Generally they do pass at less than 5, yeah, but 4 1/2 isn't unheard of and my urethra is normal. Doesn't really matter anyways because I just got back from the hospital and - hey guess what - they didn't find anything. They saw it last time, it was the whole reason they set this up, and I damn sure don't remember passing it. Nothing. There was a fair amount of swearing. Good thing that cost me 8 billion dollars.
So now I have to schedule an appointment with some other doctor who will probably tell me just as much as the other ones did (nothing) and jerk me around even more while I sit here trying not to pass out when I pee. At least it'll cost me thousands of dollars a visit, which works out nicely in relation to the 5 minutes on average I spend with each doctor.
I'm about to just give up and live with it and hope for the best.
Oh and thanks for the info Obsequious, I did make sure to mention it to him today when I went in, he didn't seem to care much or touch on it in any way despite my repeated comments, and then when I woke up he was already gone, so I never even got to talk to him afterwards. The nurses just told me that it all looked fine and they had no idea what the pain was from and sent me on my way.
It's my pleasure to help in any small way I can! I'm sorry you're having such a rotten time.
I would say, don't give up. If he/they are not even going to explain to you what might cause urinary hesitancy, then you definitely need to find another urologist.
Again, I am not a doctor (so if any of the actual doctors on this board want to weigh in here, please do!), and I don't know your age or how much you might already know about this stuff, but there are several things I know of that might cause hesitancy. The most common, as far as I am aware, is benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). As men get older, their prostates may continue to grow. If the prostate gets too big or grows in certain directions, it can start to put pressure on the urethra where it passes through the prostate, which can cause all kinds of fun symptoms. There are medications and surgeries that may improve or correct this. Another possible cause could be urethral stricture, where the urethra narrows in certain spots for whatever reason (straddle injuries can cause them, but sometimes strictures just develop on their own). This can be surgically corrected if it's a problem, though I believe there is a fair chance of recurrence. Those are just the two most common, the first I'm remembering that can come on abruptly. There are others, but they seem not to be as common, at least where I work.
Are your voiding symptoms actually getting worse? IAmNotADoctor (one more time!), but that would concern me. If you become unable to pee at all, call your doctor, or if it's after hours and it was me, I'd go to the ER. They can catheterize your bladder. Probably not the most fun thing when performed by the ER, but you want to protect your upper tracts (kidneys and ureters) from reflux if the bladder becomes too full for too long.
But this really is stuff your doctors should be telling you. Since they're not, you're right to seek a second opinion. I hope you can find someone to help you, and soon, most especially as it sounds like you are still having pain and other symptoms. Don't give up! Write down your questions before you see the doctor and push until you get get answers, even if it's "I don't know but I'll try to find out/refer you to someone who might." If you're not feeling well enough to be persistent, can you bring along a friend/relative/spouse to advocate for you?
It also isn't unheard-of for stones to disappear between imaging studies without necessarily having passed. It happened to a friend of mine this past year, too, and he was also Not Pleased. His stone was eventually removed ureteroscopically because they couldn't see it well enough for lithotripsy.
And don't give up because they couldn't find anything causing your pain. Keep trying. Good luck!
Fuelair: Our office also tests for proteinuria. The two I mentioned are just the two I hear about the most often.
And drinking lots of water is important! It keeps things moving along so they have less chance to collect and make mischief.
