Anxiety and bladder problems.

[jessieblue]

Hi there I posted before about bladder problems, frequent urination and feeling like i may lose control. Discomfort in the whole area, not pain as such but pressure and the feeling of an intense need to pee even after I have been.. Nurse did a dipstick test and said there was a tiny change in colour of leukocytes so worth treating if it didnt clear up. I filled the script but didnt take the tablets for a couple of days as I tried to flush out with drinking water etc. I felt a bit better at times but then it would come back, along with intense anxiety. Like alarms going off in my head and causing full blown panic attacks. I did a diostick test yesterday myself and found leukocytes +70 roughly and my specific gravity colour changed too, which terrified me but i dont really know what it means other than kidney problems maybe. I was suspected of having interstitial cystitis once before and treated with amitriptyline. That was 10 years ago and I havent had trouble since. I have been very very stressed of late and then this. I always think everything is cancer......me the cat my son whoever is sick I think the very worst case and I cannot get my mind away from it. Of course now I am worried the antibiotics wont work and it will turn out to be bladder cancer. It means a wrath of tests to tell for sure and I dont know if I can get through it again.......I am literally at my wits end as I write this and dont know where to turn for help. I still have symptoms after taking trimethoprim yesterday. I dont feel quite as bad but still not 100%. To be honest I dont know if my mind will let my body recover, if you know what i mean. I dont know if this is real or imaginary any more, there have been so many illnesses and scares. Whats real and whats not? Leucocytes could mean infection or something else, even IC. So all I know is there IS something wrong with me for sure. Going back to doctors tonight.....Have registered for counselling and not sure anyone can help me anymore. Anyone with any input would be appreciated.......im pretty close to the edge here. xx

[SLA]

In situations like these, I usually look at the most probable reason, and focus on that. Cystitis.

Funnily enough, my mother has this at the moment. She must have pee'd 25 times yesterday alone. It is not nice, and I can see why it would trigger stress and anxiety.

Break the cycle of worry. Accept that it is most likely cystitis and easily treatable.

Try and relax too. Even if only for 5 minutes.

I tell you what, spend the next 5 minutes doing nothing more than enjoying a cup of tea, and a biscuit. Give yourself that time to simply enjoy that process, and nothing else.

Promise?

[ScaredMama]

My anxiety has manifested in frequent urination before as well and just recently I was urinating so frequently because I had severe dry mouth (either from a new medication or from anxiety itself), that I felt as though I irritated my urinary tract. Try to distract yourself for a little while, put on a comedy and have a laugh. Almost every bladder infection I've ever had involved a fever as well as cloudy or bloody urine.

[Gardner3]

I have IC. What I do is eat my fresh blackberries. Whatever is on/in them cures my problem for about 3 1/2 months before it comes back again. In fact they are the wild, invasive blackberries that came to America with the English settlers.

There is a way to preserve them in the freezer without the ice destroying the yeast that's on them, and that is to put them in a 50/50 solution of water and glycerine so they don't freeze solid. The guys that have yeast banks in their freezers for fermenting do this. I'm not sure if it works yet as I didn't find out about this technique until the day I ate up the last of my berries in June. I do have some wild grapes preserved this way but I'm not sure this works yet for me, but I suspect it might help a little, but my supply is low so I consume them very carefully and not gulp them like I'd like :)

It turns out the bladder is not sterile as was once thought, it needs a proper balance of microflora just like the gut does. It works for me and I can confirm this, the trouble now is getting the medical community to believe ti works. (I told my dr about it and he threw his head back and laughed)

[Aussie11]

I had irritable bladder about 12 years ago, went to urologist for tests and went on amitriptyline. It was so bad back then I couldn't go 15 minutes without needing toilet. It was vicious cycle with anxiety too. Has played up every now and then since then, always worse when anxious!

[Worrychick]

I had this for a 18 months with anxiety and its horrible. I made sure I drank regularly and didn't let myself go to the loo more than once an hour....kind of training.....it went on and on and then eventually it just went when I became focussed on some other ailment. It came back again recently when I came of my pregabalin, so I take 100mg each day and it seems to keep it at bay. I don't get stinging (like cystitis) just a squeezing feel and urge to go all the time.... try the pregabalin if this is constant - it numbs the nerve endings sending false messages....it also helped my nervous throat! Good luck xx