OCD about the time it takes to start urination? Please help

[jvrbax]

Ok im a guy and i just started worrying about this.

I noticed that after i feel the need to go, I go the toilet and when i take my thing out, it usually takes me 5 - 10 seconds before i start the flow. This happens even when I am alone.

I do not know if this has been going on since forever but because of HA, i just started giving attention to this now.

I asked a guy friend as well, and he told me that he experiences similar things.

I am only 23 and i do not know if this has something to do with the prostate since I am still young.

What is the normal time range of starting the flow?

It's not like we immediately gush it out always once we reach the toilet right?

[sparky43]

No worries.  Hope you had a good vacation and feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

[jvrbax]

Thank you again, sparky.

I am currently in a different country right now for a short vacation and fortunately, the leisure of it all has been preoccupying my mind lately that I don't deal much with the urination anxiety lately. Although I do have diarrhea right now but that's a different story. lol

Recently, I've been waking up and thinking "Whoa why don't I feel like urinating???" or "When was the last time I urinated again? Oh no that's like just 2 hours ago???" My mind focuses too much on the urination sometimes it drives me insane!

Thank you so much for the tips. I've been exercising at least 30 minutes a day already. I started 10 days ago. I've been doing slow progress but I guess it is a good start -- 30 mins of cardio everyday. I do feel better afterwards! Haven't tried meditation yet though but I will give it a shot!

It's so hard to contain my lack of comprehension towards anxiety and how it really works. I guess you're right when you said that when we put too much focus on our different parts we our body tends notice different things.

I do hope that I am again on my way to recovery -- it's been a rough week and I thank you for helping me get through. I hope you don't mind if I message you personally now and then whenever I feel down again. My OCD and health anxiety are still here but I am doing my best to fight them!

[sparky43]

I'm glad that I've been able to reduce your anxiety.  That makes my day that I was able to help a fellow OCDer.  : )

The fact that when you are thinking about something else you don't feel anything concerning urination confirms my thoughts that it's nothing physically wrong with you, it's your OCD.  Anxiety can really do a number on your body and your perception of what is happening.  Your body is filled with nerve receptors and most of the time, your brain filters out the signals or you would be overloaded with too many signals coming in.  Try this:  concentrate on your thumb.  Really think about it.  Within a few minutes, you will start feeling odd sensations from it even though it is perfectly fine.  The same thing is happening with your bladder because you are concentrating on it.

I would really recommend the Brain Lock book.  It's available on Amazon (there is even an audiobook version read by the author which some people find helpful because you are hearing the actual voice of a doctor who specializes in treating OCD).

As far as other things you can do to help with your OCD:

Exercise regularly.  Even just going for a 30 minute walk every day helps.  Exercise releases endorphins and makes you feel good in general.  It also burns up the extra adrenaline that is running around your body.

Eat three good meals a day.  Many times when you are feeling anxiety, you don't feel much of an appetite.  Skipping meals or eating junk food will actually make you feel worse.

Keep busy.  Keeping your mind active will not allow you to dwell on the intrusive thoughts that are causing you anxiety.

Look into meditation.  It really does help with anxiety and making you feel good.  And don't think it's some goofy new age stuff - the Marine Corps is starting to experiment with teaching meditation because they think it will help Marines deal with the stress of combat.

Hope you are having a good weekend.  Get out and do some things that you enjoy.  You are already making some progress and by continuing the work, you can get OCD under control and be a happy guy.   : )

[jvrbax]

Sparky, first of all, I cannot put the right words to say that your message has helped me turn this day around. I was able to go out with my family without worrying so much because I kept thinking of what you said. Thank you.

I am still trying to challenge myself to not be not obsessive about all my bodily processes. It really is difficult to have some OCD and health anxiety at the same time.

While I am still clearing my mind from the "time it takes" to start urination flow, I actually developed a new symptom such as urinating more than the usual times. This morning, I urinated 4 times, once in the afternoon, and so far once in the evening.

Worse thing is that when I walk, I feel this weird ticklish thing down there that makes me feel that I need to pee. However, when I sit down or stand still, it goes away. Interesting thing also is that when I walk and think about something else, I don't think I feel the urination thing.

Also, I've been slightly nauseated and light headed recently. Nothing much now, but I did feel some bouts of lightheadedness this afternoon and evening.

I guess what I'm trying to say to myself is, maybe anxiety is really this powerful? Well, I am still finding it hard to believe that anxiety and stress can cause all these things. Being health anxious and having OCD do not help at all.

You are right -- there are times when I wake up and feel perfectly normal so I start digging out my body to find the next thing to worry about. What a horrible cycle! I am trying to find the best way possible to stay away from Doctor Google in order to alleviate my worries.

I am still finding the book you are recommending me. Meanwhile, I am finding other online resources for people with health anxiety and OCD.

Any other advise that you think can be helpful to me? You seem to be managing your OCD pretty well based on your outlook. I look forward to hearing from you again soon. I hope I do not bother you too much...

[sparky43]

Sorry, hit the submit button by mistake there.  What I was going to say is that it sounds like you are searching for something to be wrong with you and because you have no other symptoms, you have begun to obsess about this.  I have done the same thing in the past - I have woken up in the morning feeling great and then thought "hmmmm, I feel good - shouldn't I be worrying about something?".  And then I go searching my head for something to worry about.  It's part of OCD.

And trying to find reassurance that nothing is wrong with you on the internet is not going to help - you get temporary relief but then you find something else to worry about.  You need to attack your OCD (which is a medical problem - nothing to be ashamed of).   I would recommend talking to a therapist or if you don't feel comfortable doing that, try the book I recommended (or another book - there are many out there).   With work, you can re-wire your brain and OCD will not interfere with your enjoyment of life.

You can do it!   : )

[sparky43]

To answer your question, I am 45 (although I don't feel like it - time does fly).

No, I haven't asked a doctor about this because it's not a problem.  Waiting 5 - 10 seconds before your urine flow starts is perfectly normal.  Everybody's body is different so I wouldn't pay too much attention to the sound of other guys peeing in the men's room.  You really can't make a definitive observation just from sound anyway - what about the guys who take longer to start or have a weaker stream?  You might not hear them at all.

You said "It is so difficult to think that there is nothing really wrong with me. "  

[jvrbax]

Thank you sparky.

I am glad that I am not alone in this. May I ask how old are you?

I agree that this OCD and health anxiety is killing me. I would just like to know if you have been to a doctor because of this? I mean, the urination part.

It is so difficult to think that there is nothing really wrong with me. I just cannot remove this heavy weight on my head wherever I go since I started worrying about this last Sunday.

Actually, the moment I started worrying about it, the more messed up my urination pattern became. It's been 5 days and I've been suffering from negative thoughts about it.

I don't have any other symptom like lower back pain, excessive urination, painful urination, etc.

I actually am not that anxious around public restrooms since this worrying started! However, since last Sunday, I feel that I am developing a growing fear for public urination because I tend to listen to the urine stream of othe rmen hitting the toilet and think that "Hey his stream is strong! How come mine isn't that strong?!" and "Wow I think he immediately urinated the moment he unzipped!"

God it is so difficult. Thank you for recommending the book. I will try to find a way to get it.

[sparky43]

A 5 to 10 second delay is normal.  I actually just went and it took 6 seconds for the flow to start.   I would think that a number of things have to happen inside you to allow the urine to be released from your bladder.  Otherwise, a lot of us would be wetting our pants.  At your age, prostate problems are very very rare.

Ever had the problem of not being able to go at all (especially in a crowded public bathroom)?  That is because you are thinking about it.  I've had that happen to me until a friend suggested "concentrate on the chrome on the plumbing or the grout lines between the tiles".  As soon as you are not thinking about urinating, it starts flowing freely.

Since you are a fellow OCDer, I can relate to worrying about things that most other people don't even think twice about.  And the more you let the "yeah but, what if" machine run, the worse it gets.  I would recommend finding a way to treat your OCD, because often you stop worrying about one thing only to find something else to worry about.  If you don't want to see a therapist, I recommend a book called Brain Lock by Dr. Jeffery Schwartz.