turning on the water, and all of my usual wriggling around tricks, I could NOT get any pee to come out--not one single drop! Since I was planning on doing an instill tonight anyway, I just decided to relieve myself by cath. Well...I KNEW my bladder was full...but my cath volume was almost 400cc's!! That is a lot for me! And boy did it feel better to get it out! :lmao:

Just now, after holding in the instill meds for about two hours I went to go pee. After a lot of futzing around, I was finally able to get a little bit out--dribble-itis style--but I KNEW there was a lot more in there. I thought that I was going to have to cath myself again, but as I started to stand up, a little more came out...then stopped again...so with great hope I went up and down several more times, but without any further results. :mad:

I was just about ready to scream (or say some really bad words) when something told me to stand all the way up and just straddle the toilet--so I did! And when I did--WOW--it was like Niagara Falls! I had the strongest, longest lasting stream I have had in a very long time! Even though I didn't measure it, I would be willing to bet that it was close to another 400cc's...

So, ICers...what in the world is wrong now? Why can I only pee--really strong and complete--when I am standing up instead of sitting down??? Am I going to have to start peeing like a guy??? :confused:

Anyone have any clues?????

~Beth
:toilet:

[tmog]

I wonder if mostly woman suffer from those types of symptoms? I'm a male and I've dribbled in my jockeys a few times. I've done that before. Now, I'll have to start wearing Depends? I think I'm interested in catheterizing myself so I don't have to keep getting up from my computer.

:)


My God, I'm hallucinating. I see little balls of sunshine in a bag!

[ICNDonna]

Please make an appointment with your uro. There are several possibilities --- this happened to me when I had a bladder prolapse.

Donna

[tigger_gal]

I agree, you should discuss this with your doctor:)

[BT2008]

Please make an appointment with your uro. There are several possibilities --- this happened to me when I had a bladder prolapse.DonnaThanks Donna and Tigger. I will.

:rolleyes: ... oh happy, happy, joy, joy ... :rolleyes:

~Beth
:toilet:

[elamar]

I have read somewhere if you are having retention problems, the way to pee is to squat over some sort of tub or bucket. Then pee in the squatting position. It is supposed to help empty the bladder out more. Just a thought. Gotta do whatever works for us!

[Preacher-Girl]

Hi Beth,

See your Uro ASAP.

Angela;)

[tigger_gal]

happy happy joy joy :biglaugh: havee you been watching ren & stimpy? is it even still on? I wouldn't let my daughter watch it!

How are you feeling today?

[BT2008]

happy happy joy joy :biglaugh: havee you been watching ren & stimpy? is it even still on? I wouldn't let my daughter watch it!

How are you feeling today?OMG! I am appropriately mortified! I had no idea that the saying came from their show!! I only watched it once, for just a minute or two--and that was the one where they played frogball--which was enough for me to forbid my boys from watching it as well!! Of course, I am sure they watched it elsewhere anyway...:rolleyes:

As far as how I am feeling...it feels like there is a big wad of cotton stuffed up inside my vagina. Since investigating further and putting puzzle pieces together, I may actually have both prolapses, which I think is called "anterior prolapse." I did put in a call to my uro this morning, but I haven't heard back from him yet. Under normal circumstances I would go to my gyno for something like this, but since my bladder is involved I called the uro instead.

So, until I hear back from him, as a safer measure in order to avoid any pushing, I am just standing up to pee every time now. Picture this if you dare: a kitchen funnel and a plastic vacuum cleaner extension pipe working together to help me with this problem! :biglaugh::biglaugh:

Alas! The things we MUST do when living with IC...but..."Necessity IS the Mother of Inventions!"

~Beth
:)
p.s. With this new way of doing things, it is actually a lot easier to pee! It just comes right out! And it doesn't even hurt to get started! It's actually kinda' growing on me...har, har, har...:lmao:

[Preacher-Girl]

OH MY GOODNESS! Beth I am so sorry! I hope your Uro calls back as soon as humanly possible. Good grief this is scary!

[BT2008]

OH MY GOODNESS! Beth I am so sorry! I hope your Uro calls back as soon as humanly possible. Good grief this is scary!Thanks PG. But, it's not nearly as scary as having to live with IC for the rest of my life--The docs can actually do something about this problem! Other than some irritating lower back pain, and some additional abdominal and suprapubic pressure and discomfort, the IC pain is still screaming MUCH LOUDER!

My uro did call back a few minutes ago. He said he could take care of it, but that usually gyn's took care of this kind of problem, especially when it involves both kinds of prolapse--front and back--which he agreed from my descriptions that I probably do have. Also, he knows my gyn so they can work together on how to handle the bladder part of the equation.

The only potential problem I see, is that he remembered that my gyn just got married, so he doesn't know for sure if she will be available or not!:( He did say that her partner would probably take care of it, of course. But...I love my gyno...she is totally awesome! I really hope she is back from her honeymoon by now! I will call her first thing in the morning and find out...

So everyone, please cross your fingers for me that my gyno didn't decide to take a 6-week trip to Figi for her honeymoon!

~Beth

[purpletomorrow]

Sounds like you need a She Wee!

http://www.biorelief.com/portable-urinals/she-wee-female-urine-device.php

I love mine; it's always with me. It lets me pee in the woods, on a walk if I can find a tree, or in a dirty gas station rest room.

Freedom!

Meanwhile, I hope you get to the bottom of the problem soon. Keep us posted, okay?

Laura

[BT2008]

IC & SHE WEE!! ... now that definitely has a ring to it!! :)

I really like my version too; I have been calling it my "home-made pee-shooter"! :smile tee
Plus...my "spout" is longer than theirs too! That way I don't have to lift the toilet seat and I also don't sprinkle when I tinkle! :wink:

Seriously though, as I said, I am really liking the fact that I don't have all of that "teary eyed, pre-pee spasm pain" anymore! Maybe other ICers who have "pre-pee pain" might want to consider trying to pee standing up as well! If so, its good to know that something like my invention already exists. And the price is great!

Thanks Laura,

~Beth

[MommaWuzzi]

LOL... at least you can still laugh about it - I can HEAR the giggles in some of your sentences.

Also, as you said, it's a bit easier coped with than some things we get to deal with... and with a more permanent fix. :)

[BT2008]

LOL... at least you can still laugh about it - I can HEAR the giggles in some of your sentences. :)I can't speak for anyone else, of course, but these days I need all of the Comic Relief that I can get! Even if it is at my own expense!!:lmao:

Since being hit with IC almost 11 months ago, I have learned that what I previously thought of as the "worst" is not nearly as bad as I once thought. That, sometimes things can--without rhyme or reason--get much, much worse. And in that same lesson, I have learned that every moment without severe pain, is a moment to be cherished, and that I will endeavor always to fill those precious moments with as much love and laughter as I can.

In the context of this latest challenge then, any additional pain and discomfort I am experiencing is nothing compared to the pain of IC--so that's a very good thing! And, while the timing of the situation isn't the greatest, at least there is something they can do about it. Plus, it is pretty darn funny, even now after several dozen times of doing it, to be using my 'invention' to help smooth the way for dealing with the problem! So, if it still makes me smile, then that is a true 'silver lining'! Oh, and as a bonus, when I told my uro about my invention--a man who is very stoic and would win tons of money if he ever played poker--I laughed in the telling and then he laughed, and well...we had a "special moment" ya' know? :bunny:

For me, learning to live with such a serious, painfully chronic disease as IC is by far the greatest challenge I have ever faced. And sometimes laughter truly is the best medicine! ... er... in addition to my 24/7 pain meds of course!!:smile tee

~Beth

[Preacher-Girl]

I freak out about every single symptom I have so to me this would be the equivalent of a 4 alarm fire! Is this not an emergency?

[MommaWuzzi]

* looks mildly jealous and raises an eyebrow*

It must be NICE to have a uro! LOL

[BT2008]

I freak out about every single symptom I have so to me this would be the equivalent of a 4 alarm fire! Is this not an emergency?Hey PG,

No, apparently it isn't an emergency situation. I spoke with my gyn's nurse this morning, and I have an appt on the 18th. She said to just take it easy until then, don't lift anything heavy, etc.--all of which I have do these days anyway. Uncomfortable? Yes. Crampy/painful? Yeah. Am I happy about it? No. Do I wish it was fixed already? Oh, yeah. But, is there any reason to freak out? No.

Since having IC, I have learned to just "go with the flow" unless I am in torturous pain--and that is definitely a 4 alarm situation! But, since my pain is pretty well controlled at the moment, that is not an issue. If neither my uro nor my gyn wants to see me immediately--and I trust them both completely--then I am going to try to relax and just "live with it" until the 18th, when I have appt's with them both.

Also, from the research I have done since yesterday, this is not an uncommon problem, especially with women my age (I am 50) who are post-hysterectomy menopausal. As women age, our pelvic muscles lose strength due to the wear and tear on our pelvic organs, along with a lack of cyclical estrogen & progesterone. And I'm sure that the continuous trauma of severe IC has done its additional share of damage. There is a device they can insert into my vagina that will serve as a structure to hold my bladder and colon away from the vaginal wall (called a pessary), or there is a surgery that can be done if it bothers me too much. But, I am very reluctant to have any surgery or to do anything that will mess with my IC bladder. So, more than likely, I will opt for the pessary unless my gyn and uro determine that it is in my best interest to take the surgery route.

Thanks for your concern though PG! :kissing: And, if I may suggest my dear, try to learn how to "go with the flow" as well. At least in my case, stress just makes my IC bladder angry and makes me even more miserable in the process! So, learn to embrace the "chill factor" as soon as you can; at your age, it will serve you well as you battle and learn to live with your own version of this disease!

Hugs to you!
~Beth
:grouphug: