Urge to pee but no pee

sandyeigo · September 30

Been dealing with toileting issues at night the last couple months with the last few weeks increasing in frequency but this is a new one. MIL has been up and down multiple times during the night feeling like she has to pee but is not able to pee. She had two urine tests last week. First was inconclusive. Second was done Saturday so we’re still waiting on results. She told me sil it has been happening but tonight seems to really be an issue.
I see a lot of folks dealing with incontinence but I can’t find anything on this particular issue. Anyone else out there dealt with this before?

towhee · September 30

Hi, yes, similar issues have happened, there is someone on the Caring for a Parent Board that is dealing with this right now also. Usually it is related to a UTI, and other causes can be hard to determine, I think one was related to an irritation from toilet paper, but I could be wrong. You might end up with a visit to a specialist.

harshedbuzz · September 30

@sandyeigo

UTIs in the elderly often have atypical symptoms even without dementia. Normally for a UTI you would see more confusion and agitation, and you might not see frequency or pain. Still, it's wise to check including the all-important culture to make sure the abx prescribed are appropriate.

It's also possible this is more of a behavior issue rooted in anxiety. This scenario would be less likely if the behavior was sudden onset. If UTI is ruled out, I'd consider medication to address the anxiety.
HB

H1235 · September 30

Does she wear depends. Since nothing comes out when you take her could you just reassure her that her depends will catch it. I know that the sensation will still be there and will be uncomfortable for her. If she is not wearing depends could she be afraid of having an accident and getting obsessive about it? I hope you find a solution.

sandyeigo · September 30

Just got confirmation this morning that the tests came back negative for UTI. Scheduling and ultrasound? Possibly kidney stones? She hasn’t had them before but guess we’re just trying to rule out all possibilities.
She has been wearing depends but I’m not sure she knows what they are for, so maybe having that discussion will ease her mind.
Last night she was describing it as a strong urge and it seemed to happen in a cluster of time around midnight. Up and down, up and down, 2/3 times in the space of 20 minutes. I got up and I went in to talk to her, took her to the bathroom, no success again, took her back to bed and tried to reassure her. She went back to sleep for a couple more hours, got up to go to the bathroom a bit more normally, every 2 hours or so, the rest of the night.
Possibly sundowning?

Likoho · October 1

I've been experiencing this with my LO for the past month. After multiple negative testing for UTI it narrowed down via a referral to a Uro/Gyn to diagnose Overactive Bladder and having to retrain the bladder via Kegels. Too little fluid intake which is an ongoing issue (64 oz recommended, 32 consumed-if that) which will cause the urge and no voiding. No incontinence that I'm aware of. Hyper-focused on all aspects of bathroom activities, i.e.: BM's and Urinary. I think it's possible that this is more of a behavior issue rooted in anxiety.

JDancer · October 1

Could also be urinary retention. More common in men, but can happen it women also . Easily diagnosed with a non invasive bladder scanner.

Urge to pee but no pee

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