Cause for concern? Infrequent urination

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, I'd be dragging your daughter kicking and screaming to the ER. I'm surprised by your "eh oh well" approach to this. The urination issue plus the other issues could indicate a serious problem. I hope your daughter is ok and doesn't collapse before Wednesday. You both sound like you have serious issues dealing with things.

+1

OP here. If she were under 18, I'd definitely be doing this. Have been a nervous wreck, half dreading, half expecting some kind of emergency for heart or urination thing before Wednesday. She is not the least perturbed, which is maddening, and really thinks she'll be told it's nothing. So why be in a hurry to hear that?

OP, please consider that your daughter may have MS. take her to the doctor now.

[Anonymous]

So I skimped on background.

She is no stranger to doctors, ERs, or hospitals. She has epilepsy and had many trips to the ER before we found a medication that worked. In the last two years she has been hospitalized for a kidney infection, double pneumonia, and meningitis. For her the ER is for high fever with pain or seizure with hitting the head.

MS crossed my mind, but she had a relatively recent brain MRI for seizures and it was clear. She's had urinary incontinence before and reported it to the neurologist who said it was probably anxiety.

Five years ago I learned of heart palpitations and took her to a cardiologist. After an EKG he said it was probably anxiety. I didn't know until the recent episode they had been continuing all this time.

She does have anxiety that has been resistant to five or six SSRIs. She has become fatalistic that any symptom other than high fever or hitting her head will be attributed to anxiety. She was somewhat optimistic when the ER doctor she saw for the severe palpitation episode never once suggested it was due to anxiety even though she self reported it.

That was crushed by the cardiologist she saw. He asked few questions. I did convince her to go for a second opinion because of the fainting and because a colleague's son, who also had anxiety, after two years of seeing doctors for palpitations was finally diagnosed and treated for an electrical problem.

She did tell me the anxiety and palpitation episodes feel very different. In addition, the former go away with emergency Xanax, but the latter do not and also come with chest discomfort.

[Anonymous]

Op, I have MS and one teeny tiny barely visible brain lesion. My lesions are I'm my spinal cord. I had chest discomfort, bad enough that I sought er care several times, for years. I was always told it was anxiety. In reality I have a large lesion on my t spine that correlates with the chest pain. They even call it the ms hug, it's so common. She needs more screening.

[Anonymous]

OP, how is your daughter today? Let us know how the appointment goes.

[Anonymous]

I was thinking about her too. Incontinence could be anxiety-related but not infrequent urination. Hope the cardiogist raised her alarm bells and referred her to someone who can help her immediately.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op, I have MS and one teeny tiny barely visible brain lesion. My lesions are I'm my spinal cord. I had chest discomfort, bad enough that I sought er care several times, for years. I was always told it was anxiety. In reality I have a large lesion on my t spine that correlates with the chest pain. They even call it the ms hug, it's so common. She needs more screening.

Shit MS is all over this board...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not yet, but have collected her from other city as internship was pretty much over anyway.

She sees no reason for alarm as she was in ER 3 weeks ago and they said her blood work was fine. (Her roommate took her there as she had racing heart with chest discomfort, profuse sweating and fainting; ER thought possible electrical problem.)

We are following up with cardiologist here on Wednesday. The cardiologist the ER referred her to did an EKG; nothing showed so he said it must just be anxiety. That seemed inadequate to me, particularly as she had another episode with fainting.

She has agreed to mention urination issue to cardiologist and do whatever he says.

She thinks I have hypochondria by proxy.

These things were much easier when they were under 18 and there were no HIPPA issues.

Heart issue sounds like anxiety/panic attack.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

Three cheers for the cardiologist!

He is pretty sure that a medication she is taking for a hormonal issue, which is also sometimes used to lower blood pressure so he has experience, is causing the urination problem. He wants it halved so we will talk to the prescribing doctor. Her blood pressure is running low, so another reason to reduce.

On the heart palpitations and some other symptoms he did an echocardiogram (fine) and put her on a Holter monitor but told us his hunch is that it will not turn our to be an arryhthmia but rather a Vitamin B12 deficiency. He felt her level of a year go was too low (so did I but I couldn't get any other doctor to agree) and thinks it's probably gotten lower, causing problems. Also wants her iron thoroughly tested as that could be a contributing reason as well.

He never once ventured into anxiety land, even though we had told the terrific NP we saw first that was a problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

Three cheers for the cardiologist!

He is pretty sure that a medication she is taking for a hormonal issue, which is also sometimes used to lower blood pressure so he has experience, is causing the urination problem. He wants it halved so we will talk to the prescribing doctor. Her blood pressure is running low, so another reason to reduce.

On the heart palpitations and some other symptoms he did an echocardiogram (fine) and put her on a Holter monitor but told us his hunch is that it will not turn our to be an arryhthmia but rather a Vitamin B12 deficiency. He felt her level of a year go was too low (so did I but I couldn't get any other doctor to agree) and thinks it's probably gotten lower, causing problems. Also wants her iron thoroughly tested as that could be a contributing reason as well.

He never once ventured into anxiety land, even though we had told the terrific NP we saw first that was a problem.

That's great!!! I hope it's this simple. Please keep us posted.

[Anonymous]

B12 deficiency can definitely contribute to anxiety as well.
Glad you've got a good doc on the case and hope cutting dose of med does the trick.

[Anonymous]

Glad she was seen OP!

[Anonymous]

OP here: Thanks all for the concern and good wishes. I am so grateful to have had all the DCUM support, which I am definitely paying forward.