Unsure what to do (daughter can't pee)

[Jourdain11]

Not really an AIBU, unless IAU for not taking her straight to A&E, but I'm wondering if anyone has ever come across something like this? My 10-yeqr-old daughter (who has OCD and can get a bit stressed about going to the toilet) has woken up this morning and "can't pee". She feels like she needs to go but nothing is coming out.

Has anyone ever come across something like this and if so, what did you do? She seems otherwise okay - no temperature, etc. She seems uncomfortable, but not in agony or anything.

Maybe I am being unreasonable in not running her straight to hospital - but I suspect it's going to right itself, although I will follow up because it seems very odd. She has T1 diabetes and OCD as I said, but I don't particularly see how this could be related.

It's actually very similar for DD. If she tries again and again she can sometimes do a little wee, but she can't fully empty her bladder. The team she's under are quite keen that she does try but it's frustrating for her!

Thank you for all the supportive messages - I really appreciate it a lot. I've kept her off school today because she's still coughing and wheezing and barely slept last night because she was coughing so much. She also doesn't really want to eat because she's feeling sick. I didn't think she could go in, but she's fretting about missing work. I know I'm quite anxious about her health now so I have to keep myself in check that I'm not turning into one of those mothers, who constantly keep their kids off school!

Because neuropathy can affect different parts of the body, I also worry that she'll get more symptoms. A week or so ago she had a twitchy eyelid (she said it felt horrible and it was quite a visible twitch too). I got a bit panicked about that, but it seems to have resolved itself, so it might have been nothing. I'll definitely be mentioning it at her next appointment though.

It gets frustrating and it makes it worse tbh due to feeling pressure on you to do it

@HurricaneLane I don't have direct personal experience of it, but I have no doubt that this could be so!

She's so brave! I've been crippled by toilet related OCD myself since i was 5, and shes coping better than i do as a 30 something adult.

OP I have neuropathic bladder issues due to a cyst wrapped around my nerves. I also have a stretched bladder, I never know I need to go to the bathroom until my bladder overflows and also have bowel issues in that I can go for weeks without going. My conditions are all wrapped in with auto immune diseases and one thing in your recent posts really jumped out at me was that you said she has experienced eye twitching, has the neurologist ruled out the condition functional neurological disease?

Function neurological disorder*

I'm not sure, to be honest - it wasn't mentioned. I'm not exactly sure what it is, are there specific tests for it?

Functional disorder definition is rather woolly - it’s a problem with the way the brain communicates with the nerves.

But basically what it does is lump a whole lot of disparate milder neurological issues - that are not caused by active damage or degeneration to the nerves (as in say MS and other neurodegenerative diseases, diabetic neuropathy) etc - together under one umbrella. There’s psychiatric element to it too - as a response to trauma/threat.

@Mirabai Oh, I see - thanks for that! I guessed it might be a diagnosis of exclusion because of the 'functional'. I think that this may not be the case for DD because the doctors have been quite certain in diagnosing it as diabetic neuropathy for certain reasons which I won't go into, but we had a very difficult time getting her levels under control in the first ca 6 months, which is likely to have been a contributing factor.

The gastro issues have been difficult to manage because she has to have a low residue diet, but once this was established she's been much better. She had at some point such bad bloating that her tummy was really swollen out and she couldn't wear any of her normal clothes. She still gets some digestive discomfort and constipation, but it is a lot better. The urinary issues are new but probably been going on longer than anyone realised. I mainly worry that she will develop more issues (which is why I got funny about the twitch in her eyelid) but hopefully not. All we can do is be more aware of it now!

Can't stop peeing with diabetes.

It can become an emergency as urine can back up to the kidneys so A&E is your daughters' safest bet.

All in hand now, but thank you anyway! (Sorry, old thread.)

DD went back to school today but it was all a bit much for her 😥 I think she was a bit stressed and overcome with the pace of everything and at lunch she tried to self-catheterise and couldn't get it to work. She got a bit panicky and I had to come and collect her. It's knocked her confidence a bit.

Your poor DD, it must be so hard for her. But she's doing amazingly, I really hope that doesn't knock her confidence too much. Best wishes to her 💐💐

I assume the school have provided suitable toilet facilities for her , not where she feels rushed because of other people needing to go . Is it feasible for her to come home to lunch ?

Yes, they have - I think she just rushed and got panicky about it. The nurse who showed her how to do it made a point of saying that if it doesn't "work" she should just leave it and try again in 20 mins, apparently it is quite usual. She's saying last night that it hurts and the way she describes it is almost like period cramps. It's not so easy to tell what the problem is though because she's very constipated and she's been sick three times in the night, so I think all her problems are flaring up a bit generally. Definitely another day off today!