Why do I feel that I've gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now?

October 22, 2006 11:42 PM

Why do I feel the need to pee, and what should I tell my doctor?

For a while now, I've been feeling a bit out of sorts. I feel like I need to pee a lot. Right after I pee, I still feel an urge to go; if I ignore the urge (which is hard!) and start to concentrate on something, I'm OK for a few hours as long as I don't drink anything. There's no burning unless I'm dehydrated. Then it burns. If I drink something, I have to run to the bathroom within the hour--but that's normal for me. I've been taking AZO cranberry tablets off and on. I feel like I have to go right now even though I went just fifteen minutes ago.

Some notes:

-I've always peed a lot, but I've never felt this sort of urge. The only time I've felt like this was during a UTI. My doctor ran a test for UTIs (and I did six home tests!) and nothing showed up.

-I've done makeshift diabetes tests with a BD home glucose monitor. While my blood sugar wasn't awesome, it wasn't at a diabetic level. So no diabetes (or pre-diabetes for that matter).

Any idea of what's up? What should I make the appointment for? I don't think "UTI" is going to cut it this time. I'm just confused as to what's wrong.

To summarize: Gotta go, no pain, not diabetes, not UTI. I'm female.

Thanks! I realize that AskMeFiIsNotaDoctor, but some extra advice couldn't hurt. I plan to see my physician soon; I just wanted some more opinions.

(For the record, I find this question embarrassing. If my laptop could blush...)

posted by ElectricBlue to Health & Fitness (16 answers total)

I thought I had a UTI but it was strange because there was no burning. Come to find out, it was a yeast infection. Go to the doctor. If it's a bad one (as mine was) you'll get antibiotics and then one pill to take care of the yeast infection part. you could also try the yeast infection over the counter stuff.
posted by nadawi at 11:45 PM on October 22, 2006

Two questions:
1) just to clarify, do you feel the need to go and you actually do need to - in that you are actually full, or do you feel the need to go but nothing is there?
2) are you any thirstier than usual?
posted by edd at 12:38 AM on October 23, 2006

You might want read up on interstitial cystitis before you go to the doctor. It's possible to have inflammation and symptoms without having an actual UTI, so you should probably just tell your doctor you're having symptoms of cystitis and go from there.
posted by stefanie at 12:53 AM on October 23, 2006

I also have a really small bladder, got loads of tests done, and appear to be in perfect health other than the fact that I have to pee 15 million billion times per day. The gyno I went to told me it might be a food allergy, or a side effect of medication, or maybe I just naturally have a really sensitive, irritable bladder. I have a referral to a urologist in some drawer but I'm not super-excited about the prospect of invasive tubes in sensitive places so I've been putting it off. Should you decide to really pursue this and can't find an obvious cause, there's prescription medication that de-sensitizes your bladder (in effect, I think).

This post is similar to yours (but posted by a guy), and has lots of interesting info.
posted by granted at 1:10 AM on October 23, 2006

ElectricBlue: that's why it took me so long to figure out it was a yeast infection. It burned a little during sex, but that was easily fixed by lubrication (which in the end, worsened the issue), but that was it besides the frequent peeing. I also felt generally crappy during all of this and right before I finally went to the doctor, I was cramping. As far as I can tell I went at least 2 months withough knowing it's what I had.
posted by nadawi at 2:09 AM on October 23, 2006

What you describe is called -- funnily enough -- urgency. It's the false alarm feeling of having to pee, and it's a symptom of *lots* of (vastly different) ailments, all of which are impossible to diagnose online.

If your GP seems to be running out of tricks and tests to try, your gynecologist may be able to diagnose you, or you may need to see a urologist.

IANAD, of course, but one thing I'm fairly safe in predicting is that they'll advise you to drink lots of water, even if it makes you pee a lot.
posted by nadise at 2:27 AM on October 23, 2006

IANAD either, but I think it's worth trying supplementary magnesium which seems to me to be a more gentle and natural solution than anticholinergics. I would also suggest that this may be a sign that there is too much stress in your life.
posted by teleskiving at 3:23 AM on October 23, 2006

Seconding the yeasties. I had nadawi's problem exactly.
posted by sian at 5:34 AM on October 23, 2006

Gynecological issues such as ovarian cysts can cause you to urinate more frequently because of pressure on the bladder. If your urgency to pee can't be explained by yeast infection or UTI, you may want to request a transvaginal ultrasound to check out the possibility of ovarian cysts -- they are fairly common.

Also, increased frequency of urination without pain can be a sign of ovarian cancer (which I learned after I was diagnosed) and should be looked at if it lasts more than 2 weeks. The chance of cancer being the cause of your problem is VERY low, but it is good to know this can be a symptom.
posted by Felicity Rilke at 7:57 AM on October 23, 2006

Your doc may still want to test your blood glucose. If you can, you might want to go in without having eaten for long enough that they can get a fasting level, just to prevent having to go right back to the doc.
posted by OmieWise at 8:04 AM on October 23, 2006

D-Mannose can sometimes help with persistent UT stuff. (IANAD) A friend of mine's mom had some success with it. Just get it from a reputable natural foods store, not online. It's a lot cheaper that way.

That said, if your doctor keeps checking for the same thing and isn't finding anything, it couldn't hurt to try another doctor.
posted by jennyjenny at 8:19 AM on October 23, 2006

Could you be pregnant? I assumed the "I have to pee" part of pregnancy was at the end when there is a ton of weight on your bladder - and it is - but there is also a period of peeing urgency at the very beginning.
posted by Wolfie at 9:14 AM on October 23, 2006

There have been some good suggestions here, but I just wanted to add to OmieWise's comment regarding diabetes. You say you've done some makeshift tests at home. How did you go about doing that? Did you take a morning fasting level? How long after eating meals did you test? Have you ever had a fasting glucose tolerance test at a lab (the kind where you get stuck, drink that nasty sugary concoction, then get stuck up to three or more times each following hour)? If not, I wouldn't rule out the diabetes just yet. Not everybody feels thirst as a symptom, and sugar levels vary widely depending on what you eat and when you test.

If your GP can't figure out what's going on after ruling out infection, diabetes, and any abdominal weirdness, get thee to a competent urologist.
posted by moira at 9:18 AM on October 23, 2006

And what Wolfie said.
posted by moira at 9:20 AM on October 23, 2006

Another option is urinary reflux, where the valve between your bladder and kidney is a bit broken. Produces the same symptom sometimes.
posted by anonymoose at 9:57 AM on October 23, 2006

Are there any foods that are naturally chock full of magnesium?

I don't think there is any one magic food, but many of the foods that are known to be healthy for other reasons are also good sources of magnesium, e.g. fish, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds. A number of web sites indicate that reducing alcohol, caffeine and sugar may also help.
posted by teleskiving at 10:34 AM on October 23, 2006