Volume of urine

[lttlewun]

Hello everyone! I have a questions regarding urine volume. Urgency/frequency is not a main problem of mine although at times I do have frequency from time to time, but it is not bad and it is not often at all. My main symptoms are discomfort/burning/stinging in the urethra and vaginal pressure. Sometimes my bladder feels very sensitive to the touch when I need to void. Is this normal?

When I do have bouts of frequency, I noticed that I do have a good amount of urine that comes out and the stream is pretty steady and I urinate anywhere from 5-10 seconds. Does this sound about normal? I know a lot of people say they have frequency, but does this mean that every time they go potty they actually do urinate or does this mean they may only be able to urinate a few drops? When I do experience frequency, I go about once every hour or hour 1/2. Does this seem like a lot?

[Goodnightmoon]

Yes, this seems like a lot.

Of course, everybody is different and drinks different amount of fluid, but my doc told me "normal" is every 3 to 4 hours. And for your voiding, he said, about 15 t 20 sec is "normal". Well, I never can count up to 20, never...
Hope this helps, GNM

[123456]

Oh lttlewun,

Don't tell me you have frequency too! I was so jealous that you didn't. Yes, once every 1 1/2 hour is too much. That's what happens to me too. I've been retraining my bladder and have gotten up to 5 hours without peeing on some occasions. It's weird because you DO feel like you're going a lot, but in actuality it's usually less than 5 oz. My doc made me measure my urine output for 24 hours (longest 24 hours of my life). Gave me this contraption that you put on the toilet and pee into (looks like a hat). All that time I thought I was peeing a good volume only to learn that my bladder spasms at 4 oz (depressing). Every single trip to the bathroom = 4 oz. I, like you, peed every time and not just drops.

Then, after I failed that test, I had to do Urodynamics. This barbaric test involves going to the office and having a pediatric cath inserted. You have to pee into this vibrating bucket that measures your output/pressure, etc. It was impossible. Failed that test too and moved on to the cysto/hydro. IC confirmed, medications prescribed.

It seems to me that the imipramine has helped me with both pain and urgency. Took a few weeks. I'm bladder training as well and that's pretty hard, but worth it b/c I notice my volume is WAY more now. I sometimes sit on the toilet not believing that I just was able to hold and then pee so much :loco::loco:

[peanutgallery]

I'm a little confused. Shouldn't how often you go depend on how much you are drinking and when. Going every 1 1/2 hours is frequent when you are drinking how much? And how much should a "normal" bladder hold?

[musiclover]

My PT told me that the average person would urinate for a minimum of a 15 count. And I have heard many times that if you drink about 8 glasses of water a day, urinating 6 or less times a day would be normal, but normal can even be up to 10 times a day depending on how much you drink, etc. And I'll just add that I'm nowhere near these numbers. I hope to be someday!

[shellemo]

my bladder holds 110 mls when full a normal bladder holds 400 mls hope this helps :) and i void near 30 times a day x

[lttlewun]

When I get those bouts of frequency I am drinking more water. I mean I wouldn't say that I drink a lot, but I drink about 16.9 ounces in an hour or so. I measured how much I actually urinate an it's about 1 cup each time I go. Not sure if this is considered "normal". I know it's different for everyone depending on what we eat and how much we drink. I also measured how much urine I can hold overnight. I never get up to pee so when I woke up Saturday morning I measured how much it was and it was 3 cups full. I peed a total of about 9-10 times between Saturday and Sunday.

[peanutgallery]

That's about 13.5 oz!!! Wow, what it would be like to feel normal again!!! I can't go more than 10 on good days without ruuuunnnnning ....

[nottoc4]

Daytime I pee every 3 hours or so. I'm still getting up to pee two times a night. I would like to find a plastic measuring cup to pee into and see how much it is. I know that before treatment for IC I would have a hardtime peeing sometimes even for a UTI test. I also was retaining 100 to 200 cc's.I don't know how that converts to ounces? Anybody know?

[snowgirl]

Daytime I pee every 3 hours or so. I'm still getting up to pee two times a night. I would like to find a plastic measuring cup to pee into and see how much it is. I know that before treatment for IC I would have a hardtime peeing sometimes even for a UTI test. I also was retaining 100 to 200 cc's.I don't know how that converts to ounces? Anybody know?

i want to say one ounce is 30cc???

[musiclover]

That's right. One US fluid ounce equals 29.57 cc's.

[ICRN]

As a nurse, I can tell you that you all will be shocked when you find out that "normal" capacity is 400-600mls!! You should "feel" the need to void at 250-300ml's. For those of you who pee often, this may seem phenomenal! I also was recentely diagnosed with IC and my urodynamic capacity was 400, but I was about to burst with pain at the end! I used to be able to hold more, the reason is I also have urethral stenosis which I strongly believe has contributed to my IC. The ability to hold it in can be as much as a curse as the inability to hold it! Us nurses are forced to hold it in because we are just too darn busy to pee and I wouldn't be surprised if they did a survey to see just how many diagnosed with IC are medical personnel! We are so bad to our bladders!

[nottoc4]

That is all interesting. I guess if we drink more we pee more.When we are well that is.

[Goodnightmoon]

What is urethal stenosis??

[ICRN]

It is a narrowing of the urethra that causes you to have difficulty voiding and causes retention, and frequent UTI's, you have to be dilated every so often, and I have been dilated 3 times. It is not fun! They take various size dilators, I call them metal rods that they use to expand your urethra. It is as bad as it sounds!

[lttlewun]

ICRN ~

Can you convert the milliliters to ounces for me? I'm a dope when it comes to mathematical stuff. :lmao:

When I wake up in the morning from sleeping I pee about 16-24 ounces. Is this normal?

When I go potty during the day I pee anywhere from 8 ounces- 12 ounces. Is this normal?

[jvr]

Wow, Littlewun. Peeing 16-20 ounces in the morning seems like a lot to me. I'm not expert, but your voids look pretty darn good:smile tee

Jill

[musiclover]

Wow, I'm jealous. That's pretty close to normal. So in the morning you're going from about 437 - 710 ml and during the day from 236-255 ml. I believe a fluid ml is the same as a cc. I think during the day that is a little low, but not too bad. If you get up to about 15 ounces per pee during the day you would be about normal.

[lttlewun]

Thanks, JVR!

I don't have a problem with frequency/urgency. Maybe that is why my volumes are high? I don't get up at night to pee either.

[lttlewun]

Wow, it's nice to know I'm somewhat normal! :lmao:

[jvr]

Oh, you sound like me then! Pain has always been the main component of my IC. I had a few uro's who didn't think it was IC because I didn't have much of the frequency aspect. It kind of delayed my diagnosis for awhile. I do experience some urgency sometimes when my bladder is really irritated though. I think my void volumes like yours though are closer to normal...

Jill

[lttlewun]

My main symptoms are burning/stinging when urinating and vaginal pressure/soreness. Those are a lot better than they were in the beginning though, thank God. :angel:

[ICRN]

I am just like you ladies, I too have more burning and urgency than frequency. My voids are what I believe to be normal, but to be honest, I don't measure my voids at this time. The important thing to remember is that IC is not [I]just[I] frequency, it is much much more. It is a myriad of symptoms that all boil down to the irritation and breakdown of the bladder lining. We all have a disease that affects us in different ways, but it connects us. And even if you don't have severe pain or pee 30 times a day, does not mean you don't have IC, it just manifests in a different way. Yes, 30ml's is = to 1 ounce. (8 oz or one cup is = to 240ml's) So if you void 20 ounces, you are voiding 6ooml's!

[aleet7]

When I had my first cysto I was told that my capacity was 200mls! My bladder was stretched to hold 400 mls. I am also one who has held my urine for long periods of time. I wished that I'd never done that! I got UTI's so regular that it was a normal routine for me. Now I'm paying the price for it!

[ICRN]

Aleet7, I know, it is so sad that at that time, we had no idea what damage would come with holding our urine. If only we could go back in time and tell ourselves to not do that!! Maybe we wouldn't be where we are now. But now that I know, I try my best not to do that, but you know, I realize now that it became almost habitual for me to hold my urine. It is not just dietary, medicinal, and treatment changes, but changes in habit that are affected by this disease. So, this is the start of my new life, the start of taking care of me, of listening and OBEYING the signals of my body.

I have been the caregiver for years, a Mom and spouse, thinking that I was taking care of myself, but realize that only just now, have I truly taken steps to take care of myself. I have learned to say no. I had recognized stress in my life, and had made changes years ago, but it had not been enough. I hadn't realize that being so busy, and working hard, not taking the time to void, because "I just don't have the time to pee", was just as bad.

Now I have changed my job and have insisted that I no longer allow myself to work where I am not near a facility and am able to void whenever I sense the urge. It may be costing me in finances, but in the long run, I will be healthier and have a more quality filled life!

[aleet7]

ICRN, what you said is so powerful! Caring for others and neglecting ones self is not the way to go. Our bodies will remind us just how neglectful we've been to it!

The decision you made to change jobs will prove to be more valuable to your well being and maybe even to your bank account(doctor and hospital bills) in the long run. I have so much medical debt(out of pocket expenses) that I have no ideal how I'm going to pay it all! I just pay it a little at a time. And to think, maybe I could've avoided most of this if I took better care of myself(such the teachable moment)!
Best Wishes!
Aleet7

[nottoc4]

I don't think you should blame yourselves for getting this disease. No one knows for sure how we get it and I never held urine beyond what was comfortable.

[aleet7]

Nottoc4, I feel like I have to take some of the blame for the shape my bladder is in because I didn't drink enough water and I always held my urine until I was in pain! I remember this so vivdly and I regret it! I'm trying to correct this now because the pain is almost unbearable at times and I don't want to be a burden on my family. I understand what you're saying and I appreciate it.

[ICRN]

You are right, we shouldn't blame ourselves completely because we do not know why we have this disease, but there is no doubt in my mind that by holding my urine until I was in pain was detrimental and possibly enhanced this disease. But hind sight is 20/20, we had no idea that we would get this terrible disease, and now that we know, we can be advocates for informing others about this and helping to do our part to prevent others from experiencing the discomfort that we have and are feeling. We can listen to others when they speak of symptoms reflecting IC, and guide them to the proper testing to either rule out or confirm the diagnosis before it gets severe. We can educate our family and friends and maybe, just maybe, we can spread awareness and someone will take up the mantle and find out why and hopefully some day a cure!!

[peanutgallery]

one second here! Is there evidence that holding it in when we were younger could really cause IC??

[ICNDonna]

Nobody knows what causes IC --- there's a lot of research going on trying to pin down a cause. My own opinion is that I probably had the condition lurking from the time I was born. It didn't show itself until I had major abdominal surgery. I sometimes wonder if it would have stayed hidden without that surgery. If "holding it in" caused IC, almost every adult would have it --- I don't know any children who don't sometimes wait until they are squirming before they go --- if they are doing something fun.

Donna

[snowgirl]

Nobody knows what causes IC --- there's a lot of research going on trying to pin down a cause. My own opinion is that I probably had the condition lurking from the time I was born. It didn't show itself until I had major abdominal surgery. I sometimes wonder if it would have stayed hidden without that surgery. If "holding it in" caused IC, almost every adult would have it --- I don't know any children who don't sometimes wait until they are squirming before they go --- if they are doing something fun.

Donna

after 24 yrs with IC like Donna I truly believe I was born with it. I had urology problems at young age of 5.

[ICRN]

peanut gallery, No, there is no evidence that holding it in causes IC. I just believe as the other ladies attest, that this was an underlying condition that was exacerbated by several factors, and holding in my urine for long periods of time was not a healthy habit to get into. I had several abdominal surgeries. I have had 3 C-sections, a hysterectomy, oopherectomy, cystosling, two abdominal surgeries to remove cysts on the vaginal cuff and remove adhesions, and a removal of an infected suture from the sling. I was convinced by the GYN that my painful sex was due to so much scar tissue and being "small" and "dry". Tried Vagifem and all that did was cause severe abdominal pain. I had frequent UTI's for years!! I had also been dilated 3 times for urethral stenosis which I believe now was indicative of the beginning stages of IC. They tried putting me on prophylactic antibiotics and that didn't help. I would get UTI's with or without sex, and they became more frequent. Then the burning and urethral sensitivity started. My urologist suspected this last year, but wanted to try to wait to see what happened. Lo & behold, I couldn't stand it any longer and he did a cystoscopy which showed "changes" to the lining, and then did the urodynamic test & an ultrasound to verify no malignancy. That was when I was officially diagnosed. Two weeks ago. Now the DMSO treatments start tomorrow.

[peanutgallery]

thank you for the clarification!