Bladder scan

[skbird]

Heya - on Wednesday, I am having what my doctor called a "bladder scan." I don't know if this is also what is referred to as "Urodynamics." The process as described to me is: come in with full bladder, they scan my bladder, I urinate into some tub that measures the volume, then they re-scan to see if any is left or how big my bladder is.

I was not told if I'd need a driver or anything like that.

My biggest concern about this right now is that I just had a hysterectomy, it will be 4 weeks since on the day of the bladder scan, and it was by the same doctor. Does this sound like urodynamics and if so (or not) has anyone any tales to tell about it? I am tired of pain, especially since the hysterectomy, which just seems to go on and on and on and on.

Thanks for any thoughts.

[ICNDonna]

It does not sound like urodynamics. Many urologists have a system now where they can place a small instrument against your lower abdomen, over the bladder, and it will indicate how much fluid is in the bladder. Every time I go to my uro's office, they check to be certain I am emptying well.

If you have concerns, by all means call your doctor's office and ask for more information.

Warm hugs,
Donna

[skbird]

Thanks, Donna. I posted this question on another IC board (on Facebook) and two people posted that they'd had this same procedure and that it was uncomfortable and one said it made them bleed. I have an instillation tomorrow so I can ask then, but I just wanted to get my thoughts together now. This is the "summer of the hospital" in my family and it's tough, so I haven't been thinking ahead about the procedures I have to do, etc. Thanks for answering so quickly.

[Mothergoose]

It sounds to me like it is just an ultrsound of your bladder pre and post voiding to see if you are emptying your bladder all the way.

A urodynamics tests is quite a bit more involved than what you wrote.

You could call the Dr's office and ask what to expect or call where you are having the test done.

If it is a pre and post void ultrasound it is no big deal worst for me is having a full bladder.

I am schedual to have this done on 2 different days, I already know I have retention, they are checking to see if it has gotten worse.

Let us know how it goes afterwards. MG

[skbird]

Thanks Mothergoose. I have had an ultrasound with this doctor before and he doesn't believe in, as he put it, "tormenting IC patients" by making them do the full bladder ultrasound thing. He also didn't call it an ultrasound. Either way, I guess I'll find out when I ask tomorrow after my instillation. At least I will have had a treatment only 2 days before.

Thanks and I'll be sure to explain later what the "bladder scan" turns out to be.

[skbird]

So I asked the nurse today what the bladder scan entails - it doesn't sound that bad. What they do is I go in with some urine in my bladder, they run a probe over my bladder to see how full it is, etc, then they have me urinate in a special toilet that measures how long it takes me to urinate, when I have the strongest stream, etc, sort of like a graph of my urine flow. Then once done, they re-scan my bladder with the wand to see if I got it all out. It takes about 15 minutes, no sedation, no real pain other than what I normally feel when I urinate lately. So that is a huge relief!

[nottoc4]

I had that test done and it was called an ultrasound. It's uncomfortable for everyone because you have to drink and fill the bladder and hold it. That was early on in my trying to "diagnose the problem" era. I also had a test where I had to pee into a special potty that was hooked up to a computer measuring what came out and the human tester was sitting right there. I could hardly let anything out,just from the embarassment of it. I'm not sure what that test was called.
Neither of the tests were painful.

[skbird]

OK - it turned out to be really simple -
- go in with full bladder
- they put an ultrasound wand on my bladder to measure the size (took 2-3 seconds)
- I urinated in a funnel which went into a beaker on a weight or scale that had leads to a computer that read volume, velocity, if I dribbled or had a full solid stream, etc
- after, they wanded my bladder area again to make sure it was empty or if any was left

And that was it.

Though 3 hours later they called me to tell me I had a UTI And as a result of that I can't have my Elmiron instill tomorrow. Bum out. But maybe part of why I'm still so sore from my hysterectomy which was performed 4 weeks ago tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be feeling better soon.

[Mothergoose]

That is what i kind of figured the bladder scan was, I didn't know they would measure as you peed.

Glad it went well for you, sorry you have a UTI, but better to know and be able to get it treated and to feel better, 4 weeks after a hysto is early, it takes at least 6 weeks for things to bounce back to normal.

I had 2 booked one day after the other in mid Aug. but I had to change the dates so now they will be in mid Sept. oh well.

Take care MG

[skbird]

That is what i kind of figured the bladder scan was, I didn't know they would measure as you peed.

Glad it went well for you, sorry you have a UTI, but better to know and be able to get it treated and to feel better, 4 weeks after a hysto is early, it takes at least 6 weeks for things to bounce back to normal.

I had 2 booked one day after the other in mid Aug. but I had to change the dates so now they will be in mid Sept. oh well.

Take care MG

Thanks, Mothergoose. I'm bummed about the instill because they help so much. And then I'm also nervous that maybe the instill led to the UTI because I haven't had a UTI in a couple of years, and this is my first one since I've been getting instills from the new doctor. But really, it's probably just so many dang things going on at once in my body, plus my family is having crazy issues (health), and life goes on, y'know?

Take care and I hope you're able to get one moved back to Aug.

Steph

[Mothergoose]

Getting the uti really could be from any number of things.

I get one just about everytime I get cathed.

You should start to get over it pretty quick after starting the ab's.

Feel better soon MG

[skbird]

Getting the uti really could be from any number of things.

I get one just about everytime I get cathed.

You should start to get over it pretty quick after starting the ab's.

Feel better soon MG

Wow - I'm sorry - I have to tell you if I got a UTI nearly every time I got cathed, I wouldn't go with the treatment. This is only my first post-cath - I've had 30-35 instillations and I would be antibiotic-intolerant if I had one each time. I'm sooo sorry that happens!

I'm really curious about the fact that they told me it was a UTI based on leucocytes and blood in urine which is common in IC patients, but they didn't culture it to see if there was bacteria. I showed an old urinalysis to my other doctor who diagnosed me, and it said "too numerous to count" WBCs, moderate epithelial cells, and no bacteria, and she told me that wasn't a UTI. I didn't have any UTI symptoms at the time, either. So I guess I am skeptical now of being diagnosed with UTIs, especially when I think that it's possible all the diagnoses of UTIs I had in my early 20s and antibiotics may have something to do with my developing IC. I just find the whole thing confusing.

[Mothergoose]

I have low immunity, I don't get instils because of getting UTI's, I only get cathed when absolutely necessary. I usually can't pee for days after being cathed I am sure just from the irriation and my ureathra swelling, this cause's the urine to sit in my bladder too long and hence the UTI.

Although the last few times I have had to be cathed, it has been at my own clinic and they listen to me that I want the lidocaine gel and a small cath, this has helpped a lot I can pee after if they use a small Cath, and I ice afterwards.

When I think I have a UTI ussally nothing shows up in the dip because of my immunity problems, I always get a culture. My Dr. sometimes gets me to start Ab's before the culture, but he always does a blood test and if my WBC count is up then he starts me on ab's and a temp.

In your case you recently had a cath, and surgery, I too would be skeptical of UTI without symptoms and no bacteria, I often get blood in my urine without a UTI, with IC our bladders can bleed, some Dr.'s don't understand IC enough to know this does not mean the same thing as someone with a normal bladder.

Hope you are feeling better MG

[statesboro]

I know I went to the urology department up at the Medical College of Georgia. OK. The doctor that I had was an older dude that said he had retired once and that it was his last week before going elsewhere. Geez! Regardless, he did state the interstim would not be a good idea with my back being messed up. OK. He did state he wants for me to have urodynamics assessment. That is scheduled to be done on August 10, but I guess I won't be seeing him ever again.

[skbird]

I have low immunity, I don't get instils because of getting UTI's, I only get cathed when absolutely necessary. I usually can't pee for days after being cathed I am sure just from the irriation and my ureathra swelling, this cause's the urine to sit in my bladder too long and hence the UTI.

Although the last few times I have had to be cathed, it has been at my own clinic and they listen to me that I want the lidocaine gel and a small cath, this has helpped a lot I can pee after if they use a small Cath, and I ice afterwards.

When I think I have a UTI ussally nothing shows up in the dip because of my immunity problems, I always get a culture. My Dr. sometimes gets me to start Ab's before the culture, but he always does a blood test and if my WBC count is up then he starts me on ab's and a temp.

In your case you recently had a cath, and surgery, I too would be skeptical of UTI without symptoms and no bacteria, I often get blood in my urine without a UTI, with IC our bladders can bleed, some Dr.'s don't understand IC enough to know this does not mean the same thing as someone with a normal bladder.

Hope you are feeling better MG

Wow, MG, I'm sorry to hear about how that is not an option for you. Doesn't everything have to be complicated? Sigh.

I have been getting cathed for most of the last year on a fairly regular basis and this is the first time I have had a UTI - also discovered after the second instill cath from this doctor's nurse, who uses the small ones and yes, plenty of lidocaine. I almost don't feel them at all. I'm still skeptical.

Thing is, this doc is listed with the ICA as being an IC specialist and he seems to know more about it than my original gyne does, who was the one giving me the instills for most of the last year. He, in fact, trained my other gyne on how to do it, etc. The only difference is that he and his nurse want me to "hold it" for 4 hours whereas my other gyne only required 1 hour. I haven't made it past 3 yet - 4 hours is DIFFICULT to say the least.

I am really impressed with his knowledge otherwise, but can't figure out why this was diagnosed as such. However, I think they were correct, because shortly after I started taking the antibiotics, my bladder stopped being so achy/sore as it had been for about a week before that. I hadn't specifically noticed because of the recent hysterectomy, and had blamed that.

Oh well, either way, I'm done with my antibiotics and back to instills, though I have to admit I'm a bit concerned I'll get another UTI now, because I know you can get them so easily from caths and this is a different doctor. Hmm.

Take care -
Steph