This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

I am wondering if I should worry about frequent urgency to urinate I've experienced recently. I "feel" like I have to go to the bathroom often, on the other side I may be drinking more water than I used to. I started writing a protocol of this. I now have to go 6-10 times per day, and have between 300-700 ml urine each time (most volume at night and after exercising). I don't have problems "holding it in" or "letting it out", but did have some slight problems holding it in during a week of what was probably a relapse 3 months ago. Unfortunately I only started keeping track of my frequency and amount thereafter, so don't have a measure of comparison. Can you nice people give me some perspective, i.e. how much is normal for a guy? In particular, is it normal to feel urgency at 400 ml? I looked on the web and found very conflicting information, between 200 and 1,000 ml as the normal volume of bladder or point when urgency is felt.

Thanks in adcvance!

It's very dependant on the person; that is why you are seeing such variation in volume specifications. I can't really correlate my bladder because it's shot. I pee 2-4 times per hour and that's why I have to cath before bed. From what you're saying in terms of your volume, that sounds very 'normal'. If your frequency is getting in your way, I'd try Ditropan or Enablex, but you can't use them if you don't empty your bladder, but it sounds like you are still doing that, so maybe give them a try. They do work, but give you cottonmouth like you just smoked some pot. When I was still draining my bladder and the urgency was getting in my way, I went on them and combatted the dry mouth with Jolly Ranchers; and that worked pretty well.

I'd just wait until it's really impinging on your lifestyle but, to me anyway, your voiding volume sounds good. The low end doesn't sound too appealing, but remember, my voids are only 200 ml because I leave behind about 300 ml in my bladder after I pee. Good luck. Have your uro. do an ultrasound on your bladder right after you pee and he can tell you what your residual volume is. I had to come in one morning after drinking normally. He US'd my bladder to see what was in there, then I peed and he checked to see what was left. Then you know if you're retaining urine. After I tripped over to 150ml left in there I had to start self cathing to make sure my kidneys didn't get backed up. Hopefully you can continue to fully empty, then you can use the drugs to keep the urgency down.

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http://myhopefuljourneyintoactualmsreco ... ogspot.com

Get thee to a uro.

It may well be MS. I know I thought my problem was. So did the uro at first. But he ordered a few simple tests to be sure. Turns out MS had nothing to do with it. It was that nasty little thing us guys have called a prostate - well in my case it turned out to be not so little but since the surgery things have improved.

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Carpe Diem

I really do not know medically what too much urinating is, but I can offer this... I am totally cath dependant. My insurance will cover 180 caths a month. They feel that is adaquate. They way I see that is I can take a leak every four hours. I suppose they feel that shakin the dew off the lillys every four hours is normal. I have to watch the clock and not go to early or I run out of caths before the end of the month. So I try to go as little as possible, I try to stretch it out sometimes 5-7 hours, in doing this I indirectly dehydrate myself....Because, on my days off I like to down some beers. Well, as most know when your drinkin beer, once you break the seal, it's every 30 minutes until you quit drinkin. So in short, I save up for my days off. Therefore my answer to your question, after doing my scientific math is....Once every four hours?