Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

[Kapbow]

Does anyone else feel like their bladder doesn't work very well when they are in a flare? When I'm in a flare, my urine stream gets really weak, and sometimes my stream will stop and I'll have to try to restart it. I also don't urinate the volume I do on my more normal days. If I'm having a better day (never a great day, only better), my urine stream is much more normal and I urinate a larger volume, even though I always drink 6 glasses of water every day.

[joannharllee]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

I had similar symptoms--slow stream, etc. Then I was diagnosed with low estrogen and put on compounded vaginal estrogen. Surprisingly the estrogen helped my urine stream problems, now I have a much strong urine stream and my badder and vaginal area are much better. Have you tried vaginal estrogen? Jo Ann

[Kapbow]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

Jo Ann you have really given me hope! Thanks so much for your reply. Your symptoms sound so similar to mine, and I am hoping estrogen is my miracle! Can I ask you about how long it took to see any significant results with the estrogen? And do you take any oral hormones or has the cream been enough of a help? I hope you are feeling well, cause this disease is just miserable. Thanks again!
Take care,
Kathy

[joannharllee]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

I only take the estrogen/coconut oil suppository. Nothing oral. When i first started the suppository I had to use only a small amount for a few weeks because I was so sensitive down there. But even with the small amount I got to feeling a little better almost immediately. After a couple of months I was back to normal. Jo Ann

[Julie B]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

When I was first diagnosed I had this same problem. It wasn't low estrogen because I was only 37-38 at the time. Please talk to your doctor about this. I was given some great suggestions. They are medical, so I don't want to mention anything here, but one thing you could try for temporary relief is to take a bath in Epsom salts. That may just relax the muscles enough so you can void easier.

Sending you understanding hugs............I hope you feel better soon!

[Kapbow]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

Hello again Jo Ann! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the responses and information you've provided. I'm so happy that you have found some relief from this condition. I pray one day soon I can say the same. Hopefully my doctor and I can get this estrogen thing worked out. I really believe most of my problems are related to hormones. When I used to have periods, I would always flare up for the first few days of menstration with similar mild "IC" like symptoms. At the time, I had no idea about IC and just thought it was a weird symptom of my periods. But looking back I now think it was possibly a hormonal IC flare. Wish I would have known then what I know now!

Thanks so much for replying to my question Julie B. I will give the Epsom salt bath a try, although heat seems to aggravate my symptoms sometimes. I am ice packs all the way! I wish I could use a warm and soothing heating pad instead of a freezing bag of ice, but at least it helps somewhat. I also will talk to my doctor about the situation and see if there is something else going on. For me I do think there is a low hormonal aspect with my flares. I am only 41 now but went into peri-menopause at 34. And if I'm not in a flare my urine stream and output is basically normal. Thanks for your time and kind words!

Take care,
Kathy

[Julie B]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

Just to clarify, please don't use hot baths! Just luke warm. If your feet have to acclimate to the water temperature, it is too warm. :-)

[ICNDonna]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

One of the things that happens to me when I'm in a flare is that I seem to lose muscle tone in the bladder, which creates that very slow, intermittent stream. Once the flare is under control, I seem to go back to normal.

Donna

[LaraLea]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

YES! The same exact thing happens to me!! I have a Rx of Estrace estrogen cream for vaginal dryness due to menopause...I had started using it but could not tell if it helped or hurt my bladder because I was in a mild flare at the time. The reason I bring this up is because I have seen more than a few women here on the forum say that the vaginal estrogen creams cause them to flare....or make their symptoms worse. Of course everyone is different so it may work for you...I hope it does!!!

[joannharllee]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

I could not use Estrace or any of the commercial estrogen cremes because all the chemicals in them made me worse. I can use compounded estrogen in a coconut oil suppository and it has really helped me. Jo Ann

[Andreeuh]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

I have a weak flow most of the time due to being on Cymbalta for my Fibromyalgia. For me it's just one of those things where I have to weigh out the pros and cons of the medication and side effects. I used to be on Vesicare as well as Cymbalta and that was just hellish; it would take me an hour to empty my bladder fully. Now on a normal day it'll take me about 1-2 minutes to fully empty my bladder. In a flare that can go up to 10-20 minutes. It especially stinks at night because I am on the toilet so long my body starts to wake up and it's harder to get back to sleep after.

[Kapbow]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

Julie B thanks for clarifying. I love a hot bath and probably would have overdone it with the heat.

Donna that is exactly how it feels! You described it perfectly-very weak muscle tone in the bladder during flares. Thank you so much for replying. It was beginning to worry me and then I started to realize it was only during a flare. I was concerned it may get worse and worse over time, but hopefully it will just continue to happen during a flare. And knowing others experience the same thing, will make me worry less (I confess I'm a bit of a worrier). I also know stress and anxiety make my symptoms worse, so the less worry the better.

LaraLea thanks for your reply. You definitely could be flaring from the estrogen cream. I have tried 2 different ones so far and finally put it together that it was causing some of my problems. Jo Ann gave some good advice on trying a different compound like coconut oil. I plan to ask about that next time I see my doctor. I even tried a compounded cream that cause more problems than the Estrace. My husband called the compounding pharmacy yesterday to check the ingredients and they use ethoxydiglycol. Not sure exactly if it's good or bad, but when I googled it, a website about engineering came up in the search results. I don't like the sound of that.
Take care,
Kathy

[Kapbow]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

Andreeuh so sorry to hear about the problems you've had because of meds! My heart really goes out to you. Kinda makes me feel like I may be complaining too much . Can't imagine it taking 10-20 minutes to empty my bladder, let alone when you had complications that made it take an hour. Sounds like you have a really positive attitude about it also. I have an Aunt with Fibromyalgia, and she has been through the ringer for about 30 years. I pray I don't get that one. Already have IBS since 1996 and now IC! I hate my IBS, but now IC has made it seem like a cakewalk! Couldn't imaging adding another condition to the mix. Hope you are doing well.
Take care,
Kathy

[Andreeuh]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

Andreeuh so sorry to hear about the problems you've had because of meds! My heart really goes out to you. Kinda makes me feel like I may be complaining too much . Can't imagine it taking 10-20 minutes to empty my bladder, let alone when you had complications that made it take an hour. Sounds like you have a really positive attitude about it also. I have an Aunt with Fibromyalgia, and she has been through the ringer for about 30 years. I pray I don't get that one. Already have IBS since 1996 and now IC! I hate my IBS, but now IC has made it seem like a cakewalk! Couldn't imaging adding another condition to the mix. Hope you are doing well.
Take care,
Kathy

Oh! Never worry about complaining! This is the perfect place to vent all your frustrations.

Yeah, the hour was completely un-livable! I pretty much lived in the bathroom. Books, phone, laptop, my maltese (haha) - it was really lame. But I think that definitely made having to take a few minutes to go more manageable for me. I also have that phobia where I have a hard time peeing if someone can hear me - like in public. I do wonder if that's part of what makes me take so long. Luckily my close family and my close friends understand why it takes me so long and are OK with it. But it does stink when I here someone say, "Oh my gosh, is she pooping or something?" when strangers are waiting for me to finish up in the stall. I want to poke them in the eye with a stick! lol

Fibro isn't fun, though I am blessed because I feel like I have responded really well just with physical therapy a few times to give me the tools to exercise and stretch at home and then the Cymbalta. I wish my IC had been so un-complicated! Haha. IBS is miserable. I am sorry you have to deal with that one. I have post-infectious (from C-Diff) IBS. I think I am finally towards the end of its madness but every now and again it rears its ugly head. I would cry dealing with it regularly.

Thanks! Most days I am doing really well. I hope you get to that place sooner rather than later!

[Kapbow]

Re: Weak Urine Stream When Flaring

Andreeuh I have that same phobia when using public restrooms! I have a very bashful bladder. I can't even give a urine sample at the doctor's office. For years I have jokingly told people that my bladder gets stage fright. They still think I'm weird but it gets a laugh every now and then.
Take care,
Kathy