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Please help, anyone
Blondith posted:
Ok, bit of background, I'm 27 years, female, Caucasian (in case that matters somehow). I've had bladder issues as long as I can remember. I've often equated my bladder to that of a pregnant hamster wearing a corset because I have to go so often. I will on average go to the restroom every hour to an hour and a half. This is also with not drinking as much as I should through the day, if I drink as much as I should I'll be going even more often. I have seen a urologist for that and they did the ultrasound and the camera in the bladder and found nothing. They tried 3 different overactive bladder drugs, nothing helped at all. I've only had 5 bladder infections (that I knew of, it's possible I had others that cleared up on their own) in my life. If I drink mint tea or take B vitamins in the morning I'll pee every 5-20 minutes for several hours (that is not an exaggeration). But I can take B vitamins at night and be ok.

A little over a month ago I started having issues where I wasn't sure if I was getting a bladder infection or not, the urgency was a bit more and I'd feel like I had to pee for about 20 minutes after I peed, then I'd be ok again. It would come and go, wasn't sure what was going on, figured it might have been my own bladder issues. I was drinking cranberry and taking the cranberry pills, until it just kept going and I figured I should see the doctor. I saw a doctor on 17th of this month (Wednesday), she said there was a trace infection, prescribed me a 3 day antibiotic, said to come back on the following Monday to make sure it cleared. We back on Monday, they said there was no infection, but I still had the symptoms. I was told symptoms can persist several days after the infection was gone (which I've never heard before) and they would send in a referral for the urologist. It got so bad that night I had to drive to the drug store and get this Azo product that is supposed to help with UTI symptoms. I went back to the doctor the next morning, was told there was nothing that could help me and basically to suck it up till I can see the urologist (HMO, referrals take a while to authorize). That night (Tuesday now) it got so bad I ended up in the ER. All the ER did was check my urine, say there was ever so slight amount of bacteria and white blood cells, and gave me more antibiotics and some ambien so I could sleep and said they can't help me and to see a urologist...

Finally saw a urologist on the 25th (Thursday), who thought it might be bladder stones. He sent me in for a Cat Scan, we got the results back today, there is nothing wrong with my bladder, no stones, nothing... The urgency is so bad at times I feel like I'm about to pee myself. Sometimes it is tolerable, but the urgency is never gone. The doctor basically told me he has no idea and if I really feel it's necessary I can come back in and we can try other overactive bladder meds. OH, he had also prescribed me some bladder relaxants and an overactive bladder drug, neither of which have helped. He told me it was probably a nervous bladder and basically sounded like he was done and gave up.

I don't know what to do. I can't live like this, I can't even sleep without pills. I can't concentrate, I'm miserable most of the time. I am clean and hygienic, I don't use drugs, I rarely drink alcohol. Does anyone have any idea what could the cause of this and what I can do to fix it?

Also, I stopped all vitamins two weeks ago when I first saw the doctor in case something there was the cause. I'm also not diabetic, they just did a full blood panel on me 3 weeks ago (unrelated).
Byroney_WebMD_Staff responded:
Hello Blondith!

I am so sorry to hear all of your bladder issues. If you can get an appointment to see a gyno-urologist (a urologist who specializes in women's bladder issues), I would encourage you to advocate with your doctor and insurance company to get to see one.

I have some articles on urge incontinence to share with you. They may give you some talking points to discuss this further with another doctor.

10 Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Incontinence

Behavioral Methods for Urinary Incontinence

Urge Incontinence: Tips for Daily Life

America Asks about OAB

Information about OAB Medications

Hopefully one of our members will jump in and share their story with you, too.

Please let us know how you're doing,

TDXSP08 replied to Byroney_WebMD_Staff's response:

I also want to warn you if No was has told you this before of something that sounds bizarre but is true- If you limit your fluid intake due to Continence issues and you get dehydrated your body will make more urine and you will have to urinate More than if you stayed properly hydrated.

2 sides of the same coin you call it in the air and no matter how it lands you lose.Our bodies are incredible but very complex, keep us informed of your quest for answers .

attheendofmyrope responded:
My 7 year old daughter has the same problems as you, we have tried every overactive bladder known to man, have had all the test run. Everything with her kidneys and bladder is normal. We are doing Bio-feed back treatments at Children's Hospital this week. I pray this works, she is miserable. I have seen her personality change dramacticly over the past two years she has suffered with this.
diaperjamie responded:
have you thought about wearing/using adult diapers???? it just might give you some is better then having wet pants on or worrying about making it to the restroom on time.i know that no one want to wear diapers but just think about okay, it might give you some peace of mind
BerSan1 responded:
I think I read something somewhere, once, that described a kind of 'feedback loop' that can happen with anxiety problems and wetting fears/urgency. Have you looked down possible psychological avenues?

Also, as someone else pointed out, holding back on water can make it all worse -- it leads to more concentrated urine that irritates the bladder even more. I'm no expert, so this is just a stab in the dark, but maybe try hydrating to recommended levels over a few days where you don't need to be anywhere, then holding on for a bit (not TOO long, though, they say that can be bad), to see if things mellow out as your body gets used to having more water. Don't fret if you wet, just take a measured, scientific approach to seeing if you can gently broaden your tolerance.

Also, if it's psychological, you might try wearing a pad or a diaper out into situations where you might worry about an accident. The idea is that it tricks your brain into thinking everything's okay if control lapses. Then, when or if nothing happens, you build towards developing a subconscious expectation of being able to be out and about without being urgent.

Update: Found a forum with some potentially useful back-and-forth on psychological possibilities; the advice about using a pad as a confidence booster actually popped up. Maybe worth a read, if you're problems haven't cleared up yet. Hope you're well!

BerSan1 responded:
Oh! It didn't take my link, or I forget to post it -- that forum:


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