New Member Can't Sleep Due to Constant Urge to Urinate - Seeking Help

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Hi All,

I am a female in my late 20's who started having bladder issues about 3 weeks ago. I've had a history of UTI's so when I felt the frequent urge to go a few weeks ago, I naturally assumed it was a UTI and started a course of antibiotics. Upon going to my primary care, all tests and cultures came back completely negative (not a trace) and after a week of antibiotics, I still had the constant urge to go and unlike a UTI, I could actually void every time versus the normal drops.

I have now cut out all caffeine and am only drinking water throughout the day, but I still feel the need to go often. While it is tolerable in the day time, I am very quickly losing my mind at night as the need to go is preventing me from even falling asleep. I am up every 30 minutes or so just to void a large amount, try to sleep, only to be kept awake due to the feeling of needing to go, and repeating on a loop. In addition to the feeling of needing to go, I feel quite a bit of bloating in my pelvis and quite a bit of pressure in my bladder. My doctor thinks it may be OAB, but I don't have any incontinence, just the never ending urge and need to go. It almost feels like the water is going right through my system and exiting out my bladder fractions at a time. I'm scheduled for an ultrasound next week, but it doesn't look like I will be able to see a urologist until next month.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do in the mean time? Beyond even just functioning throughout the day or maintaining relationships, I am desperate to just be able to fall asleep and not be hyper aware of where my bladder is at all times. I'm really terrified of what may be wrong and if I'll ever be able to feel okay again.

Any help or advice is appreciated and thank you so much!

 

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Two ideas. Bite the bullet and get a box of diapers, see if you can sleep if you know you aren't going to wet the bed, or something. Hey. It might be worth a try. Temporary fix, maybe. Off the top of my head, you might be a candidate for one of those catheters, but that is a medical decision only a doctor can make.
Sleep deprivation is dangerous. Jack up those doctors. It might not be safe to drive, for example. This is what happens with Sleep Apnea. I had a captain of a passenger ship who used to fall asleep in his chair when we were transiting dangerous waters that required the total attention of the guy steering (me) and the guy tell him what to do (the Captain). He had no idea he was doing that, even when we woke him. There were 850 passenger lives at stake. I use my sleep Apnea CPAP machine religiously. He finally got one. Just a little denial, there. You (I talking about you, here, not just me and my captain) can go to sleep standing up. Not sure how to get the doctors' attention, but find an advocate, if you have to. Pull his/her nurse aside and get it across. Go bitch at the hospital administration or clinic administration. Might be a sleep study, same as for Sleep Apnea, would light a fire under these people. Pound on some desks. Go to a social worker, maybe. Patient Advocate departments exist at some hospitals. Maybe you are bad enough, some night, to go to the ER?
It's important. None of us wants to read you got in an accident or something. Let me repeat my self. Sleep Deprivation is dangerous. Make them help you, or get someone who is good at pounding on desks. If polite doesn't work, maybe you really should pound on some desks. It's important. You're important.
God Bless.

 

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I am a 73 year old male. I developed frequency/urgency problems in 2010. I sought the help of a good urinary practice. They started with medication and followed up with procedures such as: cystoscopy dilation, urodynamics testing, implanted Interstim device, and finally REZUM procedure for enlarged prostate. Things are much better now.

Women have a high risk of a condition called "prolapse". That's where organs start falling through the pelvis area.

The important thing is to use a urology specialist with lots of resources available; that is, a group of urologists with various talents to draw from. A PCP is not enough. They know a little about a lot of things, and should know to refer you to a good urologist practice.

Trust in Jesus as your savior - not on how good or bad you have been.

 

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My issues started with symptoms just like yours. I was having urinary retention which was causing those issues. I would follow the recommendations above. I unfortunately have not found any success resolving my issues which now include incontinence but I have talked to a lot of urologists and neurologists. Unfortunately they each claim the problem is the others to resolve.

 

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Sorry about your issues. Find a uro-gynecologist and make an appointment right away. They specialize in female related pelvic and voiding issues. If you live near a major city, the large academic teaching hospital will likely have this type of clinician. It might be OAB but they can do tests to rule out other issues and start on appropriate treatment. Good luck and stay positive.

 

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I have the same problem. I sometimes have to get up every 15 minutes, all night long. I do not have incontinence either, just OAB. Somehow, my bladder has shrunk to the size of a walnut. I can feel the pressure when I need to get up and go. Psychologically, I don’t think a diaper would help in my case because I always wake up when I feel the need to go. I am a very tired person. I have asked my family doctor for sleeping pills, but he doesn’t want me to take them. I plan on asking my Urologist for some and we’ll see how that goes. I need sleep! If you find a solution, please let me know.

 

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Psychologically, I don’t think a diaper would help in my case because I always wake up when I feel the need to go. I am a very tired person. I have asked my family doctor for sleeping pills, but he doesn’t want me to take them. I plan on asking my Urologist for some and we’ll see how that goes. I need sleep!

Even if you wake up in any case, actually physically getting up and out of bed to urinate is a lot more disruptive to sleep than just doing it in a diaper in bed. Eventually you may find you only half wake up in order to use your diaper, or don't even remember yourself doing it... it's possible you might even start wetting your diaper without waking up, I know you may not want to train yourself for involuntary bedwetting, as that comes with its own issues but it might be preferable to frequently interrupted sleep.

 

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I totally feel your pain. I get up about 5 times a night to pee. I have sleep apnea but use a cpap. I use a weight blanket. I have tried totally cutting out caffeine and I have had the Rezum procedure but nothing has helped. My urologist wants me to get the interstim but I have been resisting. Some people on this board have said that marijuana helps the OAB overnight but I have not tried that yet. The only positive words I have for you is you are NOT alone. Keep trying new things. I believe eventually we will find something that will help. Good Luck!

 

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@Kathylp

Your primary doctor should be horsewhipped for not prescribing meds to help you with your symptoms. That's the problem with doctors - they don't have any answers - and they don't want to cooperate with the patient either and that leads to no progress or solution

 

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Have you considered diet as a cause? I started a new Topic called Diet. Up all night peeing. I read somewhere that the bladder gets irritated by certain foods and drink. I think I am on the mend. Apples!