taosterman
07-30-2009, 11:26 AM
Hi everyone - like many others on here, I have some strange symptoms that I can't seem to pin down.
First off, it's pretty much a certainty that I have anxiety - the way my thought processes have worked since the onset of adulthood have made that abundantly clear. The physical symptoms didn't become an issue until this year, and the ones I've managed to control with cognitive behavioral therapy have been muscular tension (especially in the face and neck), derealization (as sensory fog) and tingly arms.
But I've also been having recurring bladder problems that get markedly worse when I feel anxious, and in all of my Internet searching (a bad idea, I realize) nobody seems to mirror my symptoms. Urinary frequency seems to be the hallmark bladder-related anxiety symptom, but I keep getting into stretches where I barely feel like I have to urinate, and when I force myself to go to the bathroom, all I get is a weak stream followed by general discomfort. Occasionally I have mild pain after ejaculation, as well.
It isn't a constant thing - I can always get a good stream out right when I wake up, and sometimes there are stretches where I have to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes, but it never feels as satisfying as when everything is in good health. I went to the doctor about this a few months ago when these symptoms first showed up, and he couldn't find any evidence of a UTI and concluded from a physical examination that I'm too young and healthy to be suffering from an enlarged or infected prostate.
I have been dealing with on-and-off constipation - itself a common anxiety symptom - so could this be the result of my bowel putting pressure on my bladder? Just curious because as the anxiety has mounted I've been having more and more trouble staying for the whole length of social gatherings, and this urinary uncertainty is just making it worse.
First off, it's pretty much a certainty that I have anxiety - the way my thought processes have worked since the onset of adulthood have made that abundantly clear. The physical symptoms didn't become an issue until this year, and the ones I've managed to control with cognitive behavioral therapy have been muscular tension (especially in the face and neck), derealization (as sensory fog) and tingly arms.
But I've also been having recurring bladder problems that get markedly worse when I feel anxious, and in all of my Internet searching (a bad idea, I realize) nobody seems to mirror my symptoms. Urinary frequency seems to be the hallmark bladder-related anxiety symptom, but I keep getting into stretches where I barely feel like I have to urinate, and when I force myself to go to the bathroom, all I get is a weak stream followed by general discomfort. Occasionally I have mild pain after ejaculation, as well.
It isn't a constant thing - I can always get a good stream out right when I wake up, and sometimes there are stretches where I have to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes, but it never feels as satisfying as when everything is in good health. I went to the doctor about this a few months ago when these symptoms first showed up, and he couldn't find any evidence of a UTI and concluded from a physical examination that I'm too young and healthy to be suffering from an enlarged or infected prostate.
I have been dealing with on-and-off constipation - itself a common anxiety symptom - so could this be the result of my bowel putting pressure on my bladder? Just curious because as the anxiety has mounted I've been having more and more trouble staying for the whole length of social gatherings, and this urinary uncertainty is just making it worse.