Nocturia issues

[Chris Ewan]

Over the 6-7 weeks, I've noticed that every couple of nights, I've had to go to the loo every 1/2 hours. Normally, I only go once a night. It's not just a little amount, it's a full bladder and is a well hydrated colour, almost clear. During the day, I go every 2/3 hours, usually three.

I've had tests and my liver and kidney function are both fine with no red flags. I did have a very bad e.coli UTI which started about 6 weeks ago and took several antibiotic courses to shift but it finally went a couple of weeks ago. I had been taking effervescent paracetamol for a sprained back until the doctor pointed out that they contain huge amounts of sodium (bit shocked by that) and I had literally been having almost three times the recommended sodium allowance a day. I stopped those and was put on co-codamol, back issue almost gone now though and I'm down to 2-4 a day. I've tested my blood sugar during these episodes and it's been a constant 6.

My current HbA1C is 45 and I'm on a strict keto type diet. I say 'type' as I have around 50-60 carbs a day.... I have no treats. I drink about 1.5 litres of water a day and the rest I get from food and 2 small coffees. I am losing 2-3 lbs a week and have lost 20kg/3 stone since starting this diet. Cholesterol is 5 and blood pressure normal.

To be honest, I'm mystified. The doctor insists there is nothing in the tests to explain it. I was sure it was the sodium overdose but I would have thought my sodium levels would have dropped after a couple of weeks. It really doesn't help that I suffer from anxiety and this is really triggering me. I have started with an IAPT counsellor but have only had two sessions. Like the doctor, I really don't know what to do now. Anyone have any suggestions?

 

[Brunneria]

Hi,

I've just read your post and a couple of things jumped out at me.

Firstly,
You say you drink the same amount every day. That should mean that (if your body is functioning in a steady way) you pee the same amount every day, yes?
So, does that happen?
On a day when you pee all night, have you been peeing normally throughout the preceding day? (Do you end up dehydrated)
Or did your body not pee during that day, and save it all to pee during the night? (Do you end up normally hydrated after peeing out a stored up excess from water retention)

I am speculating the your answers to those queries would give you a good indication as to what may be happening.

Additionally, just because you are eating low carb, doesn’t necessarily mean that your foods suit you. There are quite a few foods that affect thirst, water retention and kidney function. Salt is one, of course. Others include coffee and artificial sweeteners. There are lots more.

I imagine that different people have different reactions to different foods. In my own case, my body loves to retain water in hot weather, after eating carbs, and after certain medications. I usually end up adding electrolytes and salt because I get cramps otherwise, so it is v hard to guess whether salt causes water retention, since I would rather have water retention than cramps

 

[Chris Ewan]

Since giving up the soluble painkillers, I've gone back to going about 6-7 times during the day. The intervals between visits are getting longer. On the nights that I only have to get up once, I'm a little dehydrated in the morning which is easily fixed but on the nights I have to go every 1/2hrs, I remain well hydrated. I haven't noticed a change in my bathroom visits during the day. What you are saying about water retention does make sense though. All that water must come from somewhere.

In light of what the doctor has said, I'm fairly sure it's some kind of dietary imbalance. I do count everything now and unless I've made a mistake, my sodium intake is well within a normal range. I don't have any pre-packaged meals, I make everything apart from the shredded wheat and two turkey slices I have with a tuna salad for lunch. Coming to think of it though, I forgot my two handfuls of nuts (small) I have each day to boost my potassium intake. I wouldn't have thought that it would make that much difference though.

 

[Bittern]

I can only answer this from personal experience so my answer may not be of general application. I appear to have rhythms in blood glucose and urine output. My foot on floor blood glucose gently swings around the mean by +/- 1mMol over roughly a week despite my total carb input being pretty much the same, and yes I am aware that that size of swing is within the tolerance of my meter, but my records record the swing over several years. Urine output also seems to to swing although as I don't record it I cannot be more certain. Certainly there are days of high output and days of low output.

So I conclude that I, and I suspect all of us, have a variety of these rhythms with we don't notice until either our attention is drawn to them or the swing becomes excessive. I suspect it's all part of the mysterious mechanism which is our body.