If you're caring for someone who feels the urge to urinate but can't go, it could foretell a serious medical problem. In my mother’s case, quick action by her internist prevented possible kidney malfunction. Mom moved to Greenville, South Carolina in 2015 because my siblings in California didn’t have time to care for her. They would drive her to doctor appointments but she needs more than just a driver. Mom needs someone to schedule appointments, accompany her to each visit, take note of the doctor’s instructions, fill in the gaps in medical records and inform the doctors about symptoms. (You might be amazed at how poor medical recordkeeping still is.) Mom rarely has any questions or comments for doctors and they rely on me to report symptoms that sometimes lead to helpful tests. When Mom first came to South Carolina, she lived with me and my husband with the help of BrightstarCare Greenville/Spartanburg Then she was hospitalized. One of the many things doctors found wrong with her was an enlarged kidney. They said they didn’t know what caused it, and that was the end of the discussion. I’d forgotten about this until after she was released and I went with Mom to her internist. During the checkup, the doctor asked her for a urine sample. I mentioned offhandedly that Mom sometimes feels like she has to go to the bathroom but when she gets there she finds that she can’t urinate. I didn’t think it was important, I was just making what I thought was a minor observation. The doctor thought otherwise. She said: “Whoa! What? That’s not good. It could be that her bladder’s not emptying. She needs to see a urologist for a test to see what’s going on. “