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Advise please!

I need some advise,
It all started in jan this year with a sudden onset of complete bladder retention which has not resolved. I still have a indwelling catheter and have failed my twoc twice. I’m under a urology team but they can’t figure out why this has happened. No other symptoms until a few weeks ago which started with a foggy brain like feeling. I thought it was the flu or something but nothing came of it but recently starting to get problems with my vision such as blurred vision and seeing double a tingling in the head and feeling like ears are blocked problems remembering what people have said I’ll stare into space and have headaches which are worse when laying down? And also slight tremors in my arms? I told the doctor today on the phone and they advised I go A& E? A previous doctor mentioned MS to me a few weeks ago although I went in to see her regarding my catheter and a general unwell feeling I thought was a UTI I thought why she asking this??? Now I’m beginning to worry,, what should I do?
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987762 tn?1671273328
COMMUNITY LEADER
Hi and welcome,

I would think the newer symptoms are more likely to be related to a urinary tract infection (UTI) due to the higher risk of UTI's with an indwelling catheter but it could also be related to migraine, although neither would explain why your experiencing bladder retention in the first place...

"Urinary retention can be attributed to two causes, obstruction or non-obstruction:
Obstructive urinary retention causes include:

Enlarged prostate (BPH) in men
Certain tumours and cancers
Urethral stricture
Cystocele or rectocele,
Constipation
Kidney or bladder stones

Common causes of non-obstructive urinary retention are:

Stroke
Vaginal childbirth
Pelvic injury or trauma
Nerve disease in both men and women
Impaired muscle or nerve function due to medication or anaesthesia
Accidents that injure the brain or spinal cord"
https://www.depend.com.au/urinary-incontinence/causes/urinary-retention/

What's not on the above list are medication side effects eg tricyclic antidepressants, mental health conditions and menopause, the below list of causes gives more details into the different types of situations that can cause bladder retention....

"Urinary tract infection
Vaginal infection
Post menopausal changes of the vagina, genital and urinary tract
Severe pelvic organ prolapse, especially of the bladder (cystocoele) and uterus (womb) causing kinking of the urine pipe
Complication of surgery for stress incontinence of urine or pelvic organ prolapse
After a prolonged labour, especially with epidural for pain relief, difficult vaginal or instrumental delivery with episiotomy (cut) or tears, piles and pain
End of first trimester of pregnancy (12-13 weeks) with a retroverted uterus (womb that is tilted backwards) causing the cervix (mouth of the womb) to push forwards onto the urethra (urine pipe) or bladder neck obstructing it
Uterine fibroid/s situated in the back wall of the womb causing the same effect as just mentioned above
Side effects of medications
Constipation

Bladder disorders due to neurological disease or chronic over-distension may also cause voiding difficulty.

Women with psychological impairment due to anxiety and depression may likewise present with these urinary problems. "http://www.nuhgynae.com.sg/cos/o.x?c=/wbn/pagetree&func=view&rid=1069099

I would expect your urologist to have ruled out most or all common causes and diagnose you with Neurogenic bladder dysfunction (flaccid or spastic) caused by neurologic damage for a neurological condition like MS to be on your potential causation list. Urinary retention due to neurologic damage can be either the central nervous system or the peripheral nervous system, MS is just one of many potential explanations but it wouldn't be the most common so i would recommend you try to keep an open mind and not get overly worried about conditions like MS at this stage, it genuinely may have nothing to do with MS...

If you have only spoken to a dr over the phone have not sought medical further medical advice or had any tests eg for an infection etc yet, it would probably be a very good idea to see your GP or Urologist to get those tests done, i would also recommend you find out if you have been diagnosed with neurogenic bladder dysfunction and whether you require neurological consult and further testing to identify causation.

I hope that helps......JJ  
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