I failed a urine alcohol test at work – is my prostate to blame? Dr Zoe Williams answers your concerns

The children have returned to the classroom – but how are you?

The Sun’s online series Beat The Back To School Bugs is full of tips on how to keep your children healthy as the new school year gets underway.

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With changing routines, the pressure of schoolwork and the risk of bullying, children may struggle with their mental health.

Signs include withdrawal from usual leisure activities, changes in eating and sleeping habits and mood.

To help your child open up, do an activity together, such as cooking or going for a walk, when it is clear to your child that you are ready to listen.

The more regularly you check in with them, the more normal it will become.

Here’s what readers asked me this week. . .

Q My husband was diagnosed with dementia in 2020.

It’s becoming increasingly difficult to be at home in our two-story house and I want to move into a bungalow.

But will his dementia worsen in his new surroundings?

A A person in an early stage of dementia is likely to cope with the move better than someone in a later stage.

If possible, it is advisable to change a person’s environment if their dementia is stable.

Moving home can be unsettling for anyone, even if they are in good health.

It’s worth noting that someone with dementia may experience a slight dip shortly after a move.

This is not a true worsening of the disease process in the brain, but rather an additional factor that worsens the symptoms of the disease.

For people with dementia, moving to an unfamiliar environment can leave them feeling more confused, disoriented and upset.

Her husband seems out of character for a while, asking about “home” and “going home.”

He may not accept the new environment at first and may keep asking questions or even making accusations.

None of this is easy, but if everyone is prepared it will make a big difference.

There are some things you can do to make the transition more comfortable.

Depending on the person’s stage of dementia, conversations and visits to the new home and photos of it before the move can make the new environment more familiar.

If you’re moving, try to make the room as familiar as possible by thinking about the layout and using furniture or decorations that he’s used to.

Leave the bathroom door open and the lights on at night.

You can ask your GP or local authority to refer you to an occupational therapist who can recommend ways to adapt the environment to support your husband.

For example, installing dementia-friendly clocks or labeling doors.

QI recently failed an alcohol urine test at my employer.

At the same time, I was having a lot of trouble urinating, and when I took the test I hadn’t urinated overnight – and had been for about eight hours.

The test was difficult to perform, but I managed to pass enough urine.

After being told I hadn’t made it, I went to my GP who confirmed acute urine retention and an enlarged prostate.

I have had a catheter placed to resolve my problem until I have an appointment for a HoLEP procedure.

With the problem I have, would there still be alcohol in my urine and would it cause me to fail an alcohol urine test?

I have been with my current employer for 26 years and have never failed so far.

The only explanation I can find is my urine retention problem.

Please help because this has been killing me.

A First of all, thank you for writing to us.

These must have been incredibly unpleasant and disturbing circumstances, especially considering that it was related to your employer.

Acute urinary retention occurs when you lose the ability to empty your bladder.

In your case, the enlarged prostate compressed the urethra, the tube that starts at the base of the bladder, runs through the prostate to the end of the penis, and ends at the urethral opening from which you pee.

If an enlarged prostate puts enough pressure on the urethra, it can pinch it off and then the bladder has to stretch to accommodate more urine.

The HoLEP procedure you are waiting for involves hollowing out the prostate to reduce its volume, which should relieve pressure on the urethra so that your bladder can empty normally.

I don’t know if this would have affected the result of the urine test and couldn’t find a conclusive answer.

Was there an infection in the urine at this time?

This can lead to a false positive urine alcohol result.

I assume that your employer is aware of everything and that you are waiting for prostate surgery?

If not, tell them.

The fact that you have worked for the company for 26 years, have never failed a test, and have been diagnosed with acute urinary retention would, in my opinion, be considered a mitigating circumstance.

If you’re still feeling depressed, it’s worth speaking to your company’s human resources department and sorting this out as soon as possible.