Liquid Intake and Urinary Retention

Thanks Arlington for sharing.

Hello all! I like to share a personal story on how too much liquid intake can be harmful. Two years ago, one day, for an unknown reason, my blood pressure skyrocketed together with an accelerated heartrate. So I went to see a doctor, who prescribed blood tests. Everything was normal except for my kidney function which was slightly declined. The doctor decided that I was dehydrated, gave me BP meds, and at next visit, told me to "drink at least 2 liters everyday".

I told the doc that I already eat lots of fruits and vegetables but wanted to be well, I dutifully followed her order, drinking at least 2 liters everyday for many weeks. The next several follow up visits found my blood pressure became higher, yet the real trouble was my kidney function kept on declining further. One day, months later, the doctor and several of her peers declared that I had chronic kidney disease (CKD), and high BP was a result of CKD, and told me to prepare for kidney dialysis.

I kept meticulous records of my health, including what I eat I eat and drink so I went back and told my doctor that my BP and kidney worsened since I started the 2 liters a day. She said : "No way!".

Since dialysis was approaching, I decided to take a chance and cut down on my liquid substantially and oh my God, my BP started to decline. Further kidney scan that I requested showed my kidneys flooded (hydronephrosis). My old kidneys and bladder could not handle the amount of liquid that I was pouring in. It was the first time that I found out that I had urinary retention. I took me months for my BP and kidney function to come back to normal. I would not be surprised that someone else in the same situation, with blind faith in doctors, would be in dialysis by now. Perhaps if you are young and active, and don't consume lots of fruits and veggies like I, you would do fine with the 2 liters a day. But to make an unqualified statement that how much everyone should be drunk, can be dangerous. Hank

I would agree that there's definitely a happy medium between too much and too little liquid intake.  It could probably go up or down a bit from what the docs say - depending on the individual.  It is just necessary for so many bodily functions.

Had bad news from uro.  She knew this beforehand but didn't tell me.  I have kidney disease.  It was also in my first ultrasound report.

My GFR is 41.  Apparently should be 60 or higher.

Uro said prolly from over-intake of liquids, or as a consequence from the cathing et al, including the bloody incident and Foley infection(s), or urine blowback to the kidney (just a wild guess on my part).  I rarely drink alcohol.

So, I will follow the book, Healthy Prostate, from now on.

Btw, I got accupressure (seeds in the ear with tape) from a TCM practitioner, for kidney, and prostate. 

On my last few cups of TCM herbs.  Taking Flowmax, as backup.

I am sure your ultrasound will be okay because of CIC. Also you are right on about too much liquid can cause electrolytes problems. Thanks for sharing your mom's story. I wonder how many other people have had problems with that 2 liters a day advice. Hank

Just wanted to add that I was told to drink 1.5L of water an hour before my scans today. I told them I have BPH and that would put me in retention especially if I have for the scans which is common. They didn't know what BPH was and told me "those were the rules"! We have to take charge - there is no one size fits all. I will drink 2  500ml bottles spaced over 2 hours and take my catheters with me.

Thanks Hank - fortunately I was taken 30 minutes early but I could not void afterwards so I went to the 5th floor of the hospital and found a private bathroom and did my catheter. I would estimate it at 500ml and it looked just like tap water - no color at all. I only drank half of what they wanted (750ml) but the technician said that was fine. As ken always says we need to take charge of ourselves! One thing worried me that the she asked me if I had ever had a prostate biopsy for PCa? I told I have had 4 over the years and all were fine. She just said: Oh. I didn't enquire further but I hope all is well. I have a week to wait for the results. Howard

Today, my uro said to "secretly" not tell the US technician that I didn't drink any liquid.  My uro said don't drink any;  if you do, you could go into retention.

I drank a cup of tea though.  The technician didn't say anything as she did scans.

Everything OK!