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Embarrassing female health problem

129 replies

HildaWasALondoner · 22/07/2020 11:31

I have name changed for this, as there is one aspect that I can't even tell my DH! Before I start and to give you a clue, I am not a piss troll.

I am pre-menopausal, and on some very light HRT to manage symptoms such as hot flushes, brain fog, irritability etc.

My Mirena coil is overdue for replacement, by about 4 months. I'm having some additional symptoms now like breast tenderness, mild pelvic pain, and pain during/after intercourse.

I have some bladder weakness which the GP felt was probably menopause related (softening of the pelvic floor muscles) - I wear a pad during the day to catch leaks, but I don't use one at night. The old fanj has to breathe once in a while, but I'm mainly self conscious and I don't really want my DH to wonder why I'd be wearing a pad at night. He's a massive pisstaker, pardon the pun, and I'd never hear the end of it. Plus, you know, sexy-time spontaneity. The embarrassing bit is that I must be leaking tiny amounts overnight, so in the morning...well, I'm damp and smell like a camel barn. And even if I DO wear a pad, the morning problem is the same. Blush

DH is baffled as to why I avoid any closeness etc first thing in the morning or keep the covers clamped over me as he's getting up - I told him that I prefer to stay covered as I'm self conscious about my body, but really it's because I'm panicking that he'll get a waft of ammonia and fall unconscious before I can dash to the shower and remove the offending underpantage. If I wake in the night for the loo I sometimes change, but he has been known to wake up and say, "Why are you taking your pants off??"

To add to it I have an long term waterworks problem - for some 20 years I've been getting repeated "infections" (painful bladder and cloudy offensive wee), but 90% of the time there is no infection, just a high white cell count, and routine investigations many years ago yielded nothing. I had a few years respite, but recently this issue has returned - I am soldiering on with bladder pain and leaking foul pee. Gosh I'm so attractive right now.

If you've got this far, I have approached the GP again, however;

  1. They cannot remove and refit my mirena because they are not doing such appts at the moment, plus one of the few GPs trained to do so has retired. When they start scheduling appts there is a long backlog.
  2. I cannot have antibiotics for my malodorous bladder as there is no infection, and they are not moved to investigate further.
  3. The bladder weakness is perceived as "just one of those things", even though I have never given birth so technically my pelvic floor should be pretty good.

I have private insurance so I could get all of this looked at privately - but I'd need a referral. What type of referral do I ask for though? Can a gynaecologist deal with all of it, including the bladder thing? Lord knows a private doctor might get to the bottom of it if an insurance company was paying.

Opinions and advice welcome, if you're not all asleep...sorry for TMI. It's the first thing I've ever felt too mortified to reveal to my DH, and he's seen and heard far worse from me...

OP posts:
RonaldMcDonaldio · 02/08/2020 15:05

Thanks AHF, that makes sense. The pain steadily increased in intensity yesterday until the evening, when I was starting to worry about it a tiny bit (my elderly mum died of urosepsis 2 months ago, she was 82 but even so, it's rather fresh in my mind). Decided to go to bed at 8pm - and once curled up in bed it vanished. It was fine all night, had a few twinges when I got up and it still aches a bit after I've had a pee today, but it's definitely improved. I took the last antibiotic of the course this morning.

That's OK MrDarcysMa, thanks for the comment! Blimey, bit worrying that it's noticeable on another person - when it's been bad for a protracted period of time, I've been anxious about anyone going into the loo after me at work. The odour is unholy when I've got it, they must wonder what the hell I'm keeping in my pants.

HildaWasALondoner · 02/08/2020 15:08

Oh bollocks, all this time I've managed not to fuck it up, and I've just committed a name change fail!

Above is me. Blush And it's the name change I used to post pictures of my hair, lol...have outed myself as a clown who smells of piss.

OP posts:
Mabelface · 02/08/2020 18:46

As an aside, the oestrogel made a huge difference to my menopausal symptoms. My hot flushes have gone and my brain works again. I take oxybutinin for an overactive bladder, again, life changing as did losing some weight.

Mikagill · 30/04/2021 12:16

Hi has anyone seen drs at Malone Lee clinic and how did you get on please
Thanks

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