Holding In Your Urine For Long Is Hazardous To Health
How many of you hate using public toilets in malls or amusements parks? Do you hold in your urine because you hate getting up in the middle of the night to urinate? How often do you feel like your bladder will burst as you rush to the bathroom when you get home? The number of times that you need to urinate differs from person to person, depends on how much you have had to drink and how strong your bladder control is. While it is good to have control over your urge to urinate, it is important to void when necessary. Here are some startling facts about the dangers of holding in urine for too long.
Pain Or Burning During Urination
Once the stone reaches the junction between your ureter and bladder, youll start to feel pain when you urinate. Your doctor might call this dysuria.
The pain can feel sharp or burning. If you dont know you have a kidney stone, you might mistake it for a UTI. Sometimes you can have an infection along with the stone.
Can Kidney Stones Cause Urinary Incontinence
The kidneys are part of your urinary tract system, and their job is to control the fluid and chemical levels in the body by cleaning the blood.
The kidneys have the important role of creating urine from the waste and the excess fluid in the body. Sometimes however, the urine in your body contains a high level of minerals and salts that form hard deposits inside your kidneys. These hard deposits are known as kidney stones. They are formed when there is not enough liquid in the urine to dilute out waste chemicals, such as calcium, oxalate and phosphorous. Kidney stones are much more likely to develop if you do not drink enough fluid.
As the urethra is smaller than the stone, passing a kidney stone can be a painful process. Some kidney stones of a large stone will not pass without the help of a physician.
People with kidney stones also often experience the following symptoms:
- Pain in the lower abdomen
- Pain when urinating
- Red, pink or brown tinted urine
- Urine that is cloudy
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It’s Not Just The Oxalate
Oxalate is naturally found in many foods, including fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, grains, legumes, and even chocolate and tea. Some examples of foods that contain high levels of oxalate include: peanuts, rhubarb, spinach, beets, chocolate and sweet potatoes. Moderating intake of these foods may be beneficial for people who form calcium oxalate stones, the leading type of kidney stones.
A common misconception is that cutting the oxalate-rich foods in your diet alone will reduce the likelihood of forming calcium oxalate kidney stones. While in theory this might be true, this approach isn’t smart from an overall health perspective. Most kidney stones are formed when oxalate binds to calcium while urine is produced by the kidneys.
It is important to eat and drink calcium and oxalate-rich foods together during a meal. In doing so, oxalate and calcium are more likely to bind to one another in the stomach and intestines before the kidneys begin processing, making it less likely that kidney stones will form.
Is Frequent Urge To Urinate A Sign Of Kidney Stone
The new era is all about matching pace with the rest of the world. The digitalization and modernization are conquering everything. Meanwhile, we are striving to achieve our goals and reaching the pinnacle of glory and success. This competition is raising many health issues which people often ignore and do not attend. Poor dietary habits are also causing threats to health. Out of many such issues, we will be discussing the frequent urge to urinate. What might be the possible reasons and cures? Could it be a kidney stone? And how can you curb it or get rid of it?
Firstly, we need to understand what exactly does frequent urination mean?
Urine contains water, urea, uric acid, toxins and waste filtered from within the body. This waste needs to get expelled from the body in the form of urine. The process is known as urination. Urine stays in the urinary bladder until it reaches the point of fullness and we feel an urge to urinate.
Frequent urination is the need to urinate more than 7 times in a span of 24 hours while drinking about 2 liters of fluid. Major attributing reasons for this condition may be:
- Kidney problems or kidney stone
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Treatment For Kidney Stones
Most kidney stones can be treated without surgery. Ninety per cent of stones pass by themselves within three to six weeks. In this situation, the only treatment required is pain relief. However, pain can be so severe that hospital admission and very strong pain-relieving medication may be needed. Always seek immediate medical attention if you are suffering strong pain.
Small stones in the kidney do not usually cause problems, so there is often no need to remove them. A doctor specialising in the treatment of kidney stones is the best person to advise you on treatment.
If a stone doesnt pass and blocks urine flow or causes bleeding or an infection, then it may need to be removed. New surgical techniques have reduced hospital stay time to as little as 48 hours. Treatments include:
Why Is Frequent Urination A Symptom Of Kidney Disease
Why is frequent urination a symptom of kidney disease? Because the kidneys make urine, people often believe that frequent urination is a symptom of kidney disease. While in some cases it can be a symptom of kidney disease, frequent urination is most often related to a bladder issue.
When to see a doctor about frequent urination? While in some cases it can be a symptom of kidney disease, frequent urination is most often related to a bladder issue. If you are experiencing frequent urination, see your primary care provider . Your PCP will generally start with urine and/or blood tests to determine the cause of the problem.
How can you tell if you have kidney disease? You feel the need to urinate more often. If you feel the need to urinate more often, especially at night, this can be a sign of kidney disease. When the kidneys filters are damaged, it can cause an increase in the urge to urinate. Sometimes this can also be a sign of a urinary infection or enlarged prostate in men.
Where does the urine go when the kidneys are full? Kidneys produce urine, which then flows down a tube called the ureter and empties into the bladder. When the bladder is full, the person feels the urge to urinate.
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What Do Kidney Stone Symptoms Feel Like
You’re probably already aware that passing a kidney stone can be incredibly painful. Perhaps you’ve heard someone compare the pain to childbirth. Or maybe someone mentioned their experience with kidney stones completely recalibrated how they rate pain. Ouch.
But while the most-discussed kidney stone symptom is often the pain where it’s felt and how bad it can get it’s not the only symptom to be aware of.
“Kidney stones are fairly common and often painful, but they’re also treatable and even preventable,” says Dr. Chris Kannady, urologist at Houston Methodist. “If you think you might have a kidney stone, it’s important to see your doctor as soon as possible since delaying care for a kidney stone can lead to serious complications.”
But, when all you’ve heard about kidney stones is how much they hurt, how can you tell if your pain might be kidney stone pain?
The 4 Stages Of Passing A Kidney Stone
Your kidneys work hard to remove fluid and waste from the body. During this process, kidney stones can sometimes form. Kidney stones are hardened mineral deposits that can form in the urinary tract. They often pass unnoticed or can be extremely painful and require treatment.
This article provides a look at the four main stages of passing a kidney stone.
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It’s Easy To Get The Care You Need
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Besides being painful, what arekidney stones?
Theyre solid formations of minerals and salts that crystalize in urine in the kidneys when concentrations are high. They can be as tiny as a grain of sand to pebble-size and larger. And they can develop at any age, from infants to the elderly.
Although some stones remain in the kidneys, others travel through the ureter and into the bladder, explains Howard Abromowitz, MD.
Is Kidney Stone Pain Worse When Lying Down
The symptoms may be subtle and develop gradually, or they may appear suddenly, with no warning signs. This pain can be severe and cause nausea or vomiting, or both. People often experience sharp, stabbing pain that is not relieved by common measures such as rest or lying down.
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Should I Cut Calcium Out Of My Diet If I Develop Calcium Oxalate Kidney Stones
If you develop kidney stones composed of calcium, you may be tempted to stop eating foods that include calcium. However, this is the opposite of what you should do. If you have calcium oxalate stones, the most common type, its recommended that you have a diet higher in calcium and lower in oxalate.
Foods that are high in calcium include:
Its also important to drink plenty of fluids to dilute the substances in your urine.
What Are The Most Common Types Of Kidney Stones
The most common type of kidney stone is a calcium oxalate stone. This type happens when calcium and oxalate combine in your urine. It can happen when you have high quantities of oxalate, low amounts of calcium and arent drinking enough fluids.
Stones caused by uric acid are also fairly common. These come from a natural substance called purine, which is a byproduct of animal proteins .
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Removing A Stone With Sound Waves
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Kidney stones can sometimes be broken up by sound waves produced by a lithotriptor in a procedure called extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy . After an ultrasound device or fluoroscope is used to locate the stone, the lithotriptor is placed against the back, and the sound waves are focused on the stone, shattering it. Then the person drinks fluids to flush the stone fragments out of the kidney, to be eliminated in the urine. Sometimes blood appears in the urine or the abdomen is bruised after the procedure, but serious problems are rare. |
A ureteroscope can be inserted into the urethra, through the bladder and up the ureter to remove small stones in the lower part of the ureter that require removal. In some instances, the ureteroscope can also be used with a device to break up stones into smaller pieces that can be removed with the ureteroscope or passed in the urine . Most commonly, holmium laser lithotripsy is used. In this procedure, a laser is used to break up the stone.
Percutaneous nephrolithotomy may be used to remove some larger kidney stones. In percutaneous nephrolithotomy, doctors make a small incision in the person’s back and then insert a telescopic viewing tube into the kidney. Doctors insert a probe through the nephroscope to break the stone into smaller pieces and then remove the pieces .
Making the urine more alkaline may sometimes gradually dissolve uric acid stones. Other types of stones cannot be dissolved this way.
Whats The Outlook For Kidney Stones
The outlook for kidney stones is very positive, although there is a risk of recurrence . Many kidney stones pass on their own over time without needing treatment. Medications and surgical treatments to remove larger kidney stones are generally very successful and involve little recovery time.
Its possible to get kidney stones multiple times throughout your life. If you keep developing kidney stones, your healthcare provider may work with you to discover why the stones happen. Once the cause is found, you may be able to make dietary changes to prevent future stones.
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Factors That Increase Your Risk Of Kidney Stones
Kidney stones often have no single cause, and several factors may increase your risk for getting them. Some of these factors are listed below. They include:
Lack of water
You need to make enough pee to dilute the things that can turn into stones. If you donât drink enough or sweat too much, your pee may look dark. It should be pale yellow or clear.
If youâve had a stone before, you should make about 8 cups of urine a day. So aim to down about 10 cups of water daily, since you lose some fluids through sweat and breathing. Swap a glass of water for a citrus drink. The citrate in lemonade or orange juice can block stones from forming.
Symptoms Of A Kidney Stone
Small stones move into the bladder and out of the body with minimal symptoms.
Larger stones, though, can become lodged in the ureter, block urine flow and cause sharp pain in your back, side, lower abdomen or groin, and blood in your urine. Symptoms may also include burning urination, nausea, and fever. Fever could indicate a serious infection, a reason to call to your doctor immediately.
The location of your pain signals the location of your kidney stone:
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When To See A Healthcare Provider
Kidney stones are one of the most common reasons for visits to the emergency room.¹¹ Depending on its size and location, you may need treatment to remove or break up the stone as well as medicine for pain relief.
If your pain is not that severe, you might not feel like a trip is necessary, but if you do have symptoms, reach out to your healthcare provider. Along with your symptoms, your provider may order imaging tests such as ultrasounds and X-rays, along with blood and urine tests, to diagnose your condition.¹
Doctor’s Notes On Inability To Urinate
An inability to urinate means that a person cannot pass urine out of the body through the urethra. Another broad term for inability to urinate is urinary retention, although urinary retention may be considered as either partial or complete. This is different from anuria, which means the person’s body is not producing urine in the kidneys, because people who cannot acutely urinate still produce urine.
There are two types of urinary retention: acute and chronic. Acute may occur suddenly, and chronic may occur over a longer time span. Acute obstruction is a medical emergency and can be life-threatening. The causes of the inability to urinate can be either obstruction of the urethra or non-obstruction of the urethra but are due to muscle and/or nerve problems that interfere with normal signals between your brain and your bladder. The inability to urinate is a symptom itself of underlying medical problems that may affect the urinary tract.
Obstructive urinary retention or the inability to urinate are due to underlying causes. The causes include the following and frequently involve putting pressure on the urethra or obstruction of the urethral lumen that results in little or no ability for urine to pass out of the body.
- nerve disease, and
- vaginal childbirth.
- An acute inability to urinate
- Urgent and painful feeling or need to urinate
- Severe pain in the lower abdomen
Chronic urinary retention symptoms and signs may include
What Is the Treatment for an Inability to Urinate ?
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Avoiding Recurrence Of Kidney Stones
If you have had one kidney stone, some tips that may help to prevent a second stone forming include:
- Talk to your doctor about the cause of the previous stone.
- Ask your doctor to check whether the medications you are on could be causing your stones. Do not stop your medications without talking to your doctor.
- Get quick and proper treatment of urinary infections.
- Avoid dehydration. Drink enough fluids to keep your urine volume at or above two litres a day. This can halve your risk of getting a second stone by lowering the concentration of stone-forming chemicals in your urine.
- Avoid drinking too much tea or coffee. Juices may reduce the risk of some stones, particularly orange, grapefruit and cranberry. Ask your doctor for advice.
- Reduce your salt intake to lower the risk of calcium-containing stones. Dont add salt while cooking and leave the saltshaker off the table. Choose low- or no-salt processed foods.
- Avoid drinking more than one litre per week of drinks that contain phosphoric acid, which is used to flavour carbonated drinks such as cola and beer.
- Always talk to your doctor before making changes to your diet.
Drinking mineral water is fine it cannot cause kidney stones because it contains only trace elements of minerals.
What Questions Should I Ask My Healthcare Provider
- Do I have a kidney stone or is there another reason for my symptoms?
- What type of kidney stone do I have?
- What size is my kidney stone?
- Where is my kidney stone located?
- How many kidney stones do I have?
- Do I need treatment or will I be able to pass the kidney stone?
- Should I be tested for kidney disease?
- What changes should I make to my diet?
- What type of procedure should I have to get rid of the stones?
A note from Cleveland Clinic
Kidney stones can be frustrating at best and agonizingly painful at the worst. To stop your situation from getting worse, you should be evaluated by a healthcare provider as soon as possible. The pain can get severe, and surgery might be necessary. Remember: dont skip your prescriptions, drink lots of water and follow any dietary guidelines. Also, remember that kidney stones are a temporary condition. They wont bother you forever.
Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 05/03/2021.
References
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