There are few things more uncomfortable than being caught needing to pee without a toilet in sight. Being stuck in rush hour traffic with a bladder full of wee is torture. But, for one woman, this is no longer a problem as she hasn't taken a pee in six years.
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It began when Anna Gray, 27, had to be hospitalized with a kidney infection. She had been struggling to pee, and it had caused problems. She spoke to the doctors about her difficulty, but they had apparently 'fobbed her off' and told her to try harder.
However, weeks later, she was still not able to pee properly. She was in agony, and her bladder was full to the point of bursting. She went back to the doctor and had an astounding two litres drained from her bladder. For reference, the average female bladder can hold 500 ml. She was four times that and in a lot of pain.
Woman's Pee Retention Became Dangerous
Despite the massive amount of urine being held in the woman's body, doctors told her to just keep trying to pee at home. However, when she landed back in the hospital, they decided to run some tests. It turned out that her brain and bladder were no longer communicating.
Whereas most of our brains will talk to our bladder and release our pee when needed, hers was locked up. This is called Fowler's Syndrome, and there is little the doctors can do. She has been told she will never be able to wee normally again.
Now, she has a catheter attached directly to her bladder. Rather than pee normally, her bladder empties straight into a bag outside of her body, which needs to be emptied throughout the day. It is, currently, the only option available to her, and it comes with a number of downsides.
Anna Gray is unable to work and is mostly housebound due to the catheter. It has greatly affected her confidence and makes hanging out with friends and dating a real challenge. She has to come to terms with living with a catheter, but it isn't easy.
