A 29-year-old mother of two has not been able to urinate for several years. And doctors are still looking for answers as to why. According to a Sunday (November 8) report from the New York Post.
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Kirstie Scothern began to notice something was off in April 2021. When she began to suffer from a migraine, she believed that it was due to her not urinating since the previous night.
Mother of Two Hasn't Urinated In Five Years
Scothern said that she had been hydrating herself. She used the tactic of running the bathroom sink to help her pee. Still, Scothern said she was unable to use the restroom. It was at that point that the mother of two began to notice a swelling in her abdomen. And with concern growing, Kirstie's husband, Justin, rushed her to Queen's Medical Center in Nottingham.
Upon her arrival at the emergency room, Kirstie had more than two liters of urine drained from her bladder. She also received an MRI of her head to confirm whether the migraine was related to her urine retention. However, it was not.
"It was horrible," said Kirstie. "When I was first told that my bladder may never work normally again and that I'd have to self-catheterize, I felt devastated."
Scothern was released from the hospital. And given a catheter. A medical tool that is inserted into a person's urethra. So that urine can be drained into a plastic pouch. Two weeks passed, and Kirstie still could not urinate.
The Condition Has Impacted Kirstie's Life
Weeks turned into months. And months turned into years. The mother of two completed a series of CT scans and special urodynamics bladder tests. Now five years have passed, and she still can't pee. And doctors are still searching for answers.
The condition has significantly impacted her life. She has to set reminders to empty her bladder every four hours via the catheter. She has also been granted a "radar key" to access disabled toilets. As well as a "can't wait" card to explain to people if she isn't able to wait in a bathroom line.
"This is something I never thought I'd have to deal with, especially at my age," she explained (via the New York Post). "I just can't get my head around how this can happen, and nobody can tell me why. Apparently this is quite common, but you don't hear much about it, which makes you feel very alone."
Scothern believes that she has a condition called Fowler's Syndrome. A rare medical condition that causes severe urinary retention in young women. But she says she believes that doctors have not officially diagnosed her because of the rarity of the condition.
Still, she remains hopeful for a cure
