Hi. I have been dealing with urine retention for about 3
years, and in that 3 years I have been to 3 different Urologists. The first one
said I would be on dialysis by the end of the year (that was in 2008). It’s
2011 and no dialysis. The second had me sign a paper which basically stated that
if I do not do as he says, I will die of kidney disease. Well, I may die of
kidney disease whether I do what he says or not. The third is the only
Urologist who has even attempted to find the cause of my urine retention. I may
not be too happy with his methods, but at least he is trying.
I also need to mention that I have only one functioning kidney
and, according to my Nephrologist, I am in stage 3 kidney failure; however, I
have been stable for the past 3 years.
In the course of the past 3 years, even though I was retaining
urine (sometimes as much as 1700cc), I always seem to get the urge to go and
would go to the point where I thought I was emptying. It was obvious that I
wasn’t, but I felt fine; until April of this year.
On April 7, 2011, my Urologist put in a Foley catheter and
put me on Urecholine (50 mg every 6 hours) for a two-week period to see if my
bladder would strengthen to the point where it would work on its own. Two weeks
later I was worse than before I had the catheter. I was no longer getting the
urge to go and ended up having to self-catheterize. When I went back to my
Urologist a few days later, it was decided that the two-week period was not
long enough, so in went the catheter again…this time for a month.
I have read many of the posts on this forum and notice that
so many people have spouses, family, and/or friends who are there for support.
I do not have any support. I do not have a spouse; I live alone. I have family
(siblings), but I just get the impression they do not understand or really care
all that much. Friends…well, they are not very supportive. They are there to
tell me what I SHOULD have done instead of listening to what I have to say.
Maybe my decision to follow the Urologist’s advice was not
the greatest decision I’ve ever made, but it was MY decision. It was either try
the catheter/medication combination for a month or self-catheterize for the
rest of my life. Right now, that is not an option.
My Urologist keeps saying I’m too young for this. I’m 51
years old and am still hoping to find someone to spend the rest of my life
with. But who wants someone who is “broken”? This is why I put my trust in my
Urologist and hope for the best.
I supposed I’m writing this more to make myself feel better…to
vent. Maybe I’m looking for someone to say “I understand”, since I really do
not have anyone to speak of in my life with a shoulder to cry on. I was unsure
where to post this…under “Kidney Disorders & Diseases”, “Depression” or “Anxiety
– Panic Disorders”. They all fit the situation.
Thanks for listening.
John