acs80
01-26-2014, 12:08 PM
Hello there!
I'm new to this site and am really glad to have found it! I've struggled with anxiety for years, mostly surrounding my health, and it seems like when my life is in an unsure/unstable place, I got a whole bunch of new "symptoms" that I dwell on incessantly. After suffering from a few bad (and legitimate) UTIs about 10 years ago, I have this weird anxiety surrounding urination, and I absolutely hate the sensation of having to urinate (strange, I know). Anyway, recently - and on and off for about the past month or so - there are moments when I go to the bathroom but then feel like I immediately have to go again. It got annoying enough that I went to the doctor, who confirmed that I don't have an infection of any kind, and my blood sugar was normal, too (ruled out diabetes). One of my worst fears has always been interstitial cystitis, but I don't think I have that, since I was tested for that once (didn't have it), and my symptoms don't really fit into the IC profile (I don't have any pain, for example, and the sensations of constantly having to pee come and go). And these days, when I feel like I have to go all the time, I really CAN go all the time - it's not necessarily just a phantom sensation, but it feels like I really am peeing a reasonable amount when I do go.
Anyway, I'm in a very anxious place in my life right now. I'm a professor and am about to go up for a major review that may or may not decide my professional fate at the university where I teach and whether I'll be allowed to go up for tenure in two years. I feel like there's a dark cloud above me every day and I wake up every morning feeling sheer dread. What's more, I'm waiting to hear back about whether or not two articles that I submitted recently will be accepted for publication, so I just feel like everything is in limbo and I have no control over anything. I hate this waiting game and feeling so insecure about what's happening in my professional life.
So, to cut to the chase: I know frequent urination can be a symptom of anxiety, but I'm wondering if anyone here has ever experienced relatively long bouts of feeling like you have to pee all the time? I kind of get the feeling that, even though I'm not consciously focusing all my attention on my bladder, some part of my brain still is without my really realizing it, if that makes any sense. Some days I don't have the sensation at all, and others I do...and there's not really any rhyme or reason as to when the feeling strikes. Though I have noticed that it seems to especially be the moments when I'm trying to relax (before bed, for example) when the sensation becomes really bad and I have to get up like five times to go to the bathroom and then I start having a massive panic attack.
I really feel like I'm going crazy. If anyone could help, I would be so grateful. Thank you!
I'm new to this site and am really glad to have found it! I've struggled with anxiety for years, mostly surrounding my health, and it seems like when my life is in an unsure/unstable place, I got a whole bunch of new "symptoms" that I dwell on incessantly. After suffering from a few bad (and legitimate) UTIs about 10 years ago, I have this weird anxiety surrounding urination, and I absolutely hate the sensation of having to urinate (strange, I know). Anyway, recently - and on and off for about the past month or so - there are moments when I go to the bathroom but then feel like I immediately have to go again. It got annoying enough that I went to the doctor, who confirmed that I don't have an infection of any kind, and my blood sugar was normal, too (ruled out diabetes). One of my worst fears has always been interstitial cystitis, but I don't think I have that, since I was tested for that once (didn't have it), and my symptoms don't really fit into the IC profile (I don't have any pain, for example, and the sensations of constantly having to pee come and go). And these days, when I feel like I have to go all the time, I really CAN go all the time - it's not necessarily just a phantom sensation, but it feels like I really am peeing a reasonable amount when I do go.
Anyway, I'm in a very anxious place in my life right now. I'm a professor and am about to go up for a major review that may or may not decide my professional fate at the university where I teach and whether I'll be allowed to go up for tenure in two years. I feel like there's a dark cloud above me every day and I wake up every morning feeling sheer dread. What's more, I'm waiting to hear back about whether or not two articles that I submitted recently will be accepted for publication, so I just feel like everything is in limbo and I have no control over anything. I hate this waiting game and feeling so insecure about what's happening in my professional life.
So, to cut to the chase: I know frequent urination can be a symptom of anxiety, but I'm wondering if anyone here has ever experienced relatively long bouts of feeling like you have to pee all the time? I kind of get the feeling that, even though I'm not consciously focusing all my attention on my bladder, some part of my brain still is without my really realizing it, if that makes any sense. Some days I don't have the sensation at all, and others I do...and there's not really any rhyme or reason as to when the feeling strikes. Though I have noticed that it seems to especially be the moments when I'm trying to relax (before bed, for example) when the sensation becomes really bad and I have to get up like five times to go to the bathroom and then I start having a massive panic attack.
I really feel like I'm going crazy. If anyone could help, I would be so grateful. Thank you!