[shezbut]

I have been battling this bladder/bowel issue for a freaking year now. I have seen a urologist, gynecologist, gastroenterologist, and (of course) my internal medicine doctor.

All have done tests and none can find the cause of my misery. The past month or so have been horrible! My sleep cycle is all f-ed up, as I wake every few hours to pee. The sleep is the longest time I can go without peeing. My bm's are frequent but very small. Not normal imho. But, what do I know?!

Every day I have this heaviness and discomfort deep and low inside of me. Peeing doesn't make it feel better at all & sometimes seems to irritate it more! Sex is another big trigger for discomfort, so I've been avoiding that. Yet, I'm often overcome with an intense need to pee. Sometimes just 5 minutes since the last time that I peed.

Urine samples galore (all normal), CT scan, upper and lower endoscopy, blood tests. For what? Nothing! Just so I hear that I should drink less water before bed, drink more water, avoid spices, get regular exercise, eat lots of fruits, veggies & whole grains, blah, blah. I already do all of that! WTF??!

I can't stand it!! What on Earth can I possibly do to make this bladder/bowel (whatever!) problem/s go away??! I do not see ANY hope in this getting better.

Adding insult to injury, I just got back from the Gyn doc. He says to me, "You have had a lot of abdominal surgeries. Five ~ that's a lot." I am nodding my head in agreement. He then reiterates, "I mean five surgeries is a lot!" No sh88 Jack!! Does he think that I wanted the freaking surgeries?? The first was a myomectomy, where they had to get a bunch of tissue growth out. The second and third were c-sections, because I had been warned that my uterus was not strong enough to go through labor from the myomectomy. I had my tubes tied because I knew that I couldn't handle another pregnancy physically or emotionally. Lastly, I finally got a complete hysterectomy 1 1/2 years ago to remove my adenomyosis misery. I tried all sorts of alternatives before my hysterectomy ~ they didn't work for me. What other choice did I have? Like I actually enjoyed surgery? NO!!

The Gyn says I only have ovaries and a cervix, there's nothing else that he could help me with. Real nice!

[Visioneer]

His job is not just "uterus". I'm surprised he would say such a thing, that there's nothing else he could help you with. Wow.

Wish I could help. To me, it sounds like a bladder or urethral infection, or injury from a previous infection. However, I am not a doctor, and obviously you have been tested for that. The symptoms just seem familiar. You've never had blood in your urine (even microscopic hematuria or hemoglobinuria), or lower back pain, nausea or fever for seemingly no reason? Never passed a kidney stone?

The only other thing I could suggest is kegel strengthening, and bladder training ie. practicing holding it for at least an hour, if it's possible, and seeing if you can lengthen that interval over time. When you get used to urinating so frequently the urge comes more often, and it's possible to desensitize yourself a bit with practice.

Good luck, this doesn't sound comfortable in the least!

[lynn P.]

I'm sorry you're frustrated ((shezbut)) - its very hard when a person has problems and the doctors have no answer. Maybe the doctor was saying "5 surgeries" as if to say there's lingering problems from that...IDK. When doctors can't find reasons why, it must be awkward for them to I suppose. Still there must be something and they just need to find it.

Let me ask you a few questions - have you been having repeated bladder infections the last year? The reason I ask is sometimes the nerves on the bladder can become ultra sensitive and react to the slightest bit of urine in the bladder. Another thought - sometimes as women age and from pregnancies, the bladder can fall a bit into the vaginal area - sometime it can even bulge into the area between the vagina and the hind area (sorry for being specific) but I can't explain it any other way. When this happens the woman can't empty all her urine because the bladder in an awkward position. Imagine if you're holding a pouch of water a certain way - not all the water comes out.

The next thing to look at is bladder sensitivity from food - some people with gluten problems get sensitive bladder. The link I'll give later says that diet soda drinks can cause this too - do you drink diet soda. Have you been tested for gluten problems?? Are your bowel movements loose or constipated. I also suggest you started taking an 'acidopholis supplement or at least eat yogurt daily. Here's the link:

http://www.livestrong.com/sensitive-bladder/

[lynn P.]

Also has the doctor ever mentioned you might have 'interstitial cystitis'?? It sounds like this could be the problem.

http://www.uptodate.com/contents/pat...itial-cystitis

[shezbut]

Hi lynn,

Thank you for responding with ideas and the informative link.

I did have one bladder infection this past year, but I was put on antibiotics a few times, just to be sure that the infection was gone (even though test results were clean, IM doc chose better safe than sorry method).

I had actually thought that my bladder had dropped because the pain is so low and sharp. But the Gyn found my bladder up high. That was a surprise to me, especially since I don't really have anything left to hold the bladder up. But, apparently that isn't a cause either.

I don't know if I have been tested for gluten problems. I don't drink soda at all. I am a water drinker and a couple cups of milk daily for calcium.

My bm's are very firm and constipated. I can't figure that part of it out either ~ as I get daily exercise, eat whole grains, fruits and veggies, and drink lots of water. I have tried drinking Benefiber, but I haven't had any real positive results yet & it's awfully sweet. So, I'm not drinking it regularly.

I have also looked into interstitial cystitis, and can relate to a lot of the symptoms. None of the doctors have pointed out that possibility ~ maybe because I don't have the "burning" sensation?? I don't know

I felt this way a few months ago and canceled my appointments, feeling that they were pointless. The misery of the last month gave me motivation to find some relief and I scheduled today's appointment with the Gyn. Now he feels that the urologist would be more suited to look into the cause. And I feel like giving up again.

I actually find myself wishing that I could have a catheter, so I wouldn't have to feel like this anymore. My bm's remain a mystery. The GI doc didn't seem real interested in my case either. He said that I'm getting older and it isn't unusual for people my age to have to get up in the night to pee. Went on to say that there's absolutely no connection between bladder and bowel troubles, so move on. Whatever....I'm So tired of this mess. Now I'm feeling sorry for myself, so I'll be quiet.

Thanks again for your quick response with the links!

[shezbut]

Thank you for your quick response Visioneer.

No, I haven't had any of the possibilities that you listed. No blood in urine, no kidney stones, no back pain, nausea or fever.

I have been doing kegel exercises ~ maybe not as often as I should . Just every time I see the word/s, I am reminded to keep practicing. I am also trying to make myself wait...even when I'm suddenly overcome with an intense need to pee. I squeeze my muscles, and sit on my foot to put pressure on the other side. My eyes well up with tears, face becomes red for a couple of minutes, and then the intense need to go NOW passes. Don't know if that's the right thing to do, but it's what I've done. Because I can't move when that feeling strikes. Wherever I am, I quickly kneel down and squeeze with all of my might to make it through.

Am I overreacting to the situation? I just feel like the doctors think that I enjoy tests or something. I surely don't ~ but I also can't stand living with these nonstop intense sensations, I don't know what to do!

Thanks again, Visioneer. I greatly appreciate you taking the time to respond to me!

[sunrise]

It sounds really complicated, shezbut, and like there are several different things going on. I hope you can persevere and find some help. I think this does sound like it is outside of the scope of your gynecologist's expertise. I agree the best person for the pee problems is a urologist. The symptoms you describe sound like urge incontinence, and this is not uncommon--did any of your docs mention that possibility? There are medications that can be prescribed to help with the urge incontinence. Did any of your doctors suggest this? Also, as has been mentioned, one of the first things a doc might recommend for urge incontinence is bladder retraining. There are also special physical therapists you can go to who deal only with this sort of problem. They can help you find the right muscles to work on--sometimes a woman thinks she is doing Kegels right but isn't--and help you get started on an exercise program for those muscles. Even if you think that bladder retraining and Kegels won't help your particular problem, you may have to go through these steps before the doctor will be willing to progress to the next intervention.

I think the best person for the bowel problems is a GI or internal medicine doc. You said you've seen one GI and it wasn't helpful. I would ditch that doc and go see another GI person. The situation you describe does not sound normal. At the very least, there are other ways to add bulk to the stool to help with passage than with benefiber. I am surprised they would not tell you this. You might also try going to a nurse practitioner for the GI problem. My father, who recently died, had a lot of bowel and constipation problems in the last years of his life. His doctors could have cared less, as if this were unimportant and beneath their talents to try to help with. It's something a person deals with every day of their life, it is not unimportant! Nurses were much more responsive and seemed more knowledgeable about my father's problems. They knew different products he could take to add bulk, help with stool passage, etc. And they were willing to sit down with him and listen, and pay more attention to these quality of life issues.

I would also ask if you are taking any medications that could be causing constipation or affecting your bladder muscles or nerves. For example, opioid painkillers cause constipation, as do iron supplements. And lots of medications cause urinary retention and may affect the bladder muscle,s ability to contract and relax.

Good luck, shezbut. I hope you'll keep trying. Now at least you know that the gyn is not the right doctor for these problems, so you can cross her off your list.