Hi All,
Last week I hit a bump in the road. On Wednesday I recognized on the way into work that I had some lower pain in my back and/or kidneys. Several hours later I began to wonder if the pain was related to the fact that I could not empty my bladder. I was drinking coffee and tea and cranberry juice but saw no output...after six hours this began to concern me. Upon leaving work just before noon I began to feel nauseas. After arriving at my in-laws and finding that although I had been taking in liquids, I still could not empty the bladder. I irrigated very well and the water came back but no urine. I called the hospital but of course could not get to talk with anyone so I went to the ER at the UW Hospital.
I arrived at the ER shortly after 1 p.m. and was soon removed from the waiting room as I was vomiting. After talking to the Urology Department, I was sent over for a CT scan and was told the scan showed the kidneys and bladder looked fine. By 6:30 I had vomited several times over and they were thinking it was perhaps some type of stomach flu. It seems that if I had the flu and I was dehydrated enough, there would be little or no output of urine. Because I was so dehydrated, they decided to admit me by 6:30 so they could put me on IV’s but could not put me in a room until 9:30. When I wasn’t being tested, I was on a bed in the hallway. When they say we are in a health crisis, they are correct. The ER holds about 40 patients, and they can put another 4 or 6 in the hallway. The wait time was 3-4 hours to be seen and I don’t think that is uncommon. Now, I am not complaining….just letting others know what they might expect to find in ER if they have to go there. There are just too many patients and not enough doctors and nurses.
Anyway, I did not expect to spend the night but according to the doctors, it was the best thing for me to do. I expected to be discharged the next day but by noon, my urologist had gotten a call from Radiology. Apparently after a second look of the CT scan, they noticed a small blockage in the colon which gave them reason to want me to stay another night to ensure there weren’t any serious problems. Once I had enough fluids in me and bladder and colon working as they should, I was good to go and was discharged Friday afternoon.
Anticipate being back to work on Monday, 3/17. I feel lucky I have insurance and there were no serious consequences. The doctors admitted they do not know if it was a flu virus or a result of the blockage that caused my problems. I’m just glad I am out of the hospital again and feeling somewhat back to normal, whatever normal is for me.
What I learned...it was 12 hours before I could produce any urine and was still OK...so I would guess the theory that I was very dehydrated must be the reason I had no output. Hope I can stay out of the ER now for the remainder of the year.
Hugs to all, Melodie
