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Landed in the ER again, this time with urinary retention...
Recap: Maybe a week and a half ago, I've lost track of my days, I went back to the ER after my symptoms (pain, burning, frequency, urgency) came back after my second round of antibiotics. The ER doctor told me it is "very common" for Interstitial Cystitis to respond positively to antibiotic treatment (I know right...what a fu- I mean, freaking twit). She gave me 25mg of Elavil to take once a day and sent me on my way. I continued taking 300-400mg of day of Elmiron, as I have been since November 17th, but it has not helped much, if at all.
That Elavil made me feel like garbage. Just, oh my gosh. I had heard that antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts but wow. So I stopped taking it a few days ago.
For the past couple-few days, I have been feeling like I'm not outputting much urine, compared to the amount of bottled water I drink. The stream just seemed really weak, and my bladder felt full even after voiding. And all last night I had sharp, stabbing pains in my right kidney. They were so bad they made me jump off the bed sometimes.
Today I was supposed to drive 3 hours to go pick up a vehicle I bought, and then drive it home. I got 70 miles down the road when I knew something was different, and wrong. I had had 1500mL of water about 2 hours beforehand, and I had to pee very badly. I pulled off the highway into a truck stop and went to the washroom - but only the smallest dribbles would come out. I couldn't coax my bladder into letting go no matter what.
We turned around and drove back home and I went to the ER. By the time I got there I thought I might pass out from the pain. My bladder was sticking out like half a football. The pain was immense. I even went to the bathroom in the waiting room (urinary retention, and they made me wait over an HOUR - I HATE Canada's health care!) and nothing but droplets would come. I was so scared. I couldn't stop crying.
They finally brought me back to a bed, and the doctor came in right away and said she was sending in a nurse to catheterize me and then we'd talk more.
The nurse put in a Foley catheter, something I've never had done before, and oh my effing god, the pain. Just for the record, I have had 2 teeth pulled, cold-cock no freezing, no anesthetic, and that blinding, sickening pain PALES in comparison to the feeling of that (insert swear word here) catheter sliding up my urethra. It was like getting violated by a searing hot needle.
The nurse said my urethra just looked really red, raw, and inflamed beforehand.
They drained off 2100mL of urine in under half an hour.
They drew blood and took a urine sample. After awhile the doctor came back. She was a lot nicer than that other moron I had last time. She said my bloodwork was totally normal, but again they found quite a bit of blood in the urine - she did say it's possible that was from the catheter itself. She said they would send it off for culture.
She said that Elavil can, and does, cause urinary retention, and that I shouldn't take it anymore. But I had only been taking it for a little over a week, and I stopped a few nights ago. So, I dunno. She said that the kidney pain and the inflamed urethra are more indicative of a hidden infection. So she put me on Ciprofloxacin for the next 10 days. I got some T3s for pain too.
She said she is familiar with IC, and she confirmed that IC does not respond to antibiotics. But when this started with me back in November, both time I went on ABs my symptoms were all but gone by the time I finished the bottle. She also said that people with IC typically can't hold as much urine, and she said 2100mL was a crazy huge amount of urine to be retaining.
They pulled the catheter out after a few hours, and sent me home. But if I start retaining urine again, I have to have it for a week, and I don't get to stay in hospital either - it comes home with me. Fun.
She also said they can't make a urologist see me any faster, so I am STILL waiting to hear about my urology appointment. My referral was faxed off in mid-November, and I haven't heard squat.
I started the Ciprofloxacin already, and took a Tylenol 3. I'm gonna take a couple more, and hopefully get some sleep. I was able to void twice and had a decent amount of urine, and did not feel like I was retaining any, but now I'm feeling worse.
My bladder/urethra are so bloody sore, I can barely stand it.
Does anyone know anything about urine retention? Any thoughts on any of this? Any similar experiences?
That Elavil made me feel like garbage. Just, oh my gosh. I had heard that antidepressants can increase suicidal thoughts but wow. So I stopped taking it a few days ago.
For the past couple-few days, I have been feeling like I'm not outputting much urine, compared to the amount of bottled water I drink. The stream just seemed really weak, and my bladder felt full even after voiding. And all last night I had sharp, stabbing pains in my right kidney. They were so bad they made me jump off the bed sometimes.
Today I was supposed to drive 3 hours to go pick up a vehicle I bought, and then drive it home. I got 70 miles down the road when I knew something was different, and wrong. I had had 1500mL of water about 2 hours beforehand, and I had to pee very badly. I pulled off the highway into a truck stop and went to the washroom - but only the smallest dribbles would come out. I couldn't coax my bladder into letting go no matter what.
We turned around and drove back home and I went to the ER. By the time I got there I thought I might pass out from the pain. My bladder was sticking out like half a football. The pain was immense. I even went to the bathroom in the waiting room (urinary retention, and they made me wait over an HOUR - I HATE Canada's health care!) and nothing but droplets would come. I was so scared. I couldn't stop crying.
They finally brought me back to a bed, and the doctor came in right away and said she was sending in a nurse to catheterize me and then we'd talk more.
The nurse put in a Foley catheter, something I've never had done before, and oh my effing god, the pain. Just for the record, I have had 2 teeth pulled, cold-cock no freezing, no anesthetic, and that blinding, sickening pain PALES in comparison to the feeling of that (insert swear word here) catheter sliding up my urethra. It was like getting violated by a searing hot needle.
The nurse said my urethra just looked really red, raw, and inflamed beforehand.
They drained off 2100mL of urine in under half an hour.
They drew blood and took a urine sample. After awhile the doctor came back. She was a lot nicer than that other moron I had last time. She said my bloodwork was totally normal, but again they found quite a bit of blood in the urine - she did say it's possible that was from the catheter itself. She said they would send it off for culture.
She said that Elavil can, and does, cause urinary retention, and that I shouldn't take it anymore. But I had only been taking it for a little over a week, and I stopped a few nights ago. So, I dunno. She said that the kidney pain and the inflamed urethra are more indicative of a hidden infection. So she put me on Ciprofloxacin for the next 10 days. I got some T3s for pain too.
She said she is familiar with IC, and she confirmed that IC does not respond to antibiotics. But when this started with me back in November, both time I went on ABs my symptoms were all but gone by the time I finished the bottle. She also said that people with IC typically can't hold as much urine, and she said 2100mL was a crazy huge amount of urine to be retaining.
They pulled the catheter out after a few hours, and sent me home. But if I start retaining urine again, I have to have it for a week, and I don't get to stay in hospital either - it comes home with me. Fun.
She also said they can't make a urologist see me any faster, so I am STILL waiting to hear about my urology appointment. My referral was faxed off in mid-November, and I haven't heard squat.
I started the Ciprofloxacin already, and took a Tylenol 3. I'm gonna take a couple more, and hopefully get some sleep. I was able to void twice and had a decent amount of urine, and did not feel like I was retaining any, but now I'm feeling worse.
My bladder/urethra are so bloody sore, I can barely stand it.
Does anyone know anything about urine retention? Any thoughts on any of this? Any similar experiences?