My Health update ...

I

icklemoley

Cathlete
So some of you will remember that just after Christmas I was complaining of peeing too much. I went to the Doctors who told me that I had an irritated bladder and to take these tablets. Which I did and they gave me horrendous kidney pain. Put up with symptoms for another few weeks, went to see another doctor who told me I had NSU (basically an STD!!!) and to take these tablets for a month. Which I did. During that time I had 3 days when I didn’t not need to pee on the hour. However the symptoms came back…so I go back to the doctor who say’s you probably have prostatitis and take these antibiotics for 6 weeks!!! He never even checked my prostate to see if it was inflamed! This to me was not good enough. So I booked an appointment with BUPA (private medical) and they did a prostate test, no prostatitis! Nor NSU (STD). He told me that I would need to go for tests, xrays, pee tests, and other nasty testing to see if I had a blockage (cancer). This was last Wednesday…nothing showed up on the tests. So he then said “it might be an overactive bladder” and try these tablets and see how they go…I did, and I got the kidney pain back…plus I’m still peeing on the hour. This has been one of the worst times in my life. Not knowing what to do about this…

The strange thing is, I’m no longer woke up in the night to pee, which is very good, so I’m only effected during my waking hours. Specialist told me that perhaps this is “all in my head now” and I’m making my symptoms worse??? But he clearly can not feel this intense “tingle” that I have to pee, all the time. It takes over everything.

I’m sorry to bore you all, but I need to vent.

Thank you for your time.

Wayne.
xxxxxxx
 
Wayne, just a thought, but have you had any lower back injuries recently or any groin injuries? I have had problems with this whole area (though not peeing) for over a year and a lower back injury can apparently make you more susceptible to pelvic floor problems.

Have you thought about seeing a nurse/physio that deals with bladder problems - if you have had an injury then bladder retraining could be the way to go. The fact that you are not getting up at night to go is a good indication that you can voluntarily control your bladder which is good news for you and may point to the fact that retraining therapy can help.

HTH
Liz N
 
I think it's interesting how the minute they can't figure out what's wrong, it's all in your head. It's not in your head! There are lots of illnesses that are mysterious, but that's what you pay them for, theoretically. If it were me, I would find a specialist and give them a good medical history and try again. I'm sorry you're having these problems.
 
Wayne,

Aren't you in England? Good ol' socialized medicine. I think you're going to have to pay for a good thorough exam. I hate what you must be going through~!
 
Its so strange ... you see, i have a big feeling its stress related, when i went to the specialist i was sooooo worried that it was cancer that i couldn't stop peeing, i mean going every 10 minutes, i could feel my bladder wasn't emptying. When it was over and i realised i was ok, the day after i only pee'ed about 5 times that day. So maybe it is "in my head" or "stress related" ... my life has been very different lately and i no longer have time for myself like i used too. I'm running around all the time.

The tablets i'm on aren't helping and are making me worse...peeing more, kidney pain, etc...

I've already paid a load of money and things still aren't right.

Perhaps this is something i have to deal with on my own, something that a tablet won't cure and only a life style change will.

Thank you for your support, it means alot.

Wayne.
xxxxxxx
 
I staunchly defend the National health Service. Socialized medicine does not translate into an incompetent service.

In Wayne's case, the private medicine he paid for out of pocket (BUPA) was not able to come up with a diagnosis any different from what the NHS service told him.

One of the things I like about my home country is that there will never be people turned away from hospital treatment because they cannot afford to pay, never be old people going without their medications because their pitiful pensions don't cover it, never be people sent bills for thousands of dollars for the birth of their child because as a grad student, the health insurance program offered by their university basically sucks, nor will people ever be sent bills for $200 from backwater hospitals in Montana where they received 3 mins attention for a badly swollen and painful knee from a voluntary medic and received a band aid. Both of the latter scenarios happened to me here in the US. So I say, God save the NHS.

Phew! Now I climb down off my soap box! Deb, I'm sorry to rant and I mean nothing personal by it, but there are a lot of myths out there, and the supposed inferiority of the NHS is one of them. Doctors can tell you it's all in your head no matter what country you are in. Happened to me at the U of M which is a magnificent medical teaching and research establishment. No matter where you are, receiving good medical care can be largely a patient's responsibility, a result of our own research, intuition and ingenuity and finding a doctor who will really listen.

Sorry Deb if I seem to have missinterpreted you or over-exaggerated your words. But sometimes I feel there are things worth standing up for.........

Clare, (British and proud of it!)
 
Wayne:

I am out of my area of expertise here completely. My husband is so healthy I have no experience of men in my life who have suffered similar symptoms to draw upon. So I can't advise you on seeking further treatment.

What I would say though is, trust your inner suspicions. I'll tell you why, though it has to do wtih female physiology, but the paradigm applies.

I suffered terible panic attacks last Oct/Nov. I kept going to the ER thinking I was dying and having a heart attack. I lay in bed every night listening to every heart beat, unable to fall asleep. I'd be going about my day and any time I had to sit quietly and work, again my mind would become instantly aware of my heartbeat. It got so that it was the huge anxiety surreounding the attacks (when will the next one strike? what symptoms will it bring? will I pass out in the supermarket? will I crash if it happens when I'm driving? will I die in the night and not wake up again? do I have chronic heart condition?) that ensured an attack would come on. It was a vicious circle. What broke me out of it was reassurance from a cardio specialist that my heart was 100% healthy. So, that left me to realize that some things were in my head, i.e., it was my own anxiety over the palpitations, dizziness and faintness I was having that was creating my distresss.

Actually there is a biological reason that caused the symptoms in the first place (fluctuating hormones), but to some extent, psychological response to physiological conditions can make a mountain out of a molehill. Maybe this has happened to you too.

Maybe there is a connection between your increased stress levels and your physiological symptoms. I would never discount it and current medical research is just beginning to uncover the damage we can do to our bodies by letting stress continue unchecked and unrelieved.

You say that you are running around all the time and have no time for yourself anymore. Look into these things. Definitely adopt lifestyle changes. Have you let go of your yoga routine? Take it up again. Try to ease work loads and even things you do for others so that you can claim an hour of "me" time (which is different I think from your exercise time, because exercise also is a stress upon the body) every day.

I think there comes a time in everyone's life, maybe in the thirties (how old are you?), where you have to strike more of a balance between work and play, between what you do for others and what you do for yourself. I think it may well be that the failure to do this is what your body is currently telling you. And only trial and error will prove whether this is the case or not. Give yourself a month of pampering (whatever works for you, yoga, meditation, intense movie watching, books on tape, walk amongst the sheep!!!!, jawing with friends down the pub) and see if you feel better, more in tune with the world and your life. If not and the symptoms persist, go back to a specialist.

I gave up caffeine, I sleep more, I allow myself to daydream (a lot), I give my kids more attention, I help my students, I work out, I read more for pleasure, I watch a movie a week, I eat better, more protein, less cookies, more supplements, I cut back on work time and I feel better for it. I haven't had a panic attack since November.

Try those lifestyle changes. Only you know which ones you need and can maintain for a life time.

Big hugs for the road to improved wellness and a happier Wayne!

Clare XXXXXXXXXXX
 
Wayne~Sorry to hear you are still dealing with this. How awful! I am glad nothing like cancer showed up but feel bad you are still experiencing symptoms. I know how frustarting that can be. It's also sooo hard when you keep going from place to place and still no clear diagnosis. Maybe you do need some "you" time to try to relax and de-stress. I don't think it's in your head but stress can produce some unfriendly symptoms. I know this doesn't give you any answers but know we are here anytime you need to vent. Thinking of you!!!
Your-Friend-In-Fitness, DebbieH http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/wavey.gif[/img] If You Get The Choice To Sit It Out Or Dance...I Hope You DANCE!!!
 
Hi, Wayne--

These symptoms sound like a classic urinary tract infection--has that been considered yet? I'm not sure if men get them as frequently as women. I suffered with chronic UTIs for years; I would get one, go on antibiotics and feel better, and then within a couple of months would have one again. The symptoms are exactly what you're describing--an almost constant, extremely uncomfortable, intense feeling that you need to urinate, even when you know you just went and don't need to go again. I finally saw a urologist, and together we determined (this is personal, sorry) that the trigger for my infections seemed to be sex. So, she prescribed a very low dose antibiotic that I now take immediately after having sex. This has been a miracle cure for me. It has now been over a year (I'm knocking furiously on wood here!) since I've had one. I'm not sure if this is something you and your doctor have looked into already, but, if not, I strongly recommend you see a urologist and investigate the possibility of UTI.

I'm wishing you the best of luck. I know how extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant the feeling that you're describing is. I hope you find the solution, and relief, very soon.

Take care,
Marie:)
 
Wayne,

It does sound as though you have some sort of infection....most NHS hospitals usually have some sort of drop-in GU (Genito-Urinary) clinic, so if I were you, I would enquire. Up here in sunny North Wales (!) we have this sort of service at one of our local hospitals, so I would have thought there would be something similar in your area.

I think the NHS (and this is for Clare) is a great thing, but when it was created in the 1940's, I don't think the Government ever comprehended how big it would ever get and how many people it would have to serve, which is why we are now getting these dreadful waiting lists. I do some work with another local hospital as part of my job (lawyer) so I know that hospitals and the system aren't perfect, but the specialists who work in them are usually extremely dedicated and not motivated by money. I will miss the NHS when I move over to the States this summer....

Josie
 
Hi Wayne, I'm so sorry to hear that nothing has helped. It sounded like you were getting it figured out at one point, how frustrating.
If you really think that it may all be in your head, do you think that maybe taking some kind of anti anxiety drug might help? I am just shooting at stars here, but I thought maybe something like htat might help take away the anxiety all the time so maybe it will help until you just don't think about it anymore, go off of the drug, and maybe you won't have to go all the time. Just a thought, you may not want to take a antianxiety drug.
Don't you just love us women? We are full of good advice, eh?!
Take care and good luck figuring this out.

Kathy
 
Wayne,

If anxiety is your problem, then have you tried hypnotherapy as a sort of relaxant? My DH has recently started hypnotherapy to help him out with a phobia and he finds it very relaxing....just a thought!

Josie
 
:( Wow, Wayne, your symptoms sound exactly like mine! I have to urinate every hour on the hour. I wake up at least twice a night and head for the bathroom. I am under a considerable amount of stress, so maybe this is the case with you. I have no pain on urination and was checked a year ago or so for a UTI (urinary tract infection) which turned out to be negative. I have had 3 large babies and maybe this contributes to my problem, I don't know. Any other suggestions would be most appreciated! Good luck to you Wayne and let us know what happens. I am curious!
 
Hey Wayne,

I'm so sorry that this is causing you so much discomfort and frustration. My best bet (if you can afford it) is to keep going to doctors until one of them takes a real interest, not just a passing glance. Before you settle on any doctor telling you that it's "all in your head" make sure it's a doctor that has taken A LOT of time and interest in your case first.

I believe that it may be stress related, but a doctor who knows enough to be able to tell you it's all in your head should be able to explain to you HOW stress and this bladder problem relate. If not, he doesn't have a clue what he's talking about.

Please keep us updated! And good luck.

xoxoxoxxoxoxoxoxxo
Sara
 
Thanks for all the replies everyone. I have been tested for urinary infections (negative) and STS and nothing can be found. The specialist told me that he thinks its more stress related (in my head) because a true irritable bladder will wake you up at night to pee, and I no longer wake up (or rarely). This is a good point. Clearly something has to be done, changes need to be made. My body is very sensitive lately, getting tummy upsets easily if I eat something heavy (rice – too much) or cake (fatty) then I suffer the consequence. This has never happened before. Bloating. Feeling of unwellness. My body is trying to tell me something. Perhaps I should listen.

Intensitylisa, you sound like you do have an irritable bladder as you’re getting up in the night and your urine tests are negative. Or maybe, like me, its more stress related.

Finding a solution to this isn’t easy. BUPA are very expensive it costs about £90-160 ($120-200) just to see someone, that doesn’t include exam, tests, or anything else. I have spent a lot of money and got sweet F.A in return (though I do know I don’t have cancer, so for that I guess the money was well spent). NHS are a pain (slow) but they are bloody good in the sense that if its “URGENT” you will get dealt with ASAP plus you don’t get a bill for £500 for there time. BUPA act very fast, lighting fast actually, but you’re paying for it, so … but I’m more inclined to think I’m paying for there nice cars, homes, lifestyles, etc… than I am for there superior medical advice.

Thank you all again for the support, it means so much.

Wayne.
xxxxxxx
 
Yeah, I understand the cost issue. Medical prices are ridiculous, and without good insurance anymore, it's just scary. Last year I had to pay $3,000 for half a night in the hospital WITH full coverage insurance! And all they did was keep me hydrated with an IV and feed me some crappy jell-o the next morning. That's one reason why I'm waiting until I find competent doctors (hopefully) in San Diego to attack some of the problems I have. Finding the good ones is a chore in itself.

Good luck, though, and try to relax. If you can sleep through the night without getting up to use the bathroom, you're winning against me by about 3 or 4 times :) I'm horrible.

XOXOXOXXOX
Sara
http://www.picturetrail.com/rayiisara/sblordita
 
Sara,

Whats the matter? What problems are you having? If its too personal to explain on this board, you have my e-mail address. I really hope you're ok, you have be worried now xxxxxxx
 
Hi Wayne,
I'm sorry for your plight. I know stress can cause a variety of things but I don't think it is all in your head.

I had a kind of far off thought, maybe someone else can help me with this, but I remember reading posts some time back from someone who felt that her system (UT included) had an overload of yeast. I remember that she cut out all food items with yeast and found relief. I believe there were other offending foods as well. I'm sorry this is so sketchy. The name seemed to be something on the order of candiosis. (I think I left out a syllable) Maybe someone else can help with this.

At this point in your journey, perhaps trying something 'alternate' is called for. Especially since this is about cutting out certain foods.

-joy
 
Thanks for the info Joy, i'll have a look into yeast containing foods etc...and see if there is a connection. Thank you x
 
:D Wayne or anyone, what can be done for an irritable bladder? Are there medications for this? I guess I will have to give in and go to the doc! Thanks!
 
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