Pee anxiety...

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I'll start by saying, I have never, ever worried about my kidneys. I have never paid attention to my pee. I drink a lot of water and assume that since I don't have any pain or weirdness, my kidneys and bladder are fine.

Well, this brings me to where I am now.....

A couple weeks ago at work I went pee and I noticed that there were some bubbles in the water when I peed. I'm a woman, so I sit down to pee - and I didn't think it seemed that I peed more forcefully than usual. I got curious about it, and I googled it, and scared myself. This seemed to be an isolated incident because it didn't happen again for about a week. Then, it happened again when I went pee at home. That time, I decided that the next time I peed I would go in a clear cup so that I could see if maybe it was the force of the urine stream or something like that. When I peed in the cup there were no bubbles.

Again, it seemed kinda like an isolated incident because it didn't happen again until today. It's happened to me a couple times. I don't know if this is normal, because like I said, I've never paid attention to my urine. I don't know if I should go get a test done. About a year ago I was tested for a UTI and my urine came back totally clear - no protein, infection, etc.

I guess I'm curious if this is a normal occurrence, and if a person were to have a kidney problem that caused foamy urine, would it be persistent instead of intermittent? Would your pee foam up in a cup like it does when it hits the water? I have zero knowledge about kidney stuff, because it's never been on my radar until now. Unfortunately, the internet isn't super helpful with this particular topic. If anyone cares to share thoughts I would appreciate it :)

[mama_of_3]

There’s a difference between foamy urine associated with kidney problems, and having air bubbles in your urine. If you put a glass under the tap and fill it with water you’ll notice bubbles at the surface. It’s a normal reaction.

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I'm curious why it wouldn't happen each time I go.

[Fishmanpa]

I'm curious why it wouldn't happen each time I go.

So? :shrug: What does it matter? If you hyper-focus on a normal bodily function, you're bound to find inconsistencies. Is it any different than someone that focuses on their heart rate or poo?

Positive thoughts

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I’m just worried about my kidneys. I read that rashes can be a sign of kidney disease and I’ve been dealing with an eczema type rash for a couple months. I’m just spiraling. I’ve been peeing in cups, staring at my pee, googling like crazy. Now I think I need to go have a urine test done to check for protein. I hate this.

[lauren6]

You could go on Amazon or ebay and buy 10SG Multistix. They show 10 different values and are not expensive for a jar of 100. The only thing is, you may get obsessive about it. I had a stone once so check for blood occasionally. However, like the other people said, sometimes there are bubbles. Kidney disease would be detected on your bloodwork. Please don't jump to that conclusion though but it may be worth it to get a physical exam with bloodwork and a urine sample just to ease your mind. I'm a real worrier myself so I understand your anxiety. What helps me sometimes is just realizing it's a thought and we can be pretty creative, but in almost every case, it is not reality. Our need to create something physical is often because we don't want to deal with something happening in our lives. Check out the book The Worry Trick and anything by John Sarno.

[Fishmanpa]

You could go on Amazon or ebay and buy 10SG Multistix. They show 10 different values and are not expensive for a jar of 100. The only thing is, you may get obsessive about it.

Self testing is a rabbit hole you don't want to go down :lac:

Positive thoughts

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Yeah....

One time I got a hankering for a glucose monitoring device. It came with 30 test strips. In two days I had used 24 of them. So I know that buying test strips for my pee will be the same way. My husband finally hid my glucometer....

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I keep thinking I should just go to urgent care and do a urinalysis. And then I think, “And what are you going to tell them when they ask why you think you need one? ‘Well, see, sometimes my pee has bubbles in it. They pop quickly and it’s not foam. Bubbles. So I’ve spent 2 weeks peeing in a cup and analyzing my pee, and have almost been brought to tears anytime I see bubbles in the toilet. No bubbles in the cup. Oh, and it’s not every time I pee. Just sometimes. And yes, I have lost sleep over this.’”

They’ll probably send me out the door with a script for lexapro.

But maybe a quick test would be a good thing to ease my mind?

[AMomentofClarity]

I keep thinking I should just go to urgent care and do a urinalysis. And then I think, “And what are you going to tell them when they ask why you think you need one? ‘Well, see, sometimes my pee has bubbles in it. They pop quickly and it’s not foam. Bubbles. So I’ve spent 2 weeks peeing in a cup and analyzing my pee, and have almost been brought to tears anytime I see bubbles in the toilet. No bubbles in the cup. Oh, and it’s not every time I pee. Just sometimes. And yes, I have lost sleep over this.’”

They’ll probably send me out the door with a script for lexapro.

But maybe a quick test would be a good thing to ease my mind?

Maybe a lexapro script wouldn’t be so bad based on what you’re going through???

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Maybe a lexapro script wouldn’t be so bad based on what you’re going through???

No judgement from me at all toward people who take meds for their anxiety, but my psychologist and I have agreed that meds are not a solution for me based on my trauma and checking behaviors.