Three months post transplant. Doing great, but on some days I am peeing two to three times an hour.

[MartyVA]

I have an enlarged prostate, which is pressing on my bladder. I have not been able to empty my bladder for years, but I had never experienced this current daytime frequent need to pee. Pre-transplant, my native kidneys never stopped making urine. Post-transplant, I now have three kidneys making urine. I was referred to a urologist by my transplant coordinator. After testing, the urologist is recommending a Transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) to improve the flow of urine and help empty my bladder. Has anyone else experienced this situation?

[Darlenia]

Hi MartyVA. It's good hearing from you. My husband, age 72, is in the same condition you are in. He's almost a year post transplant and he, too, is peeing a lot - about the same as you. He, too, also made urine prior to his transplant and with the new addition, he is constantly in the bathroom. It's exhausting for him and for me. We have an appointment coming up in a few weeks with a urologist - I'm hoping that they recommend either the TURP or any other surgical procedure to get it fixed. I also hope others will jump on this forum to advise if they prefer one over the other. Throughout, my hubby has been on Flomax and another medication which doesn't do much, if anything, for him. My hubby is also a Type 2 Diabetic, not sure how that will impact matters. I realize my comment doesn't give you any direction, but I just want to let you know that you're not the only transplanted man having this issue. It's a tough situation. Sincerely hope you find resolution soon.

[MartyVA in reply to Darlenia]

Hi Darlenia, Thank you for your response, my wife has been on this journey with me, and I know it has not been easy on her. I try not to disturb her or make this all about me and me being needy. I stay positive and active and continue to do my part every day, despite what I am going through. She is very supportive, but I know being a caregiver can be a load for anyone.

I am on three different medications that are supposed to be helping with my frequent urination. I am on Finasteride 5 MG, Tadalafil 5 MG, and Flomax 0.4 x 2. There are days when things are close to normal, but the frequency increases and lasts days. I sometimes wonder if the three kidneys are overactive or if there is something that I have done to create this situation. My transplant coordinator does not think there is anything I am doing that is causing this situation. She says the kidneys are doing what they are supposed to do and agrees that the TURP will help.

Please let me know what your husband's urologist recommends, and I will let you know what my urologist recommends for me. I have already had several tests, including urodynamics, flow tests, and multiple ultrasounds measuring bladder capacity and prostate size and capacity. Now it's time to review the results and make a decision.

I should soon be hearing from my urologist on which procedure he recommends for me. I will share the results of that discussion as soon as we talk.

[Darlenia in reply to MartyVA]

My hubby has been taking Finasteride and Flomax. My husband contracted a uti some weeks ago, went on medication for that, and during that ordeal his transplant center pulled him off Flomax (2x) telling him that his urgency was also being encouraged by Flomax! Now everything is a mess... his treatment for the uti is finished but I think his uti is stronger than ever, his urination is even worse. So disappointing. My hubby has also had all the urinary tests you mentioned - the flow tests, ultrasounds, etc. So many tests! But he was on dialysis then (although he could still urinate a bit) and surgery wasn't recommended. Later, he received a new kidney and urination was very problematical at first so they introduced the prostate meds. Then, to complicate matters, we moved to a new home that's one hour away from his usual doctors and two hours away from the transplant center. So we're on the hunt for go-to doctors locally. Anyway, I'm taking him to our local hospital today to get a status update on his condition. I suspect his enlarged prostate leads to his utis which can then lead to the awful c-dif, etc. (He's had c-dif before and the transplant center warned him not to get it again with his new kidney.) In my opinion, prostate surgery to make way for "normal" urination would help him a lot. I'll let you know how our saga turns out. And please let us know how your situation goes too. Throughout, I've been very happy that I'm not a man! Lol! Thanks for caring.

[larrymontague826]

I am almost 3 yrs, post transplant. I was on dialysis for 4 yrs. I couldn't urinate for that entire time. I was restricted to 32 oz. of fluids a day. I get a transplant and my kidney started working immediately. It was working in the recovery room. All of a sudden I can have all the fluids that I want. I was able to urinate when they took out the catheter. I was like you I couldn't stay out of the rest room. After a while it started easing of a bit. Now I usually only have to get up once during the night. Wishing you good luck and I hope it eases up a little.

[MartyVA in reply to larrymontague826]

Hi larrymontague826, thank you for your response. I had a catheter in the recovery room, and it was removed and put back in three times. I left the hospital with the catheter. The concern was that I was not passing enough urine, even though the frequency was higher than normal for me.

Like you, my new kidney started working immediately. Without the catheter, the fear was that the urine in my bladder would back up into the new kidney and cause an infection or worse. Once the catheter was finally removed, things did seem to slow down, but then the frequency went up again.

On a good day, I might get up three or four times at night. Some nights I have gotten every half an hour, all night long, and that's on top of the frequent bathrooms visits during the day. I stopped drinking all fluids by 6 PM and take a sip of water with my 8 and 10 PM meds.

Hopefully, my urologist has a solution for me. I am an hour away from my transplant clinic, and I have just made it there or back home before I have an accident. Not a good feeling!

[Darlenia in reply to MartyVA]

We just got back from our transplant center located a two-hour drive away. The center tried to find a urologist to immediately perform the TURP via Green Light Laser during our stay there but they were all booked up. So we have an appointment coming up with a local urology practice near us and my husband will have it done shortly thereafter. My hubby's prostate is quite angry and upset and it reflects in his labs - the inflammation probably started when he had surgery and a cath was placed at the time. (Apparently caths can provoke matters too!) In the meantime, hubby was put back on a double dose of Flomax along with the others until then. He was assured all would be fine once the prostate is shaved back. Hope this helps give you and your situation a sense of direction.

[MartyVA in reply to Darlenia]

Thank you for the update. Hopefully, this will help you and your husband so the two of you can start enjoying the blessing of the transplant. I am waiting to hear from my urologist’s scheduler to set the date for my procedure. Can not be done soon enough.

[Darlenia in reply to MartyVA]

Ditto! I also learned that that the local clinics here misdiagnosed my hubby with UTIs so the situation kept being kicked down the road. Apparently "inflammation" and "infection" show up with similar lab markings! Hence, local places simply prescribe for UTIs. (Getting concerned, the center called him in, screened his blood for bacteria and so forth and nothing showed up.) Anyway, bottom line, keeping this misery going doesn't make the new kidney happy and certainly diminishes quality of life. The director of the kidney center called a urologist for us (who was unavailable in surgery) and then gave us his calling card to use with another urologist to hurry the process along. Trust this ends in a great outcome for both you and my hubby.