I can't pee

By Bryn Zolty, PT

Take a second and imagine your bladder filling. A constant filling. You go to the bathroom, but you cannot urinate. It’s been hours, you feel that the bladder is full, but it will not come out.  You try again and again. Nothing. The worry starts to increase. You go to the emergency room, they help you empty your bladder, but tell you they cannot find anything wrong. Now you are sent home with the fear that this may happen again. This is what brought a woman desperately seeking answers to our care. 

Her physician noted increased pelvic floor muscle tension and recommended she seek our help.  Her urinary issues included frequency, urgency, incomplete emptying, and pain. All of her tests kept returning with normal results. She felt desperation, as her symptoms were real, but no one could find anything wrong with her.   ​​

As she described her urinary symptoms to me, I decided to check the fascia located near the urethra for any restrictions or asymmetries. There I palpated a very large round dense mass. It was on the right side and felt as if it was altering the position of the bladder. The most likely cause was a fibroid, and the patient did then confirm that she had a history of a small fibroid. I had concerns that this fibroid had grown and might have been the cause of the urinary symptoms. It was certainly large, and very close to the urethra and bladder. I referred her back to her physician to have the dense mass evaluated. The physician confirmed it was a fibroid and immediately ordered a surgical consult. The fibroid was removed.  

We have all been through such moments of anguish where symptoms don't add up. This patient is a reminder that we are not alone in our fear and confusion. She had a fibroid that had been driving many of her symptoms all along. It was through her persistence in getting the right care and her practitioners actually communicating with each other that a solution was found. She was her own advocate with a powerful alliance of team members to help her find an answer. She is an example of how sometimes we have to fight through the anguish and fear to find true healing.   

I am so thankful that this patient was kind enough to share her story to help other women  continue to search even when they feel at a loss as to where to turn for answers. A pelvic physical therapist is one of the few practitioners that spends each session one-on-one for at least 45 minutes. As a result, we are able to re-evaluate and treat each session. Consider a physical therapist on your treatment team.