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Problems urinating

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User
Posted 13 Sep 2019 at 20:40

I finished 20 sessions of radiotherapy 3 weeks ago. Started having a hard time delaying the flow of urine when the urge comes. This has only gotten worst as the the last session. I have resign myself to wear incontinence panties.

One of the problem is that some days I have to pee often (every 30 min) for a while then the urges are like every 1 to 1 1/2 hour. So I have to have access to a bathroom close bye. Otherwise, well it goes in my panties.

Finally the flow is often a trickle and it hurts to get it started. And I often little at a time it seems.

I would very much appreciate feedback from people who have been through this before I call the office of my radio oncologist. Is this normal? Will it get better with time?

Andre

User
Posted 14 Sep 2019 at 00:32

Agree on going back to radiotherapy department - you should have a number to call in case of any problems.

Starting to pee before you expected to is an expected side effect of the RT weakening the two urinary sphinters. This is exactly what the pelvic floor exercises are intended to counteract.

Slow flow and pain could be a stricture caused by the RT. Frequent peeing could be due to incomplete voiding (not emptying bladder).

Try practicing double voiding. When you finish peeing, wait 20-30 seconds, and then try peeing again. Keep doing this until there's nothing left to pee (except the tiny bit of new urine your kidneys will have generated since last time). You may find you empty your bladder better if you sit to pee, and to avoid stressing out over it, take your phone and browse social media or something to take your mind off it.

You might find drinking cranberry juice helps with the stinging (but not a large amount, as that will make your urine more acidic which might also cause stinging). It might also reduce the chance of a UTI catching hold if you are incomplete voiding - it makes it harder for bacteria to attach to the inside of the bladder and urethra, and more likely to get washed away with the urine.

 

User
Posted 14 Sep 2019 at 02:10
Double voiding yes, I do this but have a Diverticulum which tends to retain urine. However, the advice I was given in an incontinence clinic was that once you are pretty sure you have passed all the urine was to hold on as long as possible before

peeing again. It was referred to as 'Bladder Retraining'. I was also advised to only have decaffeinated coffee and tea. By about 10 weeks after RT, my urgency and frequency was back to pre RT experience.

Barry
User
Posted 14 Sep 2019 at 08:00

A

Might be worth getting a urine bottle with a measuring scale on it and check your output and flow. You will probably be asked to do a three day diary of input, output and leakage. 

Thanks Chris

User
Posted 15 Sep 2019 at 03:09

Thanks to all of you guys for the replies. I feel less alone in my journey to recuperate.

Andy, I have been making my own cranberry juice for days now. You are right it is hard for the stomach, so I have decided to drink it every second day. As for voiding, I think it is a great idea to try and retry. My instinct was telling me that I might not have been emptying my bladder. I will start that tomorrow and I will let you know the result.

Hi Andrew, guess what last night I decided to drawn myself by drinking lots of water and would you believe I started peeing without any pain and with a good flow. I don’t think I would win a pissing competition,  but hey I’m 75 years old. But I still pee too often, every 30 min to at most 1 1/2 hour. Oups except last night i woke up only 3 times to pee in 8 hours and no pain and good flow. Let see tonight...

Chris, as you can see, I have a good part of the problem solved. So for now I will postpone the doc. Hope to  get the frequency lowered somehow.

Again thanks all of you and good night

André

 

 

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User
Posted 13 Sep 2019 at 23:39
Sounds like you have an irritated bladder, suggest you go back to your doctor.
User
Posted 14 Sep 2019 at 00:32

Agree on going back to radiotherapy department - you should have a number to call in case of any problems.

Starting to pee before you expected to is an expected side effect of the RT weakening the two urinary sphinters. This is exactly what the pelvic floor exercises are intended to counteract.

Slow flow and pain could be a stricture caused by the RT. Frequent peeing could be due to incomplete voiding (not emptying bladder).

Try practicing double voiding. When you finish peeing, wait 20-30 seconds, and then try peeing again. Keep doing this until there's nothing left to pee (except the tiny bit of new urine your kidneys will have generated since last time). You may find you empty your bladder better if you sit to pee, and to avoid stressing out over it, take your phone and browse social media or something to take your mind off it.

You might find drinking cranberry juice helps with the stinging (but not a large amount, as that will make your urine more acidic which might also cause stinging). It might also reduce the chance of a UTI catching hold if you are incomplete voiding - it makes it harder for bacteria to attach to the inside of the bladder and urethra, and more likely to get washed away with the urine.

 

User
Posted 14 Sep 2019 at 02:10
Double voiding yes, I do this but have a Diverticulum which tends to retain urine. However, the advice I was given in an incontinence clinic was that once you are pretty sure you have passed all the urine was to hold on as long as possible before

peeing again. It was referred to as 'Bladder Retraining'. I was also advised to only have decaffeinated coffee and tea. By about 10 weeks after RT, my urgency and frequency was back to pre RT experience.

Barry
User
Posted 14 Sep 2019 at 08:00

A

Might be worth getting a urine bottle with a measuring scale on it and check your output and flow. You will probably be asked to do a three day diary of input, output and leakage. 

Thanks Chris

User
Posted 15 Sep 2019 at 03:09

Thanks to all of you guys for the replies. I feel less alone in my journey to recuperate.

Andy, I have been making my own cranberry juice for days now. You are right it is hard for the stomach, so I have decided to drink it every second day. As for voiding, I think it is a great idea to try and retry. My instinct was telling me that I might not have been emptying my bladder. I will start that tomorrow and I will let you know the result.

Hi Andrew, guess what last night I decided to drawn myself by drinking lots of water and would you believe I started peeing without any pain and with a good flow. I don’t think I would win a pissing competition,  but hey I’m 75 years old. But I still pee too often, every 30 min to at most 1 1/2 hour. Oups except last night i woke up only 3 times to pee in 8 hours and no pain and good flow. Let see tonight...

Chris, as you can see, I have a good part of the problem solved. So for now I will postpone the doc. Hope to  get the frequency lowered somehow.

Again thanks all of you and good night

André

 

 

User
Posted 15 Sep 2019 at 13:42
It's early days yet, Andre. Generally speaking, RT symptoms can be expected to peak around two weeks after the end of treatment and then start to wear off. I had horrendous issues with needing to pee frequently at the end of my RT in March this year, but I was back to normal after about 6 weeks after treatment ended. I'd give it another few weeks and go and get in touch with the support team at the hospital where you had your treatment if you're still having issues then.

Best wishes,

Chris

User
Posted 15 Sep 2019 at 23:45

Thanks Chris for your comments. I find my hospital staff did not give me much info on to what to expect. Lucky for me I have you guys to bounce things off and to learn from the experience of people who have been there.

Today I went playing petanque with a group and I ended up leaving early cause I kept peeing every 20 min or so. Lucky I was wearing those incontinence full panties. But still it really bothered me as I was afraid it would start to leak through and wet my pants... Not fun!

tomorrow i will start to measure all water in and out and individual amount of pee. I have a feeling that I pee as much as I drink and that water goes right through me! I read that an average adult bladder holds around 300 to 400 ml .  I don’t think I empty my bladder every time I pee and I want to know objectively so I can know if I am improving or not. And of course continue exercises to reinforce my bladder exit muscle.

No pain when peeing anymore. Thanks guys 

André 

 

 
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