Female Urination Difficulty

[Judy1945]

I am a 63 yr old liver transplant patient (almost 14 years ago). However, the anti-rejection drugs have "killed" my kidneys. They are scarred, shriveled and function at 19%. I have been having great difficulty urinating, often taking as long as 30 minutes to urinate. It is painful. I have had a temperature for the past 2 weeks along with two bouts of bronchitis which have been treated with antibiotics. Should I consult my primary physician or my nephrologist? I am very lethargic and fatigued. I try to drink as much as possible,  but nothing seems to help. Thank you for any help that you can give.

[Judy1945]

I was hospitalized right after my post. My calcium level was in the 3. range and my potassium level was also very low. I was running a fever so of course I was hooked up to antibiotics and calcium piggyback along with potassium. They would not release me until my calcium was 8 which took 10 days. In the meantime, a urologist saw me and ordered a bladder test to see how much urine my bladder would hold. They finally quit at 1500 ml of dye. Have seen the urologist 4 times and he is having me self cath after each voiding and then keeping a journal of how much urine is staying in my bladder. He said that my bladder is stretched really big. They did put me on Flomax which helped me urinate more often and took the pain and difficulty in urinating away. I had been on Flomax since a hospitalization in January of 2007, but in the summer, my nephrologist took me off the medication. You know, it can be really confusing when you see so many doctors and they don't always agree with a plan of action. We'll see the urologist in 2 weeks and see what he says now. Thanks for the post.

[Vanessa Lacuesta]

Hi,

For how long have you been experiencing the pain and difficulty  in urination?Was this associated with the fever ?Do you strain to urinate?

With a kidney function of 19%, I suggest that any change in urinary pattern or character requires further evaluation.Consult your nephrologist and give a complete description of your symptoms.For any infections given a medical history of decreased kidney function , there may be some caution in using certain medications. Always consult your physician with regards to this.