Hello just looking for some advice. My husband is 4 months post stroke now. He had a major ischaemic stroke with left sided weakness. During his stay in hospital he was catheterised which was removed and his bladder was working normally. As his mobility has got better he has started standing up to wee again. He has noticed that when he gets up from sitting down and walks around he gets a feeling that he needs to pee even if hes not long had one. He said its not really from the bladder but more like theres some left in his penis. Hope this is making sense as im just relaying what hes told me obviously not having a penis myself! We are wondering if this is a common thing after stroke with the muscles having to retrain. For reference he is 51 his recovery is going remarkably well and has no other issues with peeing no urgency and only gets up once during the night. Thank you
Hi @EmmaT1974
I can’t fully relate to the description you have relayed second hand - to the generality of peeing post stroke, differences between being seated and standing, having urgency or other weird feelings, internal weaker muscles, being able to start (hesitancy?), confusion about the feelings being accurately interpreted (basically is it safe to fart!) then yes I experience all of that still at 3½ years. It’s improved and it’s definitely never been full blown incontinence.
They are all parts of the autonomic system. For the first year I had a background of disruption to normal gut processes they have slowly got better although I have to be conscious of making sure I go to the loo because the urge isn’t always there will the need from a capacity point of view is 
On the getting up over night… I’ve reduced that by making a point of going about 60-90mins before bedtime and then again at bedtime. Works for me.
In short while not easily compared that does seem to be some similarities. But of course is no guarantee of anything
I hope some shared experience helps 
Caio
Simon
Yes! Thank you @SimonInEdinburgh thats really helpful. Like you say shared experiences really help. I think we’re still early days with recovery and things occur that we didn’t expect but this forum really helps thank you so much for sharing your experiences x
Hello Emma,
He’ll sort it out in time. Hang on after a wee and make sure bladder is empty, and willy empty. If he has good core, it’s important that bowel movement is regular, and sounds like his bladder is strong. His gut may take a while to settle. (mine took 1.5 years) Many stroke survivors have problems, and I get weak pelvic floor at times, but not incontinence. Good luck to both,
ciao Roland
Basically, is it safe to fart? 
Oh, the eggshells we walk on post stroke. I had persistent and just, frankly, maddening bladder gremlins for about a year, maybe. I am three years now, so my timescales might not be totally accurate, however, I had the same sensation your husband has but, always, at night. I would get up to go and pee about ten times on average every night. This would consist of getting up for a pee, lying back down in bed, and five or ten minutes later, feeling as if I hadn’t completed the task sufficiently the previous time. Now, as the usual caveat needs to be made, I am not a medical professional and can only relate from my own experience.
Thank you so much this is so helpful x
Thank you so much. This really helps
I can’t comment from a male perspective but bladder issues seem to be common post stroke. I suspect they will settle in time but if not mention to his dr as i’m sure there are thungs that can be done to help.
Good to hear he is doing so well in other respects.
There is a chance, Emma
…that his bladder is not emptying completely. He can do some self-exercises, and wait a bit, before setting off after a pee. Sometimes if you wait a minute, another bit of wee follows. With time, this will encourage the bladder to empty … so by not being in a hurry he is sorting out his bladder.
It’s called retraining the bladder.
good luck, Roland
It’s called bladder retention and I’ve got it too, similarly from being catheterised a couple of times in years prior to my stroke.
I’ve never bothered the doctor to have it resolved, although they do know about it. I just press my fingers into my bladder area and concentrate on relaxing the muscles until the second flow completes.
Suffered much like others have mentioned. In very days required pant pads for while. Had a sit down pee then when up and moving a minor leak from penis I thought I’d emptied it. After nighttime pee made sure I had pad in my pyjamas. After 18 months returned to normal, but most of time now three/half years on prefer to sit mostly and no problems
Hello @EmmaT1974. Thank you for making this as an issue. It is helpful hearing others experiences as this is not talked about. Is it safe to fart @Rups 
.Been there.
Female perspective but believe due to being catheterised for a significant time plus ischaemic stroke led to urgency which needs as much psychological management as physical.
Gets better with time and learning not to think/worry about it and planning ahead. Logically if I’ve been, anxiety reduced, urge reduced.
Best wishes to yourself and your husband,
Julia
So many really good replies here, to a very important question most of us really don’t want to ask. 1) as mentioned by @Mrs5K, Urinary and Bowel processes are reported in very large numbers, but are rarely brought up until there is an even larger problem, and not by healthcare workers, but by patients. Although the problem is well known in healthcare to be associated with stroke. So do ask. 2) @Pando shared what I have learned through a referral from my Physiatrist to a Urologist…there are exercises one can do depending on the problems. Two of mine are Kegels (yes, they work for men, too) and not leaving the bathroom until going twice (to retrain my brain how to tell my bladder to go). There are others as well, but for my specific situation these were very helpful.
I was also given a time frame of going every two hours (unless sleeping). That also worked, but was mostly due to being unable to feel when I needed to go. I still can’t feel, but my brain knows thanks to training it. I still go often but probably 4 times most days and at least 2 if not 4 most nights. Anything to wake me from a sound sleep (LOL). I gave up the bedtime coffee, but miss it. Water is worse in the number of times, but I need it for other reasons, so trade off, I suppose.
Thank you so much for this Julia x
Thank you for sharing your experiences with me x
Thank you for everyone who took time to reply. This forum really is wonderful. He’s now spending a bit more time to ensure he’s emptied his bladder so will see how it goes. Thank you all x
I had the same issue. 2 1/2 years post stroke and working full time constantly going to the loo for a wee . I was prescribed Mirabegron approximately 18 months ago but condition continued. Last week I had Botox injected into my bladder to slow down the urgency and frequency of going to the loo. It’s early days & I hope it works. I work in education and it’s not easy to continually find the time to go to the loo. I was also told to take extra time on the loo to ensure bladder is completely empty. I was also told I had an issue with my bowel movements, I was going 1 or 2 times a week. I was told to take linseed oil everyday and toke more fibre and cut back on sugar which has helped. Good luck to everyone who is having this issue.
Hi Emma, not wishing to put a downer on everything but don’t dismiss things just because they are unrelated to stroke. Your husband should have his PSA checked! I got prostate cancer after my first stroke. I’m now completely clear. (3 years). I had a second stroke last July and now feel completely uncomfortable after moving my bowels everyday! I accept now that it’s normal, having been checked for bowel cancer. Philip
Hi Emma I’m into my 7th month of recovery and exactly the same happened to me i was needing to pee about 5 minutes after having one and it was hard work keep going up and down the stairs every few minutes so i got a pee bottle. I’m now back to peeing normally now so hopefully your husband will improve but recovery from a stroke takes a lot longer than i hoped i thought I’d be up and back to normal after a month or two but I’m still have trouble with my memory and still have weakness in my left leg but i wish you both all the best