Non-medical bladder test (Slightly OT)

Yesterday afternoon a water main broke next to the building where I work. The city turned off the water to our building.  This morning it still wasn't back on, and the restroom is the first place I go after getting off the bus at work.  Our boss asked a convenience store a block and a half away if we could use their restrooms today, so I logged in to my workstation, logged back out and went down the street.  Within the first hour of work, someone called a friendly business across the street and they said we could use theirs.  At about 11:00 the boss decided to close the office, and in that those three hours I only had to hit the convenience store the one time and the friendly office another two.  I was a little worried on the last trip, but I had a good day and no problems.

I'm on vacation next week, so I got to start it 3 days early!  And I probably logged an extra 2000 steps on my pedometer.

[jensequitur]

Phew!  Glad you made it!

[twopack]

I'm glad you made it too and glad you were able to put in all those extra steps.  I'm afraid I would have wondered if it would be my legs or bladder that gave out first :-}  Several things have me puzzling over the three trips in three hours factor.  I was thinking how hard this frequency and urgency must be for you.  I'm also wondering if your co-workers or employer ever complain.  

Not that I think anyone should!  It's just my personal experience that people start off very understanding and end up quickly singing about how they work 'X' hours for 'X' work and others.... ummm.... 'don't'.  They try to sound compassionate or like they have applied high logic business principles.  It's usually no more than not-their-business-anyway sour grapes.

Sorry about that side vent.  I hope it isn't the case for you.  It does sound like your work environment is very accommodating, at least in this circumstance.

So I finally get to the real point.  I wondered if you need to get checked for a UTI or bladder retention since you are making frequent trips to the bathroom and having such urgency.  I couldn't remember if you are diagnosed either (I'm so bad at keeping track.)  

I did take a quick look at your profile and see you have TM and recently posted about a trip to the urogyne.  (Sorry I couldn't recall.  Family matters are taking up much of my time lately.)

It looks like you are taking one of the "overactive bladder" medications and even said it is starting to work.  Wow.  It was worse than this?  I certainly know it can be but I'm wondering how long it has been since this doc (or NP) checked for a post-void residual (the amount of urine left behind after you have emptied all you can from your bladder).  I'm not talking about a big involved test.  I mean have you void and then check you with a (ultrasound) bladder scanner device or catheter (but why invade with a catheter if you can get a good idea with a scanner?).  I'm wondering if you might be voiding kind of the 'over-flow' or 'excess' from what your bladder consistently holds.

Or maybe the doc is trying a bladder re-training program?  Or trying a method to discourage or re-set the 'gotta go' signal?  So maybe you are on a timed voiding routine of every hour and it is a stretch to make it that long?

Just wondering - maybe too much since you sub-titled this as (Slightly OT).  I realize this would be a common problem for someone with TM.  IMO even common problems need to be addressed.  It always seems the answers should come easy.  It's common right?  I guess it's so common because there's no one solution and few last forever.  Okay now I'm rambling.

Still glad you made it and get a few extra days off besides.  Enjoy!!
Mary  

[hbananas]

Thank you for your dead-on comments.  At my urodynamic testing last month, I did not have an abnormal amount of residual urine retained, and I have not had a UTI (since the one that was caused by the testing.)  My employer probably sees how much I leave my desk, because I log in and out of my computer when I can't see the screen and turn in a report with that info with my weekly time sheets.

My coworkers aren't resentful.  Those nearest me know I am being cared for by a uro.  My HR manager knows I had TM and was at one time being tested for MS because I was a temp then, laid off from my "real" job at a government agency, and she was trying to recruit me.  I told her about the process and that it would better for me to be a federal employee if and when I started on meds.  She knew that was a possibility when she hired me permanently after the "last straw" layoff, and when I got the promotion to my current position.

It's a smallish group, with a few people married to each other or having their children, spouses, or siblings employed there at one time or another.

I went to the urygyno because of the worsening of my symptoms, and to get it on record that it appeared to be neurological, if indeed, that's what she said.   I have been doing kegels faithfully for 3 years and stepped it up a bit on her instructions.  I tried timed voiding, and I am trying to stretch out the times between trips, but that's when I have had accidents.  I'm still working on it.  I'll ask my PCP what the report said when I next see her, and I'll have the urogyno send a report to my neurologist.

At my last neuro appointment I complained about the incontinence and about pain I have been havin in my eye for over a year.  He asked if I have been to a urologist.  At that time, I didn't want to spent time away from work on additional appointments, but I did switch neuro-ophth docs and got a dx of TN, and now that I have been to the uro, I have covered all the bases he asked me to.  I changed my mind about doctor appointments when a neighbor dog bit me and I blew my high deductible in the ER.  Everything's free until January.