frequent urination. for 2 years!

Kidney and urinary tract
1

Okay this is a long story so will try keep as precise and brief as possible, this whole thing started about 2 years ago , i started noticing that i am going to the toilet far too often , after a week or two i decided to go to the doctors, the doctor immediately prescribed a antibiotic for a bladder infection , i completed the dose for the month however it didnt have any effect i still urinated a lot.

so went to the doctor again they arrived at the conclusion that I have prostatitis, after the test, at the time i was 20 years of age, during this period i did feel a mild pain occasionally occuring in the prostate region and also somewhat back pain, so they prescribed antibiotic for that i did complete the dose however it didnt have much impact, so i was prescribed again with a different antibiotic, during this time i did notice shrinkage of my penis size. this batch didnt work either so i was prescribed again with another batch , but this new antibiotic gave me bit of a burn during urination.

another different batch was prescribed but this time i didnt complete this batch and stopped half way, as it had no effect. By this time i started noticing mass gain on my lower back and my buttocks.and also erectile problems( i had to urinate during erections) Went to see the doctors again, they did a prostate check and found no indication of prostatisis. so all this time i didnt actually have prostatisis but did have mild pain and lower back pain which probably suggested to the doctors that i did have it. any how the doctor decided to go with a different treatment and suggested that i have overactive bladder, so recommended the urologist.

after a visit to urologist they found no infection in the bladder just so they suggested that i have overactive bladder, the doctor prescribed the drug for overactive bladder , which i took for a week then stopped as it wasn't having any effect. I went on 4-5 months without the drug, during this point i also started noticing that i was getting bit of dizziness. so i went to see the doctors this time he suggested me to the endocrinologist, who took a record of my day to day urinating frequency and my water intake and came to the conclusion that i don't have insidious diabetes and it is a overactive bladder. so i decided to give the overactive bladder medicine a go. I took the dosage it did have an effect on the bladder as i did feel the urge to go ,but as there was less muscle contraction in the bladder so i felt the urge to go but the urination flow was weak and it felt like the bladder was blocking me from urinating . so in turn it did have an effect . however had to change the drug as it gave me side effect of a dry mouth, so switched to a new one now i'm taking vesicare once a day, now this one is not having as much of and effect as the previous one. And i sometimes i feel i have developed something else.

I urinate atleast 15 times a day or more i on average drink around 3-4 litres of water and also go to the gym. , the frequency is very high and i also crunch down when i sleep, last night i even woke up because of i had to urinate , i wen to sleep at 12;35 and woke around 4;10!

on previous occasions i did have to wake up at night to urinate but the sleeping period was longer 5-6 hours but however over the duration of the 2 years theres has been times where having been woking up from sleep due to urge to urinate in 3-4 sleeping periods . sometimes i have noticed burns as well but it wasn't consistent .

there is also the fact that i have to urinate during the erections and it makes the erections not complete, so before ejaculation i would have to urinate at least 5-6 times while erect.i would probaly achieve complete erection if there wasnt this urge to urinate or if i'm dehydrated . there is also this shrinkage of my stem of the penis flacid or erect. During the 2 year period i have had many test done which were all negative, so this includes diabetes, urine test, blood test, t3/t4, STD test. everything was all negative and i dont have diabetes, stds or any blood problem.

This has been going on since 2011 march till now in 2013, so please help! I'm male of indian-bangaldeshi descent and 22 years old. I am now as i said on vesicare taking once a day.

2

Rahul,

I've had frequent urination since I was in my 20's. I'm near 70 and have found nothing to fix it. I would say first you are drinking too much water. I drink about 2 liters of liquid a day and go 12 to 15 times a day. I get up 2 to 5 times anight. I have tried vesicare and similar drugs but the dry mouth and drop in blood pressure wasn't worth it. I believe the problem is probably arelated to the bladder, maybe a small bladder or an easily excitable bladder. I have learned to live with it. You may have to as well.

3

Hi there. I had something similar to you. At 28, out of nowhere, I started having to urinate every 2 hours. I couldn't sleep. I tried every medication under the sun. I also have a weak flow of urine since this occurred. I don't care so much about going during the day. In fact, I can go 6 to 7 hours at times without having to go during the day but the nights would kill me as I could never sleep. My self-esteem was terrible as I looked constlantly tired and I was often sick. Finally, after 7 years of suffering, I tried using a catheter in the evenings. I was always opposed to catheters but finally gave it a shot. I can't even feel it going in actually. Get the 8mm ones though. They're very thin. I purchase mine through LoCost Medical. It's about 90 cents per catheter. Buy some medical tape to make sure it doesn't move around. In fact. I staple the tape just beyond the tip to make sure it doesn't come apart. They'll tell you that you need to buy the more expensive ones (about $3 each and much more painful to insert) but I've been doing it for 2 years now and have been fine. My life has truly changed after using these at night. I get 5 hours of sleep with no problem, don't feel a thing, and have no urgency to pee. Best of luck.

4

Tim I'm not clear on how you use the cath and tape. Do you have a bag for the cath to empty in while you sleep? Or does cathing before bed empty you out so you don't have to pee again for 5 hours?

5

My cath goes straight into a bag that I hang at the edge of my bed frame. I put the cath in and empty at the toilet before I go to bed. After I empty, I slide the cath about another half inch up (if I don't do this, it doesn't empty and I wake up). I then dry the the cath right near the tip. I then place about 2 inches of tape on my penis and and 1 and a half inches at the base of the catheter. I actually put one piece of tape on the front and back. I then staple the tape at the base of the cath. Before I did this, the tape would often loosen and the cath would slide out. I literally don't feel anything and my health and confidence are back.

6

Tim, 

I'm glad you found something that works well for you. I use a disposable 1 liter urinal in a basket by the bed. I've trained myself to get up in the dark, stand at the side of the bed, use the urinal, put the cap back on the urinal and get back to sleep. I try to think of nothing but my pillow, and just open one eye to check the level of the urinal against the light of a digital clock before going back to sleep. For me, I can get up every few hours and get back to sleep in seconds. I've used foley caths before after my prostate procedures and it is nice to forget about getting up to urinate.

7

Tim, hope you're still around on here. I see it's been a year since this post. I get up 15 or more times a night also for nearly 10 years. I get about 15min. of sleep a night. Rarely, a half hour.  I'm thinking about your post on the catheter. Do you need a doctro to get one? I asked my urologist once about it and he said no because of risk of infection...end of discussion. I tried all the medications and i can't tolerate any because of side effects. Let me know if your still on here.

8

Pat,

It's not clear if you are a male or female. Anyone can buy and learn to use a cath without a prescription, but there is a chance of infection. The foley cath is anchored with a balloon in the bladder so it can stay in place for several weeks.For a male a better solution might be to use a condom cath and sleep in a recliner. The condom cath can be attached to a night bag. It pays to figure out how much urine you are passing at night so you can buy a big enough bag. I think the night bags can be 3 to 4 liters if needed. For males or females, super absorbant diapers is another option, but they only can hold about a liter. I tried them for a few nights but they only lasted about 3 hours for me. When I got up to change I felt like I needed a shower.

9

Bob,

I am glad i came across this forum by accident again. I didn't know I had a reply on here.  Im male. I get up about 10 or more times a night for the past 8 years. I've seen urologists....nothing helps. Not meds, not even this damn inter stem device they implanted 3 years back. He told me to come back in 6 months to see him.    I'm considering buying a catheter (i asked him once and he said no, that would cause infections). But I have to do something. I don't and cant' sleep in an upright position. But if I used a catheter, I wouldn't be able to roll over at night since it with interfer with it, right? And could i try emptying my bladder just before bed and then take it out?? The DR. tells me that i AM emptyhing my bladder well.  (when I go at night it's small amounts, but many many times). I need to do something. I've had like half hour a night sleep for 8 years. I have no idea where to begin with a catherter. Can you give me some ideas?

10

Hi Pat,

I was having this problem about twice a week for a year. I went to a urologist, a GP, a heart doctor, and a kidney doctor, and none had a clue.

Normally I void about a liter in a night. I use two 1 liter bedside urinals next to my bed, in a pail with a plastic lining. I can stand up next to my bed in the dark and urinate and get right back to sleep if I only go 4 or 5 times in a night. But from Sep 2014 to Sep 2015, twice a week I was passing 2-1/2 to 3 liters in 5 hours, getting up 15 times or more. Getting up that often (every 20 minutes) meant I was up all night without sleep until about 8 or 9 in the morning when I could get 4 hours or so.

I've had 5 prostate procedures in the last 5 years, a TUMT, 2 Greenight lasers, a turp, and a follow up to the turp to stop my bleeding two weeks later. In all of these cases I needed to wear a foley catheter for a week to two weeks afterwards. Wearing the foley at night, I have to sleep on my back. I can't roll around because I could disconnect the tube from the bag.

If I had your condition I would use an external condom catheter which is like a heavy rubber loose condom that is attached to a sort of athletic supporter or jock strap. A tube at the end of the rubber condom goes to a bag. With this device you can pee in your sleep and not wake up. However this is not a tight fit so I would only use it in a position where the urine will only flow downward to the bag on the floor, and not flow backwards out of the condom onto to your thighs. The ideal position would be in a recliner where you are partially reclined and the urine would only go down.

The big advantage of the external condom is it is not inside you. In your position that is what I would try. I have an external condom and holder and bag but never used it. Since September I have only been having the all night incidents about twice a month, so I just live with it.

What reduced the incidents from twice a week to twice a month is a bed time routine I follow. I think there is a cycle of insomnia and frustration that increases the urination on the all nighters. I think my routine breaks the cycle. My routine is as follows. At around 1 AM I take a warm shower, brush my teeth etc. At 1:30 AM I sit in the living room and read a novel with a 7 ounce glass of Chianti. At 2:00 AM I pour a second glass and take it to bed, where I sip it while listening to old time radio mystery shows on my internet radio. By 2:30 to 3:00 I start to drift to sleep and sleep until 9"30 to 10:00 AM. During the night I use my bedside urinals 4 or 5 times and get right back to sleep each time. When I stand up to pee I'll peek at the digital clock on the cable box just to know how much longer I should sleep. I try not to have any thoughts except about my pillow while I am up for that minute or so.

Surprisingly this routine has worked for me. The doctors had no advice and nothing else I read on the internet helped either. But if I had an allnighter every night I'd use the external catheter and pee in my sleep. It wasn't hard to learn to pee in my sleep when I was wearing the diapers, but they didn't work out because they became very uncomfortable when filled in just a couple of hours. If you do try the diapers, you can get super absorbant wones that hold a liter. You have to wear plastic underpants with elastic on the legs at night though, or the diapers will leak onto the bed.

Bob

11

Bob, glad to see your still on here. Thanks for the reply. I can't use an external one. I can't even "go" when I get up...i have to relax for 5 min, before i can go. So, laying down is impossible. I'd have to use an internal one. I'm kind of worreid about it though. I'm not getting it thru any doctors. And worried about an infection (that hurts!). I'd end up going to the emergency for something like that and it's a fortune to pay them. Besides, my wife refuses to pay for anything i do..another story.

So, IF i used an internal one, for one thing, I'd have to reuse it again and again (wife problem) because I couldnt' afford using a new one every night. I think you can sterlize them pretty well.....

 

12

Another thing is that even though I'm just peeing a VERY tiny amount most times, I still feel that "pinch" that is so irritating. I have a feeling it's other things too. I have non stop gas (not nasty smelly, but just bowel gas that never ends and I know it's contributing to all of this. It's the pressure of it against "something". After I get up and go, i can tell exactly that is what it is. I mentioned it to the dr. ..he just really ignored that. BUT..........the cathter I think would still help ALOT because i notice that after i go, their's no gas for 20min.So, if i could TOTALLY and continuously keep the urine out of my bladder, i think the gas would also stop alot. I hope I didn't say too much here, but i need alot of words to explain it.

13

Hi Pat,

It looks like your choices are limited. It also sounds like you have bph (an overgrown prostate) or else an overgrown bladder mouth that is restricting your urine flow. It sounds like you need to be tested by a urologist with a cystoscope to determine what is causing the blockage. 

I would think the urologist would install a foley catheter for a month or so to at least let you sleep. Some men are on the foley catheter for years, getting them changed once a month. They are inconvenient since you need to wear a 500 ml. or 1 liter leg bag during the day and switch to a larger bag at night. But at least you should sleep without interruption.

Good luck.

Bob

14

Well, the Dr. should know, but he's not telling me. I can't tolerate any of the meds.

Can I buy catherters without a prescription from a dr?

Can you give me some advice on them...what kind, what size, lube with it?? What web site? Thanks

15

There's two types of catheters, and you can buy both from a medical supply store or on amazon without a prescription. 

The foley catheter is inserted all the way into the bladder (about 12 to 14 inches inside) and about 20ml of water is injected into the second (short) tube. This inflates a small plastic balloon at the end of the tube inside the bladder which anchors the catheter in the bladder and keeps it from falling out. To remove it, the water needs to be removed from the balloon with a syringe, or by cutting the short tube and letting the water drain out before pulling the cath out slowly. The foley cath is used as a semi permanent day and night cath that generally stays inside you for a week to a month before being removed. There is a leg bag (either a half liter or a liter size) attached to it to continuosly drain urine from the bladder, day and night. Usually the leg half liter bag would have to be emptied several times during the night, so a one liter leg bag, or a larger 2 liter night bag can be attached to the bed frame, lower than the mattress to drain all night without being emptied. The Foley catheters have the largest diameter, anywhere from 18 to 24 FR.

Single use catheters are inserted all the way into the bladder (about 12 to 14 inches) and drain the bladder and then are removed. If your bladder or prostate is not blocked a 12 FR is a comfortable size. But if either the prostate and/or the bladder mouth is blocked, the 12 FR can be too flexible to push through, so a more rigid 14FR size will work better. The caths I have used in the past were hydrophillic caths. They are about $1.50 each and can be ordered mail order. The hydrophillic caths are packed in sterile water and become slick in the air so no lubrication is needed. I bought mine at Best Buy Medical Supplies online. The brand and sizes I used were:

28416 Coloplast® Speedicath® Male Straight Intermittent Catheter 12Fr, 14" L, Pre-Lubricated, Hydrophilic Coated, Sterile

and

28416 Coloplast® Speedicath® Male Straight Intermittent Catheter 14Fr, 14" L, Pre-Lubricated, Hydrophilic Coated, Sterile

You really need to do some research on line on how to insert the single use cath. The first time is tricky and it took me a couple of tries to learn how to gently push it all the way to the bladder without puncturing any tissue. You may see a couple of drops of blood in the cath when you remove it.

I wouldn't feel right giving you any supplies because I don't want to be responsible if you get injured. You need to do your own reading on this. I'm just letting you know wht I did. Everyone who does self cath has to learn either from a nurse or doctor or on their own.

16

P.S.

Those model numbers should have read 28412 Coloplast for the 12FR size and 28414 FR for the 14 FR size. The 28416 Coloplast I cited above is the 16FR size.

17

Thanks for the info Bob. I'd prefer to buy the reusable, but 18 to 24 sounds quite alot bigger than the one's that are not reusable. Must be a reason for being bigger and I suppose it doesn't necessarily mean they are TOO big. I should try one, then I'll know one way or another.

18

Their isn't any reusables that don't use the balloon? Is their any risks using the balloon?

19

Neither are reusable. The foley cath, with the balloon, is meant to stay inside you for up to a month. It is not re-usable. Once it is taken out it is thrown away. Generally you need to tape the tube that goes into your penis to your thigh with a couple of inches of slack, so you don't accidentally tug on the tube that is inside you. You need to use the water injector (a plastic syringe that connects to the short tube) that comes with the foley to inflate the ballon that is inside your bladder after the foley is inserted and urine is flowing, with about 20ml of sterile water that comes with the kit in order to anchor it, and you need to remove the water with the injector before you remove the foley. Another way to remove the water is to cut the short tube and let it drain out while standing in a tub.

The baloon is sort of like a donut allowing urine to pass thrugh the center out the tube, but large enough that it wont pass back through the bladder mouth.

The single use Coloplast hydrophillic caths (no bag, no baloon, no lubricant needed) is also not re-usable. You use it once (like before bed) drain your bladder and throw it away. They cost about $1.50 each.  The foley kit with the cath, leg bag, water injector and sterile water is about $15.

Concerning risks, if you force the cath in you could puncture your urethra, prostate or bladder mouth. The fact you can't urinate easily may mean you have some sort of blockage already. With a blockage, the cath might not go in easily, or you may not be able to get it in at all without injuring yourself.

That's why you need a urologist to examine your urine path from the urethra, through the prostate, into the bladder, to identify any blockage, before you use a cath. Ideally he could put in a foley and leave it in for a month to see if you will get to sleep like that.  

If you do it on your own, read up on it. Look at diagrams of the prostate and bladder so you know where the cath is going. There are also online instructions on inserting and removing both types of caths, There is some resistence in putting in a cath the first time. It has to be put in slow and easy, without forcing it. Once it enters the bladder and goes in another half inch or so, urine will flow freely into the foley bag, or into the toilet with a single use cath.

20

I don't believe I have any blockage. I've gone consistently to urologists a long time..years. They know. He's told me I'm emptying my bladder well everytime I do the urine test just before seeing each time. I've had the cyst turp procedure done a couple times, but that's been several years ago.

I have a interstem device (battery implant) done about 2 years ago and it's worthless. I turned it off a couple months ago and their's no difference at all. So, i am sure I don't have any kind of blockage. Of course I'll be super careful if i do go thru with buying one on my own. I've had these in me before (cyst turp procedures), so I'm familiar with tthem.