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Bladder Urinary Retention Causes and Cures

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randy_85492
randy_85492

Bladder Urinary Retention, aka. Postoperative Urinary Retention and POUR, is very common and can be precipitated by the anesthesia and opiates administered just before recent operations including lung, prostate, and other operations, especially. if the patient is 60 years old or older..There are other medical profile indicators, ie. high blood pressure, that could also cause the patient to be a high risk for POUR...The Cures include Self Catherization, Behavior Modifications & Techniques, Medications, Neuromodulation, etc......to learn more GO TO anesthesiology wwbsite of the Journal of the Society of Aesthesoologists......A lot of surgeions are unaware or have forgotten that POUR is a high risk for specific and primarily older surgery patients.....FYI - I have POUR that was precipitated by the items mentioned above during a lung cancer operation in June, 2016...Neither the lung surgeon nor 2 urologists since know how to treat the POUR...As a result, I've been on a Direct Straight Catheter since the operation, because my bladder muscle will not function and, as a result, I can't VOID, Pee, as I should......This information may help you if you are experiencing Urinary Retention too...I hope this hel;ps!...

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26 Replies

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  • hank1953
    hank1953 randy_85492

    Posted

    Hi Randy,

    From my experience, constipation can aggrevate urinary retention just as much as BPH.

    Blocked up feces can pinch on the urethra just as much as the prostate squeezing on it.

    I suffered from both BPH and constipation, now only BPH.

    I currently self cath (thanks to jimjames, he inspired me and many others)

    3, 4 times a daybecause of the high retention even though I can void normally.

    I tried to avoid constipation by watching what I eat and consume more fruits and vegetables.

    I am also taking 4mg Doxazosin and 5mg Finasteride daily, waiting for a miracle drug or surgery.

    Hank

    • jimjames
      jimjames hank1953

      Posted

      Hi Hank,

      Glad the self cathing is working out and happy I was of some help. As long as you're self cathing 3-4 times/day why not drop the Doxazosin and Finasteride and see how it goes?  Even if it meant you had to cath another 1-2 times/day, it might be worth it by ridding yourself of the side effects of the two drugs. 

      Jim

    • hank1953
      hank1953 jimjames

      Posted

      Thanks Jim,

      I think I will try just that. I will slowly decrease dosage of Doxazosin to 2mg a day first and see how it goes.

      If can can still void naturally then I will go further.

      Anyway, you are my hero from what you contributed to this forum. You made a big difference to many of us, in a positive way.

    • jimjames
      jimjames hank1953

      Posted

      Hank,

      I would give it at least a few weeks or more, even if your natural void decreases, even signficantly. A decreased natural void shouldn't do your bladder any harm as long as keep total volumes in your bladder under 400ml one way or another, regardless of what per cent of the void is natural versus catherized. That volume can easily be controled by your cath frequency. Also keep in mind that it may take a little time for your system to adjust to being off your current drug dosage, so you may find the natural void volume coming back after time. .

      But even if it turns out that you need to up your cath schedule longer term, I think you owe it to yourself to find out whether your life is better off with a more frequent cath schedule (and without the drug's side effects) or whether it's better off now with the drugs. Or maybe something inbetween. 

      Jim

    • hank1953
      hank1953 jimjames

      Posted

      Thanks Jim,

      I do not have much side effects from doxazosin and finasteride (maybe not yet). Yes, there is RE which I do not mind. And the low blood pressure and dizziness which I resolved by increasing my sodium intake (still fairly low comparing to the average).

      So I am not really desperate to cut down all the meds yet.

      By the way, I am also thinking about reducing my liquid intake to lower my retention. Right now I am taking about 2 liters of liquid plus foods (with a lot of fruits and vegetables). What do you think ?

      Hank

  • oldbuzzard
    oldbuzzard randy_85492

    Posted

    What you describe is common, but usually resolves in a couple of weeks. You should see a urologist about it - and would be much better off self cathing at this point, As long as your on a Foley, your bladder won't get any excercise or improve. If you self cath, you can try to pee each time and after awhile, you'll start to be able to - slowly at first. Some PT to get the muscles working again might help too.

  • Howard31850
    Howard31850 randy_85492

    Posted

    Hi Randy - just want to ditto what all the guys are saying here about self-cath. I had a failed PAE 10 weeks ago and had suffered AUR a few times. I do not have a median lobe but my prostate is 300gms and my PVR is 300ml. Jimjames and the gang saved my life. The coude tip is the key. Please do yourself a favor and try their advise - it is better than all the uros in the world. Good luck. Neil
    • hank1953
      hank1953 Howard31850

      Posted

      'Jimjames and the gang'. How endearing yet accurate. Hah hah.

      Hank

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