Horrifying medical tests

PuppyLoverBob666 · ‎12-17-2021

Oh my lord! I just found information on the medical tests (on my bladder) that will start in a few days. It's something called "Urodynamics" and I don't know if this is commercial name or a generic one.

The first part involves you sitting on a special chair, urinating into it, and all kinds of measurements. They say they don't have to sedate you but I might ask for a little. I'm usually pretty stoic about medical matters but this has me really dreading it.

Has anyone undergone them?

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

I haven't but working in a hospital, I'm very familiar with it. Urodynamics is a broad term for many different urinary tests so I don't know exactly what tests you will have. It's not painful. You won't need sedation. But ask for sedation if they need to insert a catheter. You'll probably be told to arrive with a full bladder. The test is computerized and it will measure amount, flow, pressure etc. There's absolutely nothing scary or painful about these tests.

Trinity11 · ‎11-16-2014

@PuppyLoverBob666 wrote:
Oh my lord! I just found information on the medical tests (on my bladder) that will start in a few days. It's something called "Urodynamics" and I don't know if this is commercial name or a generic one.

The first part involves you sitting on a special chair, urinating into it, and all kinds of measurements. They say they don't have to sedate you but I might ask for a little. I'm usually pretty stoic about medical matters but this has me really dreading it.

Has anyone undergone them?

There is nothing horrifying, painful or difficult about urodynamics. Maybe a bit embarrassing but there is a curtain between you and the technician or doctor performing the test. It is a worthwhile test.

If you are having a cystoscopy they inject the bladder with a pain killer. You need to drink water before it. A cystoscopy under anesthesia is the gold standard for scoping the bladder. I had it done 35 years ago and was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis. My aftercare required many tests and all were painless and no sedatives were necessary for the tests when I was awake.

Good luck!

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

@Trinity11 wrote:
@PuppyLoverBob666 wrote:
Oh my lord! I just found information on the medical tests (on my bladder) that will start in a few days. It's something called "Urodynamics" and I don't know if this is commercial name or a generic one.

The first part involves you sitting on a special chair, urinating into it, and all kinds of measurements. They say they don't have to sedate you but I might ask for a little. I'm usually pretty stoic about medical matters but this has me really dreading it.

Has anyone undergone them?
There is nothing horrifying, painful or difficult about urodynamics. Maybe a bit embarrassing but there is a curtain between you and the technician or doctor performing the test. It is a worthwhile test.

If you are having a cystoscopy they inject the bladder with a pain killer. You need to drink water before it. A cystoscopy under anesthesia is the gold standard for scoping the bladder. I had it done 35 years ago and was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis. My aftercare required many tests and all were painless and no sedatives were necessary for the tests when I was awake.

Good luck!

A cystoscopy is NOT classified as a urodynamics test. If that was the plan, they would have told her "cysto with urodynamics". Cystocopies are classified as ambulatory surgery, not tedting.

Trinity11 · ‎11-16-2014

@chrystaltree wrote:
@Trinity11 wrote:
@PuppyLoverBob666 wrote:
Oh my lord! I just found information on the medical tests (on my bladder) that will start in a few days. It's something called "Urodynamics" and I don't know if this is commercial name or a generic one.

The first part involves you sitting on a special chair, urinating into it, and all kinds of measurements. They say they don't have to sedate you but I might ask for a little. I'm usually pretty stoic about medical matters but this has me really dreading it.

Has anyone undergone them?
There is nothing horrifying, painful or difficult about urodynamics. Maybe a bit embarrassing but there is a curtain between you and the technician or doctor performing the test. It is a worthwhile test.

If you are having a cystoscopy they inject the bladder with a pain killer. You need to drink water before it. A cystoscopy under anesthesia is the gold standard for scoping the bladder. I had it done 35 years ago and was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis. My aftercare required many tests and all were painless and no sedatives were necessary for the tests when I was awake.

Good luck!

A cystoscopy is NOT classified as a urodynamics test. If that was the plan, they would have told her "cysto with urodynamics". Cystocopies are classified as ambulatory surgery, not tedting.

She said tests in the plural @chrystaltree . And a cystoscopy is usually given when someone goes to a urologist where they undergo urodynamics.

Tinkrbl44 · ‎08-23-2010

@PuppyLoverBob666 wrote:
Oh my lord! I just found information on the medical tests (on my bladder) that will start in a few days. It's something called "Urodynamics" and I don't know if this is commercial name or a generic one.

The first part involves you sitting on a special chair, urinating into it, and all kinds of measurements. They say they don't have to sedate you but I might ask for a little. I'm usually pretty stoic about medical matters but this has me really dreading it.

Has anyone undergone them?

@PuppyLoverBob666

From your first paragraph ("found information") it doesn't seem like you were provided with very much information.

This is not a big deal, but be sure to drink lots of liquid before the test. I once had to have a thing done and made the mistake of stopping at the nearby Target to use the ladies room before going to my appointment.

When I arrived at the office with an empty bladder I had to sit in the waiting room and drink glass ... after glass ... after glass of water so they could do the test. I wish I had known that beforehand.

AuntG · ‎03-09-2010

My first thought was it sounds embarrassing, until you realize the technicians run those tests day in and day out.

BlueFinch · ‎08-31-2019

@PuppyLoverBob666 You're going to be just fine. The worst of this type of medical workup is embarrassment for most. I know, having worked in health care for half of my life, talking people through procedures and tests they dreaded. Usually, they were so relieved to find their fears were unwarranted.

I had a Urology clinic workup myself, after sudden frank blood in my urine. After a renal and bladder CT the doc said he wanted to do a cystoscopy. First they did a cath (no problem), then he scoped the bladder. It was no big deal. No sedation. We chatted throughout the procedure. Afterwards, there was some urethral burning for a day, then I was fine.

So, even if you were to wind up with a cath, or cysto, as part of your workup, it's not painful, just mildly uncomfortable.

It sounds like the tests you're going to have focus on efficiency of your bladder, with carefully measured values. Like when you void, do you have residual urine? How much. That type of thing.

They're having a particular chair for this purpose because if you attempted collection over a commode, you may lose some of the content. It needs to be controlled for accurate testing. You should fly through it all with no problem. Trust me, it's not horrifying, even if they add some more invasive tests like a cath, or scope.

If you feel embarrassed, just remember that you're just one of hundreds they test every week. It's their routine. The important thing is, that you will be getting closer to a diagnosis that may lead to positive treatment. That's what you need to focus on. Best of luck.

PuppyLoverBob666 · ‎12-17-2021

Blue Finch, thank you very much for your informative post. Everything you described is going to be done to me. Does it take long? can they give you something to cover yourself with? so the whole world can't see you?

What you said is very comforting and I really appreciate you taking the time to make me feel better.

hckynutjohn · ‎06-15-2015

@PuppyLoverBob666 wrote:
Oh my lord! I just found information on the medical tests (on my bladder) that will start in a few days. It's something called "Urodynamics" and I don't know if this is commercial name or a generic one.

The first part involves you sitting on a special chair, urinating into it, and all kinds of measurements. They say they don't have to sedate you but I might ask for a little. I'm usually pretty stoic about medical matters but this has me really dreading it.

Has anyone undergone them?

@PuppyLoverBob666

Because of your "nic", I am not sure of your gender. Hopefully you know I am of the Male species.

Yes, I had the Urodynamics tests. Right after my Urologist did a Cystoscopy.

They did not sedate me. They put in different sized catheters for different measurements. They first had me empty my bladder, then did some type of test to make sure it was completely empty via your own effort( no urine remaining in your bladder).

Another test was filling up your bladder until you told them you could no longer hold it. Measure how many ounces(think ounces) you are holding. Then they tell you to push it all out and, I think, measure the amount of time till you feel empty. They then repeat a same test to see if your bladder is completely empty.

This was several years ago and I am not sure I listed all the tests. The ones I mentioned, I do remember.

A Cystoscopy followed those other tests. Conclusion? I had an under sized bladder.

I have had several procedures that were more unpleasant. One was a Colonoscopy with zero Anesthesia. He wanted me to move/pull my knees to my chest and other movements to ser if it would get my Colon to bleed. They could not find where my Colon was bleeding, thus they tried this.

That was my Urodynamics plus Cystoscopy, one after the other. I did have bleeding for several days after, otherwise, I didn't think it was that bad.

hckynut 🇺🇸