Cause of Catching a Cold Every Two Months
There are many causes of catching a cold every few months, and some are easily fixed, while others require aggressive medical intervention (more…)
Actinic Keratosis Mimicking Seborrheic Dermatitis
If a dermatologist tells you the rough red or pink patches on your face are seborrheic dermatitis, beware:
They may be actinic keratosis mimicking the more benign condition. (more…)
Drinking a Lot of Water but Barely Peeing: Causes, Solutions
Some causes of not peeing despite drinking plenty of water are life-threatening, while others are quite harmless.
When urine output is abnormally low, this is called oliguria.
Benign Causes of Infrequent Urination
“A person who is behind in their fluids (dehydrated) can drink a lot of water but not urinate much,” says Arielle Levitan, MD, board certified in internal medicine and co-founder of Vous Vitamin LLC and co-author of “The Vitamin Solution: Two Doctors Clear the Confusion About Vitamins and Your Health.”
Ask yourself the following questions:
• Have you been working out intensely and not replenishing your lost fluids?
• Have you been working many hours in a hot environment?
• Have you been experiencing a lot of menopausal or postmenopausal hot flashes?
Any of the above situations could dehydrate the body, requiring more water intake than usual. You can be dehydrated and not be all that thirsty.
Serious Causes of Infrequent Peeing
Dr. Levitan says, “Another cause for this could be retaining water — due to congestive heart failure, liver disease or having lots of sodium intake.”
Congestive heart failure is when the heart does not pump adequately.
Either the pumping action is weak, or the amount of blood that fills the heart prior to each pump is insufficient.
Heart failure. Shutterstock/EstherQueen999
Either way, the body is not getting optimal amounts of blood with each heartbeat.
Things begin backing up, causing fluid retention – most commonly seen in the lower extremities as a puffy or swollen appearance.
Edema. Shutterstock/AppleDK
If congestive heart failure is not being treated, the result may be oliguria. The treatment includes taking diuretics (“water pills”) every day to encourage urination.
Liver disease has many potential causes including chronic heart failure. In heart failure, the liver receives a reduced supply of blood.
Over time this will damage the liver in that it will perform suboptimally.
Chronic kidney disease or renal insufficiency is another fallout of chronic heart failure. If the kidneys aren’t working properly, you may not pee as much as you should even if you’re drinking a lot of water.
Acute kidney failure will definitely result in oliguria. Acute kidney injury can be caused by acute heart failure, acute liver failure, an adverse drug reaction, poisoning or a urinary tract obstruction, to name a few.
However, severe kidney distress will be accompanied by other symptoms.
Filling up on water is not a treatment for any of these conditions.
If you cannot explain away your “I hardly pee” situation with any of the benign causes listed above (which include a high sodium intake), then you need to see your doctor.
This is especially true if even after increasing your water intake more, you are still seemingly barely urinating.
Dr. Levitan is board certified in internal medicine and has a special interest in women’s health and preventive medicine.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
Top image: Shutterstock/Phovoir
Can a Banged Elbow Cause a Twitching Index Finger?
It would be reassuring to hope that the sudden twitching in your index finger was caused by a recent bang to your elbow, since ALS can cause twitching in various parts of the body. (more…)
Should You Go to ER if Your Blood Sugar Is in the 300’s?
A blood sugar in the 300’s is dangerously high, and all diabetics need to recognize when it’s time to rush to the emergency room when their glucose levels soar into an unacceptable range. (more…)
Drink Tons of Water but Urine Is Still Dark Yellow?
Are you drinking a lot of water—tons, at least eight glasses a day—and still keep producing dark yellow or bright yellow urine?
Or is the urine sometimes a strong yellow-orange color? There are several factors that can influence the varying shades of yellow in one’s excrement.
Can Cancer Cause a Chemical Smell in Urine?
If you suddenly notice a chemical or strong smell from your urine, this can be unnerving, especially if you already know that some cancers have an odor that dogs can sniff out. (more…)
Do You Have Bladder Pressure But UTI Test Is Negative?
The feeling of bladder pressure but you’re not voiding any urine prompts a trip to the doctor, but your UTI test comes back negative.
You were kind of hoping it was a urinary tract infection since that can easily be cured with antibiotics.
So if an infection isn’t causing bladder pressure, then what might be?
“There are many reasons why a patient may have symptoms similar to a UTI [like bladder pressure] with a negative urine analysis,” says Dana Rice, MD, a board certified urologist and creator of the UTI Tracker mobile app, which helps patients catalogue daily urinary tract symptoms, medication and behavioral patterns, and offers personalized tips for UTI prevention.
For some people, it’s very puzzling that a test for a urinary tract infection would come back negative in the face of uncomfortable bladder pressure for no apparent reason.
Dr. Rice explains, “Urine cultures are a more accurate assessment of bacterial infections, but they too can be limited.
“Standard urine cultures do not test for atypical organisms such as urea and mycoplasma.
“In addition, there are other diagnoses that could present with UTI-like symptoms.”
These conditions are not infections, but could cause a sensation of pressure on the bladder despite what seems to be a complete voiding.
“Kidney stones, interstitial cystitis, overactive bladder, incomplete emptying of the bladder and even bladder cancer are a few that come to mind quickly,” says Dr. Rice.
Three more possible causes for the sensation of pressure on the bladder is a prolapsed bladder, an enlarged prostate or prostate cancer.
A few other symptoms of prostate cancer are a weak or dribbly urine stream, difficulty urinating and a burning sensation when doing so.
In their early stages, bladder cancer and prostate cancer are highly curable.
Problem is, many people put off seeing a doctor, self-diagnosing themselves with a UTI.
For more information on the UTI Tracker, go to utitracker.com.
Dana Rice, MD, is with Inova Medical Group in Fairfax, VA, and her clinical interests include bladder, kidney and prostate cancer, minimally invasive surgery and robotic surgery.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
Top image: Shutterstock/sheff
Can Screaming Children Worsen Tinnitus and Hearing Loss ?
Tinnitus sufferers with children or near kids often wonder if a child’s screams and shrieks can worsen their tinnitus and even cause hearing loss.
Many people would agree that young kids are their loudest during play, rather than during a tantrum. (more…)
Why Is Tinnitus Quieter in the Morning?
It is a well-known fact that for many tinnitus sufferers, morning brings relief because their tinnitus seems quieter during this time.
So why can’t this quieter ringing, hissing or buzzing extend further into the day as the hours go by?
For some with the common problem of tinnitus — which has a large number of causes — the sound that only they can hear can become unbearably loud.
What Is It About the Morning?
“Some individuals are not as aware of their tinnitus in the morning, and this is likely due to their relative calm state of mind,” says Rivka Strom, AuD, CCC-A, chief audiologist at Central Hearing LLC in NY.
“When we are tired or more stressed during or after a long day of work, we are often more aware and disturbed by our tinnitus.
“Stress can be a trigger for tinnitus or the change in severity of tinnitus.”
Other sufferers report that their tinnitus is actually more pronounced in the morning.
This could be due to the lack of distraction while someone lies in bed early in the morning; no distraction of kids, pets, having to shower or make breakfast, check the e-mail, etc.
Instead, one is just lying there in a quiet room. What much else can they hear BUT their tinnitus?
Another point to consider for those whose tinnitus is louder in the morning, is that as they lie in bed, they start dwelling on what the day faces.
The anticipation of the day’s tasks may bring on anxiety and feelings of bleakness, which can aggravate the tinnitus. The exact science behind how this occurs is not known.
So it goes both ways: Some people have a quieter tinnitus in the morning, and for others, it’s louder or more noticeable.
Dr. Strom is a member of the American Speech Language and Hearing Association and has received several awards including Brooklyn College’s Excellence In Audiology Award.
Lorra Garrick has been covering medical, fitness and cybersecurity topics for many years, having written thousands of articles for print magazines and websites, including as a ghostwriter. She’s also a former ACE-certified personal trainer.
.
