Do people with FND acute urinary retention still feel an intense urge to urinate?

[SnowstormHusky]

I don't have FND, I know someone who does. I'm just asking if everyone who has acute urinary retention from FND still has an intense urge to urinate even though they can't. I'm also trying to reassure myself that I don't have FND and can't have it. I'm hoping it's just from my hypothyroidism.

[eviedotty]

I am not clear about what you are asking but I will share my story with you. I was on Baclofen for dystonia and a side effect from this drug is urinary retention. Now I had a back ache that I woke up with and it was so bad it literally took me 45 minutes on the clock to get out of bed, I called my doctor who came out to the house, I didn’t go to the bathroom when I had eventually managed to get up as I was scared I would get stuck on the toilet and had no one to help. The doctor arrived and put her hand on my stomach area and asked me when I last peed and I couldn’t remember. She arranged an ambulance straight to hospital and I was immediately admitted to a ward were a nurse used a catheter to empty my bladder and I filled nearly four bed pans with the nurse repeatedly omg are you serious that you had no notion to go, I can’t believe that your bladder has carried this you must have been in agony. Job done and what followed was physiotherapy to get my normal walking back and a record of fluids in and out etc, I was in hospital for four before I was allowed home and because I couldn’t understand why they kept me in doing the therapy etc that they did I asked and was told I had retained back up to my kidneys and was really unwell when I came in. Going forward I to this day keep a check on my bladder health, in my family there was a drink my gran used and this has been passed down as kitchen medicine. You get diluting juice of choice and make it up the normal way then in the baking cupboard we have baking soda and a small amount is added to the glass and then you drink. This removes any inflammation from the bladder and basically cleans out the bladder. It dilutes the acid content of the urine and so no pain on passing water. The urine should be a good towards clear in colour and if it isn’t then increase fluids until the colour is healthier and make a point of sitting and relaxing on the toilet to allow the bladder to function better because if the bladder has been traumatised by an issue is doesn’t always just bounce back it needs some TLC basically so….the drink as explained, relax and even take a magazine or music if that does it for you but do the relaxation breathing while you wait for the bladder to go and last but not least get a bathroom routine as you would have been taught as a child as in toilet before you leave the house,go to bed and get up in the morning and you can also throw in pelvic floor exercises you would have been taught during pregnancy. If you are following this and still can’t go then its time to visit the doctor.

[Lady4 in reply to eviedotty]

Good advice, retained urinary is commonly associated with UTI's, you must of been in a bad way. Good to hear you received the medical care that you deserve and you are back to normal urinary health.

Didn't know about baking soda addition to fluids, thanks for sharing.

[eviedotty in reply to Lady4]

I spoke to my doctor during a review about the baking soda and she shocked me and I her I think because it turns out apparently that the medication prescribed for cystitis is actually based on the baking soda and costs a fortune if you are buying it as a medicine. I like and I remember this as a child before fizzy drinks became so available that this drink made up by my gran tasted like a fizzy drink. I feel very lucky to have a family who had to cope before the NHS was around so there was numerous things that we now call kitchen cupboard medicine, my favourite is for children when they have chicken pox. You get a dry sock and stretch it over a mug to fill with dry oats from the cupboard. Now run a bath and tie the end of the sock to keep the oats contained then put it in the water and slosh it about until the water turns cloudy then into the bath with the child and leave them to play just give instructions that every spot has to have a soaking so rolling about in the water is a good thing. My grand daughter never scratched a spot and her hair has never been so shiny with not a drop of soap used to clean her. It was amazing to see. My own two when they were teething got nappy rash that was nasty as it was ammonia blisters, they drank the diluting drink made up as explained and the blisters cleared within a day,now my daughter I can only assume associated the nappy with the rash because she became dry and never produced a wet nappy again

[RV30]

I am mixed on the bladder issues FND gives me . I either can’t stop going and leak or have no urge to go. I once went a whole day felt awful then realised I hadn’t gone 🤦‍♀️ I now drink more and try and go more to the toilet even if the urge isn’t there and when I relax I am surprised to see how much is there..

I hope this helps. Good luck with answers

[Lady4 in reply to RV30]

Isn't that associated with low interoception, not been able to read your body signals. I think Evie's advice is good, timetabling when to go and hopefully it will become second nature again. I am sure that additional sensory input may help too (will have a think).

[210272]

As far as I can tell the symptoms you describe are not necessarily attributable to FND and there are many other causes of them that warrant full investigation. Diagnostic overshadowing is a major problem and I am aware that once someone has a FND label, it can be harder to get these investigations.

[LilyMarshell]

Hi!I have a mixed/intermittent bladder issue from my FND - I either have retention or urgency issues.

Even if I have retention, I still have the urge to go despite not being able to.

So, it is something that happens.

I'm not sure if this helps though.

Sorry!

[Lady4]

FND is a "rule in" diagnosis and many symptoms can be the sane as other diagnoses. If you are concerned, go and get tested but that said, I am all for managing the symptoms rather than labels.

I replied to a post recented regarding acute urinary retention and saddle area numbness, is it definitely FND?

Can't find the thread but looked back on my bookmarks, it was to do with spinal-epidural anesthesia and spinal cord compression.