can't urinate

[ginaaa22]

Has anyone else ever had this problem? I cannot pee for the life of me.. Just left the ER and they had to straight cath me.. Now I get to straight cath myself I'm making the 1 1/2 hour drive to my urologist so she can do some testing to see what is wrong. I've tried getting in a warm bath, running water, palpating my bladder and nothing helps. I only had 350 ml in my bladder at the ER and it felt like I was gunna pee myself.

[bubbe1]

can't pee

Gina,
I generally don't have trouble peeing, but have found that when I take Atarax, I do have retention. Narcotics sometimes cause that for me as well.
Have you spoken to your doctor about your problem?
Laurie

[Landish]

I have the same problem. Some times I can urinate sometimes I cannot.The first time this happened to me I paid $1000 in ER, now I cath myself. Two weeks ago I coudn't find a restroom and I had to cath myself in my car. I know stress is worst for bladder but, how do you calm down if you have to do something like that? After that my whole body was shaking.

[ICNDonna]

I'm glad you'll be seeing your doctor. There are medications that will help relax your muscles to make it easier to urinate. The ones that come to mind are cardura, hytrin, and flomax --- sometimes given to men, but also effective for us.

Donna

[ginaaa22]

I cant straight cath myself because my vulva is too swollen I went pee on my own 2 times today but i was straining and I had to force it out. My uro said she just wants me to straight cath myself when this happens! She also said there is no meds to help... I dont know what to do...

[cmclien]

Gina I am so sorry this is happening to you! Did she say why this is happening? Did she look at all your meds? Have you started a new one that might be causing retention? Maybe you could call and ask about some of the ones Donna had mentioned and see if she thinks they might help. I'm assuming they checked you for an infection while you were there?
Hope you feel better soon!

[Landish]

"A word of caution: If urinary retention is a predominant feature of your IC, monitor your reaction to your prescribed medicine to be sure that it does not make your urinary retention worse. Some antidepressants are more anticholinergic than others are." (ichelp.org)

Maybe the problem is Elavil. When I tried taking it I had more retention.

[ginaaa22]

I honestly have no idea why. The dr on call told me that it is normal and if im not having any other symptoms other than not being able to go it is nothing to worry about. The hospital here in toledo wanted to admit me last night but I can't because I have to work and have class tonight so after class tonight I'm going back to be admitted until they can figure out what is going on. I think its something to do with my bladder muscle. I still feel like I have to go but I can't get it out.

[flowerangela]

please get admitted.your health is the most important thing...i suffer from urinary retention as well. i think it may have to do with some of my meds and they had to put a foley cath in me for a week. ive started to go on my own now maybe 1-2 times a day but i fear the day i wont be able to go and have to start straining again. i dont want to have to self cath myself at home. i hate catheters..

[lalarainbow]

I sure hope you find what is going on. Retention is scary --Ditropan x caused that with me.. I stopped it immediately..I am using Oxytol Patch now but does not seem to do much of anything..good or bad..

[ginaaa22]

Thank you Donna, my dr prescibed me flomax to help. I didn't take my elavil last night and I can pee today!!! I'm feeling better and I'm going to get on a different med similar to elavil. I hate cathing myself..

Has anyone had this from Elavil? I've taken it on and off since I got diagnosed and this is the first time its happened

[melhil]

This is my worst symptom.It started with me waking up about one hour after I had gone to bed, to pee. But when I get there, I can't, and it is very painful to try. Like a knife trying to poke out of me. I have learned to get up walk around, and try again.
I'm pretty sure my muscles are in spasm. I usually take a uristat, so that when I do pee, it will at least help mask the pain. After I pee, I am ok.
In the last 2 years, I have an added pain. I find that instead of peeing, I have to poo. This is also painfull, but after I poo, I feel a little less pressure. After I poo enough, I am able to pee. I am getting up and walking around a little after each poo, or attempted pee, to try and stay calm. I think this might be the beginning of IBS.
If I'm really lucky, I can get rid of the pain in 5 - 10 minutes. When it lasts over an hour, I get anxious. I have Valium to take, but haven't found it very useful, once I am so tight. I have had the episodes last up to 6 hours.
My last bad episode, was after a sigmoidoscopy, without sedation. After 4 hours of not peeing, I called my urologist's emergency phone #, and asked to have a script called in for some caths. I was sure I could figure out how to do it. I had cath'ed my mom, after she had gone home, from a surgery.
In the past I have thought of going to the ER to be cath'ed, but I live alone, and there is no way I could drive. My boyfriend was with me after my sigmoidoscopy, so he ran around town to get my caths.

[cmclien]

Well thats good news
I think most of the tri-cyclics list that as a possible side effect but there are other classes of anti's they could try. Also you could try lowering your dose. Have you been on that dose for long?
Your at a pretty high dose and you might have withdrawal symptoms going totally off it at once. I think they recommend you taper off of it (if possible).

[sailawaygrl]

melhil,
that isn't good and not something you should have to live with Have you spoken to your Dr about the problem. That doesn't sound like IBS to me. You should speak with your Dr about it, possibly one of your meds is causing this as well. I can't take any of the OAB drugs or I have the same problem.

[ginaaa22]

Well thats good news
I think most of the tri-cyclics list that as a possible side effect but there are other classes of anti's they could try. Also you could try lowering your dose. Have you been on that dose for long?
Your at a pretty high dose and you might have withdrawal symptoms going totally off it at once. I think they recommend you taper off of it (if possible).

My gyn in the vulvar clinic keeps upping my dose of elavil. I used to only take 25-50mg but it wasnt helping with my pain so they keep upping it. My uro said to stop completely. I dont think what was happening was retention. My bladder muscle wouldnt push it out, like i had no control over it. It didnt hurt, other than the fullness and pressure of the bladder. I was so uncomfortable I couldnt sit down. I have a post op apt with my uro on march 22, so I'm sure she will change up my meds (so hopefully they work). I'm so ****** I just bought a 3 month supply of elavil and the 25mg tabs to keep upping my dose on a titration scale. It could be the atarax im taking. Idk...I'm just glad I can pee again.