Bladder not emptying

Hi Laurie @roch, I have a similar issue except I do get up at least once a night and I am also on medication to help. Mine is from BPH. Mayo Clinic has some information that may help you with your upcoming appointment or help decide to set up a specific problem appointment.

Bladder control problems in women: Seek treatment -- Recognize the warning signs and symptoms of a bladder control problem. Understand when to seek a doctor's help and how to get the most out of your visit.
-- https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/urinary-incontinence/in-depth/bladder-control-problems/art-20044228

@johnbishop , thank you for information, that is just what I needed to read and great suggestions on how to prepare for discussion with provider.

Laurie

Hi Laurie, @roch,

It looks like many of us "seniors" have a similar problem. Depending on what your diagnosis reveals about this problem, you might consider asking for a referral for pelvic floor therapy.

Pelvic floor therapists are physical therapists who treat these kinds of problems. They can offer physical exercises and breathing routines which can really help you to completely void when you urinate.

If your doctor agrees, I would encourage you to give it a try.

My husband as stage 3 kidney disease which is under good control, but has been getting up several times each night to urinate. His doctor has had him on Flomax, but is not helping so he saw a urologist lady week. He checked to see if his bladder is emptying completely and it is not. The urinalysis showed microscopic blood in his urine. He said microscopic. He had just had a urinalysis from the kidney specialist three months ago and it was normal. The urologist said he needs an ultrasound of his bladder and a cystoscopy to rule out cancer. I have looked up why one might have blood in the ursine and there are many reasons other than cancer. I am worrying as to why he suspects cancer without any other signs. Any ideas?

A cystoscopy performed by an urologist will rule out or reveal a potential problem of the bladder. I recently had that procedure performed and ruled out cancer. It also revealed an enlarged prostate gland due to my age, not interfering with the urine flow. There are a number of medications available to help emptying the bladder. As men age many will wake up several times a night to urinate. I am 89 years old and have been waking up anywhere between two to four times a night for many years. I recently underwent a CT scan of the lower abdomen to rule out any abnormalities.

Hi Anet,
There are many reasons the blood may appear in urine or the bladder not emptying. While the word "cancer" is distressing to hear, I'm glad that your urologist has ordered a cystoscopy to rule out a serious condition like @verteran1950 says. It doesn't necessarily mean he suspects cancer.

How have you been this weekend? It's hard to control anxiety over the weekend. When will your husband have the cystoscopy?

Hi, he is having an ultrasound of the bladder on September 10. The cystoscopy hasn’t been scheduled yet. Actually we had a good week-end. Went car shopping on Saturday, to church and out for lunch on Sunday. After looking up more information I feel better about his situation. Some things that I found can cause blood in the urine are blood thinners and aspirin, both of which he takes and antibiotics. He had just finished a round of antibiotics for bronchitis. He did smoke for a long time, but quit 5 years ago. I think that was part of the urologist’s concern. Also, the fact that he had a normal urinalysis three months ago and a good report from his kidney doctor seems like a plus. Thanks for responding. When I have more information I will post again.

He had the ultrasound on Friday at the Urologist and on Sunday night a report was on his portal. Some of which we understood and some not. He does have a cyst which is under 2.0 cm. It said there is evidence of renal disease which we already knew and that his bladder is not obstructed. Other terms I don’t know. I called the office to ask a couple of questions and was told a nurse would call me back. Has not and it is 4:30 so not counting on it. However we see his kidney doctor on Thursday so will see what he says.

Anet, have you had a consultation with the doctor in the meantime? What did you learn? What are the next steps?

I did not hear back from the urologist. They had already scheduled a cystoscopy for Oct 1. I still think they should have gone over the ultrasound report with us. He had one two years ago that they compared it with and it didn’t seem to show much change. We have an appointment tomorrow (Sept. 23) with the nephrologist who did the previous scan. Will take our info to him and get his opinion. We have been going to him for about 4 years and he is on top of things. Not sure about the new urologist. Our pcp sent us to him. Will hopefully know more tomorrow.