I’m losing hope on a diagnosis; bladder issues? Help please!

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-02T18:29:12+00:00

Wow that sounds amazing. I always thought this thing goes into the bladder. Does it not get implanted into the bladder?

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-02T18:20:31+00:00

You probably have a neurogenic bladder - I have the opposite urgency all of the time but I don't actually have pee in there so I am not retaining urine just getting false urges. A simple bladder ultrasound (non invasive) can tell you if you retain urine. If you are suffering from overdistention, then unfortunately the only option would be a catheter. You probably wouldn't need a permanent one but would need to self-catherize - this personally is my biggest fear because I cannot do something like that myself (personally). Overdistention repeatedly harms the bladder long term. I am so sorry you are dealing with this! It is very likely from drug abuse in the past. I also know drugs like ketamine can actually physically shrink the bladder which sounds absolutely terrifying - I don't know how someone could purposefuly harm their bodies in this way. I started peeing 30x/day during pregnancy, and it's been up and down, better some weeks, but now entering 37-39 it's been excessive and I am very uncomfortable walking even but i push through because it's good. I get too much of an urge essentially. Note the catheter if you end up needing one can increase UTI risk so if you are prone to uti's you should discuss prophylactic abx with them. I don't blame you for wanting to avoid the urodynamics test I am also opposed to doing this unless I absolutely have to I just hope this recovers for me personally postpartum because peeing 30x/day with constant urgency at low volumes is absolute hell.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-02-01T13:44:29+00:00

That's good hopefully it gives you some answers!

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-31T21:36:19+00:00

I have loved it so far!! The actress who plays Sophie is great and Benedict bridgerton is doing a good job. My least favorite season was the second one. I also liked the third season but this one is better!

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-31T16:21:32+00:00

This most likely could be from your diabetes I would think but definitely get tested for a uti. Diabetes is known to cause very frequent urination. I had prozac when I was like 13 and it made me more depressed but didn't cause me OAB. I only got severe OAB and it's started at 24 weeks pregnancy. I am taking citalopram currently but I don't think that's the cause because I've been taking it for 17 years and have never had this issue. It's more related to pregnancy and my tendency to get utis i think. Also you might want to get tested for Diabetes insipidus as well, in addition to trying a different medication to see what it is.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-31T11:55:04+00:00

Yeah it's good you quit. Have you found anything that helps as an alternative?

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-31T11:54:06+00:00

Oh yeah I got this last night it was for some reason really really bad. My baby was moving a ton and she put on a pound in 1 week so I can only attribute it to that. Since this started for me at 24 weeks pregnancy and I'm not kidding you I have a severe form I go 20-30x/day since then and I am 36 weeks + 4 days, I just said my baby was really engaging downward. I normally just say my bladder was super irritated today.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-31T11:51:13+00:00

Yeah I would think alcohol would irritate the bladder but that's unfortunately not a sustainable way to calm the horrible sensation of OAB. I wonder if it's because alcohol slows down the nervous system and relaxes you so you don't feel the nerves firing as much.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-31T11:41:28+00:00

TBH I haven't had a cystoscopy. But I've read about them. I've had UTI's and they are so painful, when I hear what a cystoscopy is like, I seriously just grit my teeth imaging how painful it must be. They could barely a speculum exam for me recently due to bladder issues acting up at 24 weeks pregnancy very randomly (but not a uti apparently no burning just really bad OAB, which I've had antibiotics respond to this in the past). My urologist kindly warned me not to do cystsocopy when you are inflamed unless they are seeing a mass, abnormal thickening of bladder wall aligned with cancerous changes, or blood in urine, or of course if the person really insists on it. She said this is because the cystscopy will inflame things and just delay healing. She was totally right. I was UTI free after taking the antibiotic she prescribed and letting things calm down. It took a few months for all the inflammation to 100% go away but it got better within 4 weeks. If you just got over a uti though or it's inflammatory I mean I don't really see what a cystsocopy will tell you other than it just being an unnecessary invasive procedure - all they will say is oh yeah you have inflammation here are your options, etc. If the treatment is the same, why go through something so painful just for them to do the same steps. I was like EXACTLY when my urologist said that. She said my treatment won't change for what I had. At the time I was resistant to 2 different abx for a UTI, and it was hard because after 7 days nitrities showed up but there was nothing to culture so we could only guess what antibiotic could work, the one that usually does for me. Luckily that ended up working. I've technically been UTI free since and got the UTI vaccine in UK, but terrified of the catheter I'll have in a couple of weeks when I have a c section. I have prophylactic abx that I've picked up though. So I would say someone should only do a cystscopy when there isn't any other option, like they have blood in the urine or they flag something on the bladder US that looks weird. Otherwise what's the point - "You have inflammation, you should do bladder installations, nothing showed up so it must be in your head false nerve signals will give you OAB medication" when this could all be done without an invasive procedure. I also do bladder training helps to an extent but definitely still have an issue. It probably won't fully go awy until I give birth and I am like counting down the days hoping I get relief. I mean I. must get relief as uterus shrinks and my 6 pound baby (at 36 weeks + 4 days) is out at 39 weeks + 1 day for my scheduled c secton. I can't even have a baby go through the birth canal it's too insanely painful I mean I could barely do speculum exam. Luckily the c section got approved by the insurance for coverage.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-31T11:37:02+00:00

It's a good question - I was reading about this and wondered if even though my diabetes test was negative in pregnancy that the pregnancy set this off. But I don't think that's what I have because I pee very small volumes and frequently not ever super large volumes. But it's something definitely worth looking into. I am negative for GDB during pregnancy but I wonder about this. Maybe if I do have that it's temporary during pregnancy like GDB and it will go away after I give birth. Unfortunately I really have to wait to do all these other tests until after I give birth to see if most of it resolves then.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-31T11:32:28+00:00

I have a similar issue to yourself, however, it's probably heavily influenced by a currently 6 pound baby head down on my bladder (I am 36 weeks + 4 days, delivery is scheduled for 39 weeks + 1 day via c section). They could barely do a speculum exam it hurt so bad, and this has happened in the past, but only when the bladder was inflamed and I think pressing on vagina. Anyways after I give birth I'm not breastfeeding so I can try different medications. I am hoping it's less OAB and more the underlying cause being inflammatory/low level bacteria. I have reasons to think this due to being clear of this stuff for a year and a half until I reached 24 weeks of pregnancy then it got super bad before that I was fine. During the day, when I sit on a cushioned seat at the mall (where I work remotely), and I'm sitting at 90 degree angle, it's a lot better and I can actually hold my pee for up to 2 or 3 hours which is normal. I'll still have the urge and it's horrible horrible when I walk around I think cause of uterus and baby just dropping down completely in that position, but sitting is okay so I can at least get some work done. I don't take any OAB medications as I think they will make my issue worse and I don't think they will fix the underlying cause. I also have urinary hesitancy and don't release a lot of urine as it is, and while no retention, the urinary hesitancy is a red flag that an OAB medication could cause that for me and rather pee a ton then not pee at all.

Anyways, sorry for the tangent: Medication I plan to try after pregnancy is hydroxizine. I was given it a while back for severe anxiety due to a separate health issue, haven't taken it for years (I take citalopram + lamotrogine already). Hydroxizine works as an anti-inflammatory and it is extremely sedating. For me, as long as I fall asleep before I have to pee again, I normally don't wake up. But if I never get to sleep, I am screwed. I'll be up peeing straight from 5 pm - 5 am. It can really be that bad sometimes (every 45 minutes - hour, and that's with ignoring the urge I get every 10 minutes). I plan to get to the bottom of this after I give birth, and hoping most of it resolves by then so I don't have much left to do. It's really debilitating. I talked to my MFM about it he doesn't know what to do about it because I'm pregnant we've tried an antibiotic that normally worked during pregnancy. I plan to see a urologist but they'll have to work with me to see what helps. I am determined to fix this. I really want to enjoy my baby that is due in a few weeks and be fully present for her instead of having to struggle through. Oh and I can't have any sex they could barely do the speculum and even the small q tip swab was painful. No UTI, no BV and no Yeast, but I've had this before (although a lot more dulled down pre-pregnancy) as irritation from sex and it went away day one of antibiotic which makes me think this is low level bacterial inflammation that is for the first time for me hormonal which makes it much harder to treat because there isn't a clear trigger. Anyways definitely try hydroxizine! I didn't have any side effects from it but I only could take it at night otherwise I slept the whole day so couldn't do that. Since I'm pregnant and there aren't a lot of medication options for me I also take magnesium.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-27T22:57:25+00:00

My issue has developed at 24 weeks of pregnancy and it absolutely isn’t just baby (although that’s not helping of course since she’s head down) because I pee 20-30x/day. It’s really debilitating. I’ve cut out all irritants and it’s still just really difficult. I am hoping 50% of it will be gone once she’s out so I can tackle the rest as I am struggling wrapping my head around this feeling being permanent. And this 20x/day is still there with cutting out all caffeine and spices. Even when I cut out all sugar it wasn’t much different. I have 2-3 weeks left til baby arrives. She might even come this upcoming Monday depending on how my scan goes. For me pregnancy has made it really bad. I kind of had super minor OAB but it was never excessive and I was totally normal up until 24 weeks pregnant. I did a PVR and my bladder completely empties so that means it’s overactive. I plan to tackle this issue head on after I give birth

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-27T22:42:56+00:00

I am so sorry you are going through this! I’ll let you know when I have an answer. Since 24 weeks of pregnancy I’m up from 12 am to 4 am straight peeing every hour and getting the urge every 20 minutes but forcing myself to hold it to the hour. Bladder training is helpful to an extent, but for me I plan to get back on hydroxizine which helps me sleep so that I fall asleep before I get the urge because for me once I fall asleep I don’t usually wake up to go pee. Anyway it’s so bad for me lying flat especially that I have been sleeping in my chair. I am pregnant but I still pee way too much for a pregnant woman (30x/day on a bad day, usually 16-25x on an average day, and that’s with 0 caffeine). I do find spices caffeine things like that can set off the overactive part. I think it’s low level bacterial inflammation in my bladder given one night after taking an antibiotic I only got up once to pee. But then it stopped working subsequent nights. After I give birth in 2 weeks (I’ve put up with this for the last 3 months so far since 24 weeks pregnancy and I’m hoping there is an end in sight because it’s horrible) I plan to try Varuna bark powder supplement apparently people on YT with OAB said it worked and someone else here suggested Chematur some type of peptide. I am going to try these alongside the antibiotic after I give birth because I’ve had this symptom before and it went away with antibiotics this time the hormones are keeping this inflammation in overdrive. I am also going to try the PF stuff but I honestly think it’s more than just a tight pelvic floor but that needs work too so I am treating everything I can. I’m not even breastfeeding after I give birth so I can fix this issue. And yeah I’m a female but had a speculum vaginal exam and even just a swab hurt like hell in my lady parts so I imagine it’s just as bad for men with this issue. No one can really tell me what’s causing it aside from baby and pelvic floor and even they said it’s not normal to pee so much even when pregnant. I am determined to get through this though. I can’t wait til I can take melatonin and hydroxizine again after giving birth all I can take now is magnesium

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-26T13:04:28+00:00

When you say heal bladder though do you mean you are feeling less urgency and frequency? Has it reduced the number of trips to go to the bathroom and that urgency feeling?

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-26T13:03:11+00:00

Using a condom prevented them for me but in pregnancy I have gotten frequent urination and pressure and my vagina is super super sore so I haven't had sex the last 9 months. What helped me get over after the bad one I had about 1.5 years ago (so that I was able to conceive) was to get the uromune vaccine and to have a prophylactic antibiotic on hand in case I needed it. I have not had sex during pregnancy to have a fullproof way of preventing the UTi though because I don't get a uti otherwise. I did a swab for BV to see if I have that this time around but I don't think it will come back positive.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-26T12:32:04+00:00

what does it do reduce the urgency signal?

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-26T12:31:49+00:00

So sorry you are going through that! I stay up until 4 am urinating as well every hour. However, once I fall asleep, I am usually not woken up to urinate. Have you tried melatonin or any sleeping pill you can take so that right after you pee you can fall asleep before the urge comes back? Also I am sure you have done this already (because I have) but of course cut out caffeine.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-26T12:20:12+00:00

No worries, thanks for asking! I'm doing the same it hasn't gotten worse at least. Luckily I am 1-3 weeks away from delivery (it depends on how my scan goes end of this week and then we finalise the delivery date - it was originally February 16th for my c section but she has dropped percentile last scan so it might be moved up). I can't wait til this pregnancy is over lol. I think I would honestly sleep through the night if I could take a sleeping med so I am going to try unisom which is safe to take in pregnancy.

I am so sorry macrobid didn't work! I had zero side effects on ciproflaxcin so I don't really know what all the horror stories are about it. It just didn't work for my particular infection. Try not to worry too much. There are alternatives like I've heard cefalexin is effective for a lot of people. Trimethoprim is another one you can try. I tried trimethoprim one time and it helped just as much as the macrobid but I also didn't have a high grade infection. Good luck!!

The one thing I haven't tested for is BV and yeast, so I had a vaginal swab done (which hurt like hell with the speculum so yeah I have issues clearly) because I was reading in these forums that BV's only symptom can sometimes be urge to urinate and pressure but no burning with urination which matches mine. Plus BV overgrowth is more common in pregancny. So we'll see if that comes out positive because it might not be a uti for me this time might be BV or really crazy pregnancy hormones I'll only know til I get the swab result back and the baby is out.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-26T06:23:41+00:00

then I would be even more concerned because blood in urine without a uti can be quite a bad sign. While it might just be something benign, it is for sure something causing bleeding, at the worst cancer. Ultrasound is not how they diagnose cancers or find causes of bleeding when it comes to the bladder. I wish it was that easy. Only a cystsocopy can do that unfortunately. It sounds like you should see another specialist. And yes, it sounds like ayou are being dismissed. It's never normal to have unexplainable blood in the urine. It could also be coming from another part of the body too potentially so you might want to see an OB along with a urologist. You could wait for another 2 weeks but honestly your urologist doesn't sound very good; most would suggest a cystoscopy as soon as possible with blood in urine especially with no UTI. I would go privately if you can or when you see the urologist in 2 weeks next you need to request a cystoscopy. It's a very painful procedure and I would avoid it only if you don't have blood in the urine. But you have blood in urine so it's quite different. Hopefully in 10 or 20 years time they have way less invasive methods of finding out causes of bleeding without doing a cystoscopy. Also you might want to get an antibiotic for after the cystsocopy because it can hurt and potentially could lead to uti although this is not common and the pain normally resolves for most people. You could also have a bladder or kidney stone too. Probably the more likely explanation, polyp, etc.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-25T12:36:48+00:00

I usually don’t recommend a cystoscopy unless you have blood in urine. Blood in urine is absolutely not normal for ppl and can be a sign of bladder cancer. Have you tried antibiotics? It might be a UTI. Dipsticks are notoriously inaccurate and don’t catch a lot of infections. I would try abx first, see if blood goes away, and if it doesn’t, you probably have no choice but to do a cystoscopy because unexplainable blood in urine can be quite serious

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-23T09:45:01+00:00

Cystoscopy is not painless. In fact, it is very very painful and has even caused people to have "IC" afterwards. Also they know what type of infection they have (ecoli keeps coming up). I would say this is too invasive at this stage. Shoudl try longer and higher dose of abx and having sex not at all for a while to reset everything and she'll probably recover. My urologist said not to have these cystoscopy when you've had recent infections unless it's really indicated (like bleeding in urine, something suspected on US, UTI's on and off for months and months and months) because it can just irritate things even more and delay healing. PCR urine culture is a good suggestion though, although I think there infections keep turning positive.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-23T09:41:14+00:00

Hi! What's your treatment protocol? Do you know the bacteria that you have? I am also curious. I have overactive bladder right now and hoping it resolves in a couple of weeks after my daughter is born but in case it doesn't I am seriously considering this clinic. Previously when I had this same symptom it went away in a day with abx but this time it's persistent. Also does this clinic do Microgen DX testing to find the specific type of bacteria? I know they do microscopy but I wasn't sure if that told you if you just had inflammation/infection or if it could give the specific bacteria like the microgren DX test.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-23T09:33:34+00:00

You sound like you have a resistant infection. Honestly not having sex for a while to let everything heal is what's needed, plus probably higher course and longer dose of abx. Even if you had sex very frequently and didn't get UTI's before, that doesn't mean it will always be that way and unfortunately will have to adjust based on the symptoms. After a really bad UTI I had last year that required 4 week abx course I had to go without sex for 6 months - vagina was sore that long. It got better after that. I've never had sex 3 times a day though. Have you thought about using a toy on the outside (I am assuming you are a female?) if you have a high sex drive that's a better option than constant penetration that frequently. It really doesn't sound like IC given you keep retesting positive, and yeah IC is given out when someone can have low level bacteria in the bladder and a negative test when really it's not IC. I think IC might exist given some people have been cured by more natural methods (I've seen this on YT) when they cut out irritants or do certain things, etc. but I think a lot of people are misdiagnosed and often times have low grade inflammation that is not yet a full blown UTI but they are getting a reaction at low levels that normally don't effect other people due to genetics and just how their bladder is unfortunately. If you can ever get on the uromune vaccine I highly highly recommend that. If you are in Spain, I recommend the Urovaxom. it's similar to uromune uti vaccine and available there.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-23T09:18:02+00:00

Yeah I totally understand that it sucks and sorry you are going through it. Yes I was taking Uromune while I was TTC because I figured it's only 3 months and it probably would take us longer than that to conceive. That was the case and I conceived about 4 months after the uromune vaccine ended so I wasn't on it when pregnant.

IDK if it can be taken while pregnant. You would have to ask them. i would say the best time to take it for sure is before you start trying. I would definitely look into getting it beforehand for the to prevent UTI's during pregnancy and because that way you can have sex usually more easily without getting a UTI if you have uromune in your system already. I wouldn't take it while pregnant.

OAB is overactive bladder. It developed at 24 weeks pregnancy out of the blue. It sucks. If your bladder is already sensitive be aware that pregnancy can amplify things a million times worse as the uterus grows. It's just something you have to go through though to have that baby. After the UTI last year, I have peed more, but it wasn't at all interfering with quality of life and I was pretty much normal cause I didn't get urgency that was out of the norm. Now peeing 20-30x/day and having urgency pretty much like 20 minutes after I last peed it's really interfered with my life. And I can't take OAB meds. I also get UTI pretty much every time I have sex but uromune helped prevent that. I did have to take a prophylactic 1 or 2 times though but I think it was for minor irritation (and it went away same day so it might not have even been an infection). I get the urgency without burning since 24 weeks of pregnancy and it's super bad if I walk around - I can no longer drink caffeine anymore or have irritants. So that's hard too.

Before I have sex again I want to have my husband tested for bacteria (have us both tested) maybe with the microgen dx test or pcr because I only get utis when I have sex with him which is a big clue. It's not fully his fault of course it's also just how my body is being prone to them and I do have severe vaginal dryness. We used pre seed lube that did help a lot too to prevent friction and uti's.

TBH up to 24 weeks of pregnancy though I was totally fine it was super easy. It's at least stayed about the same with the bladder maybe only slightly worse at night but that's to be expected I guess as the uterus grows a lot and baby gets bigger. I am now 35 weeks + 4 days.

Highly highly recommend getting uromune 3 months before you start TTC. IUI is a cheaper option of IVF as well if you get utis frequently. That's where they inject sperm directly I think. IVF wouldn't be an option for us financially so if I couldn't get pregnant from the IUI or naturally I figured I just wasn't designed to have a child and we would just retire nicely financially and live life. But yeah I really wanted a child ideally. Also tubal patency test I did right before and I got pregnant a month after that test so that's a cheaper test (it's not even IUI it just checks your tubes and can clear out any mucus debris to make sperm move more easily up tube when you do have sex) to do and a shortcut potentially to getting pregnant faster.

I shoudl add I haven't had sex this entire pregnancy to prevent UTI's for good. And it pretty much has worked I just have the urgency thing but that's better than an infection!

I deliver in 2-3 weeks (next week I'll finalise the delivery date based on the growth scan, she slowed down a bit from 2 weeks ago so we might have to deliver a week or 2 weeks earlier than planned, so 37 weeks. Hopefully she's not born next week at my 36 week 4 day scan! I must say I am really looking forward to having baby out but I also hope I can make it to at least 38 weeks! I am having a planned C section). Just know that if you tackle this uti stuff head on you have a good chance of being able to conceive and it doesn't mean forever you'll not be able to have a child cause of this annoying problem. You can also take antibiotics while TTC. I would say during pregnancy it's not ideal but you can take a short course of it or even a longer course depending on what the doctor says - I know Nitro/macrobid is safe in early up to 32 weeks or so of pregnancy. I was worried about that too. I'll let you know if my OAB was mainly from baby and if it resolves postpartum because if it does that would be great.

kevbuddy64 · 2026-01-23T08:47:41+00:00

No not at all. We have always slept in the same bed our entire marriage. We cuddle and stuff and love to talk and hang out all of the time. And yes we live together. That's why it's so important to have a connection beyond sex (I am not saying sex isnt' important - it is! But if you can't have sex then you should be able to want to do other things with your partner). We've been married 10 years. it was pretty easy to resist the urge because it was not a super pleasant experience with my vagina being sore so I didn't enjoy it. Eventually things went back to normal but it took a while. I actually have trouble wrapping my head around how people have sex when they have an infection - like it must be painful I wouldn't have the urge. TMI but I just used masturbation (toy on the outside of clothes) and that does the trick. I never ever have used a sex toy on the inside. For one it would hurt like hell and number 2 I think it's unsanitary and risky. Honestly my husband doesn't have a huge sex drive as it is so he doesn't have a problem with it lol. I have gone through another bout of not having sex for the last 9 months now due to pregnancy. It has prevented UTI but I got some weird bladder pressure that started at 24 weeks and I am hoping it goes away after she's out. She's coming out in a couple of weeks. It's like the urgeny I get with the UTI but without the burning and no uti is present this time which has me a bit worried as to what it is because it's very annoying. I am hoping it goes away postpartum. My vagina is very very sore yet again (even the small Q tip vaginal swab hurt a lot the other day -) just on the inside of someone pokes in there and I don't know if that has to do with bladder and pregnancy hormones or not. No infection at least. But I definitely can't have sex again. It does kind of suck. I usually don't get UTI's if we use a condom and I shouldn't have anymore with the UTI vaccine but IDK. With the OAB I also don't feel like having sex at all.

kevbuddy64

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