Bladder issues after "pelvic floor surgery"

Double Whammy
Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
edited July 2013 in Uterine/Endometrial Cancer #1

I've cancelled 2 appointments with the urogynecologist because I just don't want to go there!  So I'm coming here instead to learn what, if any, bladder issues you have had following what my pcp refers to as "pelvic floor surgery".  Here's mine:  I have stress and sometimes urge incontinence, up many times during the night to pee,  and often have discomfort AFTER urination.  I do not think I have an infection - no blood, burning,  etc.  I was tested for infection about 6 months ago and all was well - which prompted the referral to urogynecology.   I did not have radiation treatments for my endo cancer, only hysterectomy which was robotic LAVH.  

Friday and Saturday were uncomfortable.  The discomfort after urinating was pretty intense. Today I'm fine.  The leak things seem pretty consistent with what lots of older women experience.  I feel like this is entirely a functional (or dysfunctional) process either as part of ageing or the pelvic floor surgery.  I simply don't want to take any medications nor have any surgery for what so far is primarily inconvenient.   Wondering if anyone else experiences these issues and what, if anything, you've done about it. 

Suzanne

 

Comments

  • gwynedd
    gwynedd Member Posts: 6
    #2
    Bladder issues

    I've had recurrent UTIs since I had my hysterectomy two years ago.  I've been to a urologist and had a cystoscope, which found nothing wrong with my bladder.  I, too, think that this problem is a result of the hysterectomy, but none of my doctors have agreed so far.  I see my gyn oncologist next week, and I'm going to ask more questions about it.  If I learn anything, I will post again or send you a private message.  

     

    Gwen

  • Kathy G.
    Kathy G. Member Posts: 245 Member
    #3
    gwynedd said:

    Bladder issues

    I've had recurrent UTIs since I had my hysterectomy two years ago.  I've been to a urologist and had a cystoscope, which found nothing wrong with my bladder.  I, too, think that this problem is a result of the hysterectomy, but none of my doctors have agreed so far.  I see my gyn oncologist next week, and I'm going to ask more questions about it.  If I learn anything, I will post again or send you a private message.  

     

    Gwen

    Hi Suzanne,
    As you know I

    Hi Suzanne,

    As you know I started my cancer journey thinking I had yet another UTI rather than cancer! The urges to urinate started in my mid-40's and if I did not get there fast enough I would find I dribbled. My mother had had the same issue so I kind of expected it. I started wearing a mini-pad in case I dribbled.

    As time went on the urges got worse and I went beyond dribbling if I did not make it to the bathroom on time. I sought out those popular incontinence medications b/c I did not want to have bladder surgery...my mother's was not successful. The meds did not seem to work too well, and like you said the problem was more of an incovenience than anything else. I stopped taking the meds and just made sure I got to the bathroom in time.

    However, the past few years I began to leak so I wear pads....not depends! I have attributed my UTI's to wearing the pads.

    I had a heck of a UTI right after surgery that took forever to clear up and one since then. It's only been 6 months since my hysterectomy so I don't know if I will continue to have them frequently like Gwen mentions, but since I had them alot before my surgery it'd be hard to determine if it was the surgery or just I am prone to them.

    I had the pain after the surgery, but do not experience it after 'regular' urinating.

    I would suggest you get the pain checked out. I can understand not wanting to see the doctor...I think most of us are sick of medical appointments, but I would want to rule out that the pain was not an indication of something else. Then I would just deal with the rest.

    Sometimes it really sucks to be a woman!

    Best of luck. Keep us posted!

    And like others...compliments on the beautiful hairstyle. I had to do a double-take when you first put up the new picture. You look 10 years younger!

    Kathy

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  • pinky104
    pinky104 Member Posts: 574 Member
    #4
    gwynedd said:

    Bladder issues

    I've had recurrent UTIs since I had my hysterectomy two years ago.  I've been to a urologist and had a cystoscope, which found nothing wrong with my bladder.  I, too, think that this problem is a result of the hysterectomy, but none of my doctors have agreed so far.  I see my gyn oncologist next week, and I'm going to ask more questions about it.  If I learn anything, I will post again or send you a private message.  

     

    Gwen

    I've had many years where I

    I've had many years where I would have a couple of UTI's per year.  After my surgery, while going through chemo, I was getting UTI's every 3 weeks.  I would no sooner get off the meds when the UTI came back.  Months later, I was still short of breath (which started during chemo) and my family physician did a blood count.  It was only slightly low, so he said that wouldn't cause the shortness of breath.  He did a ferritin (iron) test and found that my level was extremely high.  When I went back to my oncologist 3 months later, he decided to check my genes because of the high ferritin.  He found I had one odd gene defect called H63D and that I had hemochromatosis (and not the normal form which has two gene defects).  Hemochromatosis can cause frequent infections.  I asked my urologist (who'd previously done a negative cystoscopy on me) if hemotchromatosis could have caused my UTI's.  Unfortunately, he didn't know if that was one of the types of infections that hemochromatosis can cause.

    I went through phlebotomy (blood-letting) several times and I've only had one infection in a year and a half since then.  So it seems likely that hemochromatosis did cause the infections.  Hemochromatosis is often missed by doctors, since they don't put all the symptoms of it together, and it doesn't show up on the normal blood tests.  It has the same symptoms as many other conditions. It's more common than you might think.  So it might be something to consider in your case.  Ask to have a ferritin level done.  If that's high, you can go for the more expensive genetic testing.

    A prolapse can also cause you to have UTI's, as the bladder doesn't empty itself properly.  The urine sits in the bladder too long collecting bacteria.  The doctor can insert a pessary to push the bladder back into position.  There are various other problems which can happen, but they would have been found in your cystoscopy.

  • minniejan
    minniejan Member Posts: 88
    #5
    exactly the same

    I just came on this site today to check to see if anyone was having the same issues I have been having.  Your problem sounds like mine.  For the last year I have been having symptoms of frequent urinary tract infections.  The last three have been back-to back, no sooner do I go off the antibotic, the symtoms return. Frequency, feeling of wanting to urinate almost constantly, pain at the end of urination.  My regular doc keeps strengthening the antibotic to no avail.  The last few urine tests have come back with white blood cells in the urine, but they cannot pinpoint a bacteria. Keep telling me that the culture is probably too weak.   Yet they treat as it is a UTI. My regular doctor said I did not need to see a urologist and said the brachytherapy was not to blame when I asked. (I didn't think about the surgery which was 2 1/2 years ago.) Yet this doctor assumed I had external radiation until I explained, but she still did not think I needed to see a specialist, thought it was not connected to the uterine cancer or treatments.  I am going to the radiation oncologist in a couple of weeks for my three month checkup, I want her opinion because I don't think my primary can treat me.  I guess it is time to also look for a urologist.  If I don't go crazy from the symptoms in the meantime. 

     

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