Bladder problems with mTBI?
 

Hello everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone else had any changes on bladder function after injury?!
I don't feel any urge to go to the bathroom at all. It could go all day long and nothing. It's a very strange feeling. I have been "forcing" myself around 4 times a day for the past 10 days or so, but never have a relief or emptiness feeling.

Anyone else with the same problem? What is the GP advice on this matter?
How could I know if I'm having liquids retention?

Bladder
 

I got no problem going. After my injury I will sometimes dribble alittle once I think I am done. VERY irritating.

rmschaver,

Are you sure the dribble is not age? I've had it since about your age.

Mrs B, Could you be a bit dehydrated so your urine output is low?

Check the main list of forums. There may be a forum that addresses bladder issues.

Google research
 

Did some Google research as don't want to see my GP without having at least some vague idea of what she could talk about. So what I find out on Google is that the problem I'm having is called Neurogenic Bladder. It's normally classified as a "complication" from SCI/TBI and everything in between (neurologically speaking).

Wikipedia has some basic explanation about it. There are also some medical articles onlines about studies on this subject, covering it in more detail.
Let's see what the GP will tell me later on today about it.

Mark in Idaho: dehydration is not the case I'm afraid. Since I noticed the issue I have been drinking plenty of water (2 litres plus a day) to try and help things getting back to normal... Didn't see any improvement on the fact that I don't feel the need to go to the toilet, doesn't matter how long has passed since the last time. Like I said before, very strange feeling. There's no pain or discomfort though.

Hi Mrs-B,

The standard estimate for ladies varies from 1.5l to 2l (mayo clinic recommends 2.2l. This is for people without any significant ailments. Maybe this is 2 not enough for you at this stage?

On one of the forum threads I recall there is a simple calculator which works out as a guideline how much fluid you should have based on your body weight.

The other thing is that came to mind is that it could be that your body is adjusting to any change in your diet - e.g. if you have stopped drinking coffee (which is a diuretic) it may be missing that extra ingredient that helps you "go"

Hope this helps

Lol age
 

Yes I am sure. Unless I aged alot in the past 80 days. I came across something on the web last night. Trying to figure out this burning sensation I have in my back. I do not know the validity of this info. One of the symptoms of peripheral neuropathy in the autonomic system can cause the bladder to leak. It can also feel empty or full all the time.

Please don't read to much in this, I do not want to frighten anyone. I am finding out the medical society is not always forth coming with information. Or maybe worse will not even take the patients complaints with any validity.

Have you had an injury to your lower back? Do you have any bulging discs? There could be some nerve compression that is preventing you from normally experiencing the urge to go.

Your doctor should also do a bladder scan. This is a machine that will measure how much urine is in your bladder. It would be good to see how much is in there before and after you go to the bathroom. It is non-invasive and uses a probe that is placed over your bladder with ultrasound gel on the skin.

I have had problems too - but the opposite. I need to pee ALL the time since the injury. I thought there was an infection but tests came back negative. Also, I'm not in control as I was... it's actually becoming an issue because I can't seem to go 20 minutes without the desperate urge to pee and I end up not doing certain things because of it. I don't know if it's because the injury or not, but I know I didn't have this problem before.

Thanks!
 

Thanks everyone for the replies! Very much appreciated!

I went back to the GP last Friday, and between the things we talked about was my bladder issue. She instantly connected the problem with my lower back, which has been swollen since the accident (nightnurse30, spot on!). The GP did a physical examination and said that it's likely that the issue will resolve itself once the swollen area go down. She also checked my ankles and said that I'm not retaining liquids, so basically her advice was to keep doing whatever I'm doing (going to the bathroom 4x a day -before take my meds so I don't forget - and force it out) but to keep an eye and if anything gets worse or in the sign of water retention, I should go back and the nurse will do the bladder scan... Worse case scenario would require me learning self catheterisation (REALLY don't want this to happen, so I'm here praying for the lower back to get better too).

I also have another 2 areas of my spine swollen, one is the back of the head until shoulders, because I twisted the neck between the 2 head impacts, and the other is in the mid section, ribcage, where I got a broken rib... I'm having so much painkillers that it's easy to forget how much is wrong and the other places that would also hurt a lot, besides the headaches.

Andromeda: sorry to hear you also are having problems with your bladder. Did you also hurt your lower back in your accident?! You should talk to your GP about it, if you are taking strong painkillers, you could be missing some kidney pain that could become something serious if not treated soon. Take care of yourself.