urge to urinate frequently

I have suffered from irritable bladder since I was 17. It started with a bout of cystitis and has never gone away. I am now 50 this year. It has in some ways ruined my life. I can't go on public transport, I don't go on planes (just in case I can't use the loo when needed). I own a Ford Galaxy, just so that I can have a portaloo in the back and pull curtains across. I can't let anybody come with me and my hubby in car for even the shortest journey, just incase I am having a really bad day and need to use the portaloo in the back. If we go anywhere, I have to find out where the loos are before I feel secure. Luckily, my hubby is very understanding of my problem. Meetings at work are a huge problem, and I panic everytime I have to go to one. It is so embarrassing when I am having a bad day, because I will have to leave the room every 10 minutes or so to go to the loo. People don't understand that I really have to go. They do tend to think it's a bit of a joke. I have even resigned from a job because I couldn't face going to all the meetings anymore. I have had so many tests to try to solve my this and also had so many different pills, but nothing has ever remotely helped. I have never found out why it happens and what caused it in the first place. I just wish that I could get it cured.

Like Betty I have suffered from constant need to go to the toilet since my early 20s, I am now mid 40s. In my 20s I had every test going including flexible cystoscopy, rigid cystoscopy, urodynamic, infection tests etc. Nothing was picked up, no help was offered and I was made to feel like a fraud making it all up.

After a bad bout recently I plucked up the courage to go to the doctors again and get referred. New urodynamics tests and a flexible cystoscopy picked up I have a constriction (or partial blocking) of the urethra. I am booked in for an operation to widen it but in the meantime I have been prescribed Toviaz 4mg which means I can go about an hour and a half without needing the loo, rather than 10 minutes like before. Apparantly if the widening doesn't do the job they can give botox injectors and have other options, so if you haven't been to the consultant recently it is worth going again, things have moved on and they can hopefully offer some relief

Good luck

Despite a number of other problems I have,I too suffer from the blight of constant repeated forceful urges to urinate and never feel as though its fully empty.I too have had all the tests etc.

I get some days where it is not too bad and other days where its hell,I get it worst at night though,every 3/4 hour I must rush out the bed to the loo (thats IF I wake up,accident ensues).To provide night time releif from this on the advice of my GP I use a foley catheter and bag one night a week,just to get a good nights sleep,that made a major difference and I'd find I would sleep for 12 hours or more with only one or two interuptions.

It turns out my bladder output at night is 2000ml per four hours this is HUGE (my bladder capacity is 350ml),needless to say I wake to empty the bag.I have only had one UTI in 3 years of daytime intermittant catheterisation,as I have strictures and the once/twice weekly night time foley use.

I have recently tried desmopressin and this has worked a treat,I also take oxybutinin to calm my bladder,so things are 100 times better but nowhere near right,but then I must accept this due to my other \"problems\".The desmporesin was a problem at first in forgetting not to drink anything an hour or so before bed.

So what I do is go to bed and about an hour later the first urination of the night makes itself known,after that I use the desmopressin and sleep right through till 10am which is VERY late for me I'm normally up all night and get out of bed at 5-6am.

I understand where people are coming from where they say it takes over your life I also suffer from bowel dysfunction which incidently I had first and the bladder problems came later,mainly after a few post surgery problems I had in hospital with urinary retention and strictures,oh what fun! NOT.

I too must not venture out unless I know the exact location of every loo it makes life very difficult,I wear pads/pants \"Just in case\" and they have saved my life so many times.I think there are far more people out there with the same problems,we all think we are the only ones!

This all started when I was 27,I'm also male.

Good luck everyone!