November 29, 2002
Other Illnesses
Question from McConnells, South Carolina, USA:
I have diabetes, treated with Glucophage [metformin], and this past weekend, my mother was hospitalized in critical condition. Needless to say, although I took my pills, my diet fell apart. While at the hospital with my mother, my urine was clear but definitely had sort of a neon greenish color that lasted a couple of days. A day after the green urine, I had what felt like a slow, strong muscle twitch (like you get in your eye or lip) just below my right rib cage. It was as if something had hiccups and lasted for almost an entire day. I’ve never experienced that feeling before or noticed greenish urine before. Is this related to the diabetes? If so, what is the significance?
Answer:
The twitch could just be from a muscle spasm involving the muscle of the chest wall. The changes in the urine are less clear. If infection is present, there can be fever, burning with urination, frequent small voids, incomplete emptying, and suprapubic pain. In the absence of these symptoms, I am not sure what the color change is from. Since dyes are excreted in the urine, this is a possibility. The dyes may come from medications, foods, and beverages.
If you are experiencing persistently elevated sugars, symptoms similar to those mentioned above, or you are having pain, I would suggest you see your physician.
JTL
