Having the Pottasium test done

[LeolaSiningLily]

Hi I am new here. I am 29 years old and a mother of three. I have suffered with bladder problems for years. I would always get into my doc thinking I had a bladder infection, but most of the time came out clean. I also suffer from endometriosis and I will be having a hysterectomy within the next few months. I have had a cytescope done twice now. The last time I almost fell off the table, and couldn't get off the couch for four days I was in so much pain....my bladder just kept spasming. My general doc and my new endo specialist think I have IC. My uroligist does not think I have it. He said if I had it he would not have been able to do the ctyescope when I was awake...I guess he failed to remember I alsmost hit his nurse i was in so much pain. The scheduling girl felt so bad for me, she was digging in her purse for a tylenol or something. I also had the scan done. I know I had a lot of fluid left after I emptied my bladder...like 300 or something.

So in two weeks I'm having this pottasium sensitivity test done. I am seeing a endo specialist for my females pain. They are convinced I have this also. I am on Detrol for "overactive bladder"
Does this test hurt???
I have to drive four hours to this doctor...and I am worried I won't be able to drive after. Anyone have any help for me??
I am sick of this. I have had kidney stones in the past too...which I also thought could be causing some of this pain, but the ctscan was normal. My uroligist told me to drik more water....I was like ***!!! I'm already getting up 7-9 times during the night, and 15-18 during the day.

Can anyone please help me??
Any good sites or links u can help me with...I would really appreciate.Thanks!!

[Katrina]

:welcome: :welcome:

I hate to be the berror of bad news but if you do have IC the potassium test probably will hurt...how bad it hurts probably differs from how bad you have it.....for me ...I screamed....but I was already in constant major pain at the time....and after the potassium was out I was mostly better. I think I did feel somewhat worse the rest of the day...not much....but by the next day I was back to my norm of the time.

I am somewhat confussed by what you said you had already done. Your discription sounds like a normal cysto visit in the office visit....not a cysto/hydro...is that right?

Anyway....I wish you luck on the test....I hope you don't have IC.

Best Wishes,:welcome:

[LeolaSiningLily]

Sorry for the confusion. I just had a cytoscope done in the office...and it HURT so bad. The whole procedure only took a few minutes, BUT the pain lasted for a few days.
I've also had a laparoscopy for my endometriosis, and i wish my doc would have done a test when I was already out. I will be having a hyst soon, so I am going to ask for test then.
Is this the only accurate way to diagnose IC??
I have always wondered why I get this bladder pain all the time. My GYN thinks it is the endo. I also just got done with a six month treatment of Lupron...which I guess has a side affect of IC...so the odds are stacking up now:confused:

Thanks for any help!!

[Babs RN]

Jodee.
This doc is giving me the hee-bee-jee-bees. I was diagnosed with endo in 1998...had a resection and fulgration(cutting and burning) of the lesions which encompassed my whole pelvis...round one six months of Lupron...then lost my right ovary in 1999 to endo...had multiple miscarriages during those years...found out I had antiphospholipid antibody disorder and that was the cause of the multiple miscarriages...got pregnant with one ovary and endo in Jan 2000, was started on blood thinners...after a horrid pregnancy had a perfectly healthy daughter in 9/00...had recurrent endo in 5/02...two kidney stones that same month...went on high dose Lupron in 7/02...had a hysterectomy in 9/02...found out I had a second clotting disorder called Factor V Leiden mutation after suffering a stroke that same month...recovered from stroke...got another kidney stone in 12/02, had lithotripsy in 4/03, and to make a long story short, finally had a hydrodistention under anesthesia in 6/03 where I found out I had severe IC with Hunner's ulcers...

The reason I shared all of this, rather than looking for pity is to give you hope. I had stage IV endo and still am challeneged by the IC and all of the fun that goes along with the diagnosis...but I am a wife, mom of a beautiful 3 year old, have successfully been converting a previously unsupportive hubby to good over the last few days, and continue to work full time as a nurse. Are there days I want to throw in the towel? Sure. Are there days I want to ask the fire ants on speed in my bladder to take a Roman holiday? Of course. Are there moments the pain is so severe that I feel like standing and screaming myself hoarse...yup.

On the whole, I have decided that worse things can happen. IC and the endo(which of course is gone with alot of adhesions left in its wake) Last week I also found out I have ulcerative colitis as well. None of this will kill me, I don't have cancer, need a transplant and I live in one of the greatest countries in the world.

By the way, I am also a realist. I have crummy days too and it has taken me a while to get to some acceptance of the daily pain. Feel free to vent, PM me or e-mail me . I am here for you. Take care of you.


Hugs,
Barb:love:

[Sarojini]

Good luck with your potassium test!! I've never had that done (I was diagnosed by cystoscopy with hydrodistention in the hospital), but I hope you get the answers you need!!!

[ICNDonna]

If you are planning to drive four hours to a doctor's appointment, then another four hours afterwards, that's a tough day under the best of circumstances. My suggestion would be to be prepared to spend a night in a motel before heading back home --- then if you feel fine, you can go home, but if you're too tired, you can rest first.

I have never had a potassium test; I was diagnosed in a hospital with a hydrodistention. Some people who have had the test report that it is very painful during the actual test, but that an analgesic is instilled afterwards so the pain leaves rapidly.

Sending warm healing hugs,
Donna

[Katrina]

This is not the only way to diagnose IC. Hydro/Cysto is done as much if not a lot more often...but potassium test seems to be growing in popularity....doctors debate which is better...and you can't completely avoid pain either way.

Donna had some great advise...she always dose.

I hope the test goes well for you. Feel free to contact me if I can help you anymore.

[LauraLynn]

Hi there!!

I just had the potassium test done three weeks ago. Yes it was painful but I was able to drive home afterward. Keep in mind I only live four blocks. I am sure everyone reacts a little different. Unfortunally my doctor thinks it was a false neg. reading. Why I do not know because it felt like someone lite a match in my bladder when the put the potassium in. So now I am schedule for a cysto/hydro with biopsy on May 10.

Best of luck to you, I hope you get some results so you can start to feel better.

The test doesn't take that long. Once the potassium was out they put in another solution and I started to feel better. I have been achy ever since. Can't wait to get some answers myself.

This site is amazing!!!! Keep reading it really helps...everyone is so supportive.

Good luck and keep us updated.:pray:

[Annie2]

Hi and welcome to this site!

I, too, had an in-office cysto without hydro (very uncomfortable for me, too) and was then diagnosed with the Potassium Sensitivity Test. I have never had a cysto w/ hydro. There is a great deal of debate in the medical community about which test to use for diagnostic purposes. Some uros feel the KCL test is less invasive and should be used first . Cysto w/ hydro can then be saved as a treatment option for later on if needed. Other uros still prefer to use the cysto w/ hydro for diagnosis. Perhaps a discussion of these options with your uro might be in order for you. It might help you to find out your doctor's views on diagnostic tests and why he recommends this test for you. Read all you can about both tests. The decision is really up to you. We are all so different in our reactions to testing and treatment and only you and your doctor together can decide what would be best for you.

You will hear the phrase "we are all so different" many times when discussing IC. It is so true! I can only relate to you my personal experience with the potassium test. For me, it was very uncomfortable, definitely not fun, but it was not intolerable either. Two solutions are inserted into the bladder, one at a time. One is sterile water and the other is the potassium chloride solution. I felt nothing, beyond the discomfort of being cathed, when the sterile water was instilled. That was then drained and the KCL was instilled. I immediately felt burning and the burning sensation started to get more intense. The KCL solution then was immediately drained and I was given a lidocaine instillation to soothe and numb my poor, irritated bladder. It was all over in a matter of minutes. Afterwards, I felt tender and irritated for a day but I did not have horrible pain.

I did have one problem after the test. I developed an infection from being cathed and that was extremely painful since my bladder was already challenged because of the potassium exposure. Had I been given a preventative antibiotic (the doc meant to give me one but forgot and I didn't remember to ask for it), this complication might well have been avoided. Infection can occur anytime you are cathed so it can happen after either of the diagnostic tests. No matter which test is used for you, you might want to discuss with your doctor if you should use a preventative AB afterwards.

Read as much as possible so you are prepared to make informed decisions for yourself! You'll find this site full of the information you need as well as wonderful people to give you lots of support every step of the way! Good luck and please keep us posted as to how you are doing!

Annie

[blue]

I had both! I was more uncomfortable, than I was in pain. I felt like I needed to urinate as soon as the fluid went in. But, I think people have different levels of pain tolerance. Something one person consider's pain, could be just discomfort for another. It is a very individual thing.

I wish you luck!