Liquid retention? Kidney Failure symptom ?

Posted , 2 users are following.

I'm an 18 year old male, about a month or so ago I urinated blood, that same day I went to the doctor after calling because of it. They took a urine sample and had told me I had a UTI, they gave me a prescription for antibiotics, I had to take two per day for ten days which I did. The blood in the urine cleared up that same day, before I even started taking the antibiotics. I had no symptoms that I was aware of and only found out about the UTI because of the blood in the urine, so I could have had the UTI for some time. Aside from the antibiotics, I got a renal/kidney ultrasound, which was done last Wednesday. Today I found about the results, apparently I have some fluid retention so they're referring me to a specialist, which I've yet to see. I've heard fluid/liquid retention is a symptom of kidney failure. Does this sound like something serious? Should I be worried? Is all this reversible or is it only going to get harder for me? I have very bad health anxiety issues and hearing about all this really worried and stressed me out. 

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Posted

    My understanding from my symptoms and experience with the doctors and my own research is that urine retention is a bladder neck or prostate problem. mostly in older men (I'm 67). Because I don't void completely my urine can stagnate in the bladder and change from sterile to bacterial. That can then causes occasional bouts of urine infection (treated with antibiotics once samples have been tested to know which antibiotic is most likely to be effective, but that the UTIs can cause strain on the kidneys which causes the deterioration in Kidney function. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who can correct me if I have this in the wrong order!

    As regards your situation, I think there must be something unusual going on for you to have these problems at such a young age. I thought urinating blood was a sign of kidney problems, so it may be that there is something serious happening in your body. I would urge you to be vigilant and make sure you follow all medical advice so that your condition can be fully investigated. Easy to say, but as long as you and the doctors are doing your / their best, worrying is unnecessary and will get you nowhere. I wish you well.

    • Posted

      Isn't urinating blood also a common symptom of a UTI though? A few years ago, when I was about 14, I had a similar incident, I urinated blood and had some some aching on my testicles and groin area. I was referred to a nephrologist after seeing some other specialists and I don't ever remember hearing anything negative about my kidneys. They never even discovered the cause of the blood in my urine, they didn't say it was a UTI or anything. I was told it could have been just a popped vessel, etc something along those lines. This is the second time in my life that I've urinated blood but this time they confirmed it being due to a UTI. I am also a bit overweight, which I have started dieting and exercising due to it Maybe that can explain the liquid retention? Thank you for your insight. 

  • Posted

    I was only describing my own experience, which is clearly different, and maybe not too helpful. I've had a number of UTIs, but never obvious bleeding because of them, so I assume it isn't always a symptom that goes with the infection. My urine gets cloudy when I have an infection, which I believe is dead white corpuscles struggling to fight the infection. When I did have blood in my urine (after a prostate biopsy), it was brownish.

    An older (female) colleague of mine died of kidney cancer and her first symptom was blood in the urine, so I'm conscious of the need always to make sure blood in the urine is investigated in its own right. Sorry, I'd rather be reassuring you, but I fear I could be contributing to making your worries worse!

    • Posted

      The tests I had done a few years ago never said anything about bladder/kidney cancer. I also asked my doctor about the blood in the urine and she told me it can be a common symptom of a UTI, after researching on the internet I also found many others saying the blood in their urine was a result of a UTI. Of course not everyone with a UTI will have blood in the urine as a symptom. But I will surely keep checking on the with the doctors and seeing the specialist, hoping it's not anything serious. I appreciate you taking the time to reply, best wishes. 

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.