Handhold - bladder/urethra issues

I had that all My 20s and cantharsis homeopathic pill seemed to work. Maybe placebo but worth a shot. It's absolutely awful and makes life a torment. Good luck

Periods are my biggest trigger, and sex. On period it seems to be worse when my cramps are worse, and also worse when I'm using tampons.

to add my flares are more so around my period which is why i'm getting tested for endo although i have none of the other signs.

I have had a physio but unfortunately this did not work for me.

Hi

My post is not to scaremonger but I had something similar about 8 year ago and i ended up being diagnosed with IC or painful bladder syndrome.

It started off as an infection - antibiotic cleared it but the pain never went. It got more manageable over time and i got used to a baseline level of pain but urologist were stumped and similarly j tried everything.

I have had cystitat treatments, numerous bladder tests, treatments and now im actually getting tested for endermetrosis.

Acupuncture is the best thing i've ever done which i feel has contributed to helping it get better. Drink lots of water to help ease it. Dont wear underwear to bed. I hope you find some relief soon.

About 10 days? I had furiously googled what could be wrong hence seeing someone quite quickly, and I’d been weeing blood so was quite worried. I had a pre-existing relationship with my pelvic physio so she fitted me in very quickly.

I feel for you. I too have interstitial cystitis which is horrid. I read several interesting articles by professor Lee malone, sadly now passed away, who studied this condition. He found that the ordinary urine test done in the hospital does not show any infections. The bugs are different and hide in the bladder wall and can only be seen under a microscope. It is a painful condition and I feel for you.

I got masses of relief from my first session and had 3 in total. I’d definitely try it - I’m evangelical about it tbh!

Also, I have severe endometriosis & have had major surgery for it, and the post UTI pain was a very specific, much worse and frankly absolutely disabling pain by comparison. I was sitting in the bath for hours in the early hours of the morning trying to get it to back off after a night time wee.

Yes definitely urethral pain. It felt like my general genital area was on fire.

Well, I am a lot, lot older than you, but my recurring "UTI" turned out to be cancer. I got fobbed off for 3 years before I was finally sent for one. But if your problem is caused by inflammation, they are right, it would cause more pain.

Have you looked into interstitial cystitis at all? I had this, constantly thought I had an infection. Turns out lots of drinks can set this off. Mine went away when I stopped cranberry, coffee (even decaf) and orange juice. For other people there can be triggering foods, and some people find they need ongoing low dose antibiotics. I tried reintroducing coffee not long ago, sadly I still can't tolerate it 😥

Have you had a cystoscopy?

Not trying to dismiss your symptoms but if everything is coming back clear could it be anxiety or stress related? I had a period of time where I had horrific itching and burning feelings all over my skin, I was sure I must have something going on and was repeatedly back and forth to the doctors. Anyway, I was given sertraline plus counselling for some stress I had been experiencing and it did go away within a few weeks. I wouldn’t have believed stress/ anxiety could manifest in genuine physical sensations but in my case it did. I’m not saying this is true in your case but maybe a route to explore.

I second the ball! I once turned up at a physio appointment with a burning urethra and she massaged my glutes really hard and that made it go away!? Muscles all have a knock on effect on each other I guess!

@pickledwillies yes I did, to the extent that if I'd gone a few hours where my urethra felt normal, I'd be scared to pee again because I knew that would reset it back to burning mode. It's a horrible, horrible thing. I'm optimistic for you that you've only been experiencing it since February even though that must seem like absolutely forever, but you can get it looked at before all the habits set in too much. Good luck to you and feel free to PM me anytime xx

I used to have terrible issues after sex which led to constant urethra pain. A dose of doxycycline is the only thing that prevents this. Might be worth a try if it is inflamed.

In the meantime if you have a basic spiky or lacrosse ball you can try sitting on it to see if it helps release your pelvic floor a bit.

I’d second pelvic physio. I had a UTI earlier this year that left me with pelvic dysfunction, in particular extreme pain after a wee. One session resolved 90% of the pain. I was fine after 2 sessions. I can’t even begin to explain the relief I got from the first session. Like @shaniahoo it was a pretty intimate experience but well worth it.

You definitely don’t need to have had children to have pelvic floor dysfunction. Many women have a too tight pelvic floor especially if you have gynae or bladder issues.

You should be able to find a nearby physio here https://thepogp.co.uk/patients/physiotherapists/