Frequent urination

Hi

I found out about tms back in 2007 when I had severe RSI, that eventually went but with the help of anti depressants and losing the fear. I thought my life was over but yeh...

So now for the last 8 months I've been pretty much crippled by frequent urination and some aches in the bladder area. I've had short episodes of this in the past and it always comes with anxiety but use to go after an attack. I have gone through tests:

Urodynamics
Urine dip stick and culture
Kidney and bladder scan
Cystoscopy

All were clear apart from the camera showing my bladder is tiny and was told to hold my urine for as long as possible to stretch it.

So I'm now back at work and are having a fair few days where symptoms are nearly gone but then it comes on strong randomly. Back in January I was on the toilet every 5 minutes. So I'm seeing some success either with stretching it or not worrying about horrible diseases. Some days I can go 5-6 hours with little urge to go then other days it's constant. The ache which feels like muscle tension can come and go. It's here now after drinking a bottle of wine the other night.

My Gp thinks it might be psychosomatic but the consultant didn't mention that.

I never thought frequent urination could be so hard to deal with but I've been so low with this at times I wish I was dead. It's cost me a relationship, social life and a lot of my plans. I know you should carry on as normal but I literally couldn't get away from the toilet. I can't think of anything but urinating! Work is very hard as I can't concentrate.

Has anyone overcome or eased the need to urinate? I found ways to take the edge off the RSI but I can't find anything to help with the urge to urinate. I've followed the GP and consultants advice, had the tests and tried several medications which didn't help.

Any advice or stories are appreciated.

Thankyou!

 

Hi @oneday, welcome. I have much fellow feeling with you as, along with IBS, irritable bladder or frequent urination is my main TMS symptom. I've had it in varying degrees since my teens (I'm in my 60s now), and like you it varies in intensity. I notice it particularly when I'm physically and nervously overtired or overstressed and when my IBS is acting up. Yes, it can take over one's life and along with the IBS it limits me to a degree and it can be awkward but I'm still a TMS work in progress!

You know this, but worrying and stressing about it do only make it worse. So if you can, try and practice acceptance of the condition, including the fact that you apparently have a small bladder and this may mean you may need to urinate a bit more frequently than some other people at times. Acceptance is definitely the magic word and the first step in recovering from TMS symptoms. That on its own will lift some of the pressure. Stress and anxiety and a generally wound-up nervous system are at the root of it all. You've had the tests which have ruled out infection or anything else more serious. Howeve, the obsession and anxiety are pure TMS and are aggravating the symptoms and pouring petrol on the flames.

If you have to go to the bathroom a little more often than other people, particularly at certain times, so what? It's OK. That's what I tell myself these days as well because I can still get embarrassed , though mostly it doesn't bother me too much now.

Is there anything else stressful going on in your life, aside from the frequent urination?

There are a couple of helpful Forum threads here, andI think there are others if you do a bit of searching.

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/urge-to-urinate.17987/#post-95378 (Urge to urinate)

http://www.tmswiki.org/forum/threads/my-bladder-is-ruling-my-life.12743/#post-67101 (My Bladder is ruling my life)

Good luck.

 

I might be on the totally wrong track here, but a bladder being tiny and needs stretching doesn’t really makes sense, if the bladder is normal. As I said, I might be totally wrong and I am not a doctor, but I would see another urologist and ask for a second opinion.
If the other specialist also thinks that everything is basically fine, then you can treat it as TMS. Many are successful with treating bladder issues, me included. The anxiety level has to get down, that is the first thing I worked with.