urethral stenosis!!!! first post and worried!!!

[Girl_Interrupted]

Hi

Newbie here, i've been freaking out over a bladder problem, well mainly i pee alot:weep: doc says all is fine, more of a case of irritable bladder, had loads of tests done.

Now i read about this condition and worried i might have it:weep::weep::weep:

Sorry to be a pain on my first post, but i feel like i am in hell :weep:

[nomorepanic]

Hi and :welcome:

I am sorry but I have no idea what this and refuse to google it - we ban it on here lol.

Surely if the doc has seen you though then you don't have it?

[Girl_Interrupted]

Hi

Thanks for the welcome :)

Yeah my doctor has checked me out, I'm just stupid for looking things up on Google, I've done it soooo many times that it makes me ill!!

I then just end up a wreck :( like now!

How do u live with the constant worry that you have some horrible disease, my life is like a prison sentence :(

[Cococj]

I'm a bit lost here, by itself peeing alot isn't a symptom of urethral stenosis!

If you had that you'd have problems peeing without pain, muscles spasms, burning sensations and even on some occasions the inability to go at all. Stenosis means "narrowing of", hence the pain and muscle spasms.

If your biggest worry is going alot - which is a sure anxiety symptom - AND you've had tests done by your doctor then you've really got nothing to worry about.

[bottleblond]

Hi

Can i ask how much fluids you drink? I have days where i drink lots of tea and coffee and i am never off the loo!


Lisa
x

[Girl_Interrupted]

Thank you so much for your reply's it's good to know i'm not alone, despite feeling it sometimes.

When I pee, it's a normal flow, and every time i go, even if it's every 2 hours, its a full pee! Everyday is different, some days i can go for a pee every 4-5 hours, the next day I'm back to every 2 hours!! i hate it : ( can't work it out to be honest, that's why its scaring me, i do get a kinda ache in the bladder area after i pee, but my doc said that sometimes the bladder can go in to a spasm, especially if you suffer from alot of anxiety, hands up there!

Hi bottleblond,

As for drinking, i don't drink alcohol, tea or coffee :S i think I'm the only one who doesn't! i do drink water, and fruit juice.

Can anxiety really effect our bladder and how much we urinate?

I also find it is worse during my period, i tend to pee even more then!!!!!

Thanks guys
x

[Cococj]

Hi again Girl_Interrupted,

Well you've given us more information now, makes reassuring you far easier.

From the sounds of the description you've given us of how you go I'm pretty certain here that you've not got what you're worried about.

I tend to shy away from giving too much detail on here as it can just encourage already anxious people, however on this occasion I'm hoping it will help you.

When you have urethral stenosis the urethra itself become narrower, the symptoms you'll get are similar to any blockage of the urethra, particularly kidney stones which have made it that far down.

Why am I certain the symptoms you've described isn't urethral stenosis?
Well:
"When I pee, it's a normal flow, and every time i go, even if it's every 2 hours, its a full pee!"

Remember earlier when I said by itself peeing loads isn't a symptom of stenosis? Well, it can cause you to go often but the reason you go often with that condition is because the narrowing of the urethra stops you from emptying your bladder properly. Thus you tend to go more often but not pee very much if at all.
The fact you're not only going often but also peeing loads is actually the opposite of what we'd be expecting to hear.

An ache in the bladder area is again not indicative of urethral stenosis, the spasms and pain are typically quite acute and usually only affect you during the peeing action itself, or if the bladder is full and you're unable to go.

It sounds to me you just need reassurance, you've heard about this condition and your health anxiety is telling you it's that. From everything you've said tonight it sounds far more likely it's the anxiety itself that's causing you the issues.
However as I always say on here, if you're really concerned go back, see your doctor and let him or her give you the reassurance you need.

Chris

[Girl_Interrupted]

Wow, thanks Cococj, i didn't expect an answer like that! you have been great :)

I kinda thought that Stenosis was more of an inability to pee rather than peeing alot! U know whats its like when u get onto google and start putting in random words related to a medical problem, it comes back with a host of diseases all of which we can diagnose our-self by.

I think it got too intense for me, as i have been worrying about it to much, and thinking about my peeing habits has made me feel worse. So my poor bladder has gone into over-drive!!

Many many thanks again

[ForOurFuture]

Hiya

If it helps I can wee 3 times in one hour. I think it depends on how much you drink. I tend to drink alot of tea. I have always had to go quite alot even in the middle of the night. I think to go every 2 hours is great.

Hopefully you will be able to relax a bit now and know that you really are fine.

x

[Cococj]

You're more than welcome, we've all been there at one time or another.

Google becomes our whole life sometimes, it's a bad habit, if there's one piece of advice I could give you above all others, it is if you're worried about your symptoms, come here to this wonderful site, post your worries and let us reassure you. Google is great, but for us anxiety sufferers it's a nightmare, it'll only make you worse.

I missed one thing out when posting my last reply. Can anxiety affect how much and often you pee? Simple answer is yes! It can and will affect all sorts of things, overactive nerves leads to all sorts of odd events, sensations and feelings. This is a fairly common one, but you should still let your doctor help you out and rule out anything else if you have real reasons to be concerned.

But yes, the more you think about something the worse it seems to get, which is why your first port of call when you're feeling anxious is here to see us not Dr Google and his cronies.

Stay well and take care
Chris

[Girl_Interrupted]

Thanks again :) guys for all your advice, i swear i was sitting here tonight slowly going crazy, i kinda feel better :) i'm glad i found this site. I have looked on here many times, but always felt like i was crazy talking about my health concerns, or that people will laugh at me.

My doc has told me many times that anxiety does strange things to our bodies. He was very good with me and did loads of tests, all came back normal, he did his best to tell me not to worry, i know i should have listened to him and not the powers of Google!!!

hugs for all :)

[MandySlade]

I was diagnosed with urethral stenosis/urethral stricture 10 years ago (when I was 20). I'm not saying you have it, but I will tell you what my doctor told me, it is VERY RARELY anything serious enough to require surgery. It is also rare that it significantly effects your daily life. I went through dialation therapy once a week for 6 months back then. I won't lie, it wasn't fun, but it was doable, and I rarely notice any issues with it anymore. So, it CAN get a lot better.

also, if you had "a lot of tests" done on your bladder the chances are the doctor looked at your urethra and would have seen any narrowing/scarring etc.

Again, I really doubt you have it. I'm just letting you know that even IF you did, it's really small potatoes. ;)

[Girl_Interrupted]

Ok...

Anxiety gone up on last post sorry!!!!! my doc has done blood tests and urine tests + urine culture all normal. He has been my family doctor for a long time and knows my history. He has never mentioned this condition to me at all, and knows everything about my 'urine habits' and felt that it wasn't necessary to have anything else done as he was satisfied with the results. I'm back to square one now worrying that this now what i have got :(

Maybe coming on here wasn't a good idea after all :( :(

[Cococj]

Please, please read everything I wrote yesterday again. Please.

"He has never mentioned this condition to me at all..."

That says all you need to know, he's not mentioned this condition to you because your urine habits do not indicate it at all. Your anxiety about having this is based purely on how often/much you go and that doesn't in any way suggest urethral stenosis.

You've taken one symptom which isn't related to the condition your anxiety is telling you you've got and decided that you must have it because your doctor hasn't mentioned it to you. Take a few deep breaths and see how illogical that is.

We know you're suffering from anxiety! Why? Because you're here, so a part of you knows the truth of this. We know that frequent urination is a symptom of anxiety so take that into account.

I suggest you go back to your doctor, explain what you think is wrong with you and let him or her inform you why it isn't that and to give you reassurance.

In the meantime have a big hug from me and try to put these anxious thoughts out of your mind.

Chris

:hugs:

[MandySlade]

Ok...

Anxiety gone up on last post sorry!!!!! my doc has done blood tests and urine tests + urine culture all normal. He has been my family doctor for a long time and knows my history. He has never mentioned this condition to me at all, and knows everything about my 'urine habits' and felt that it wasn't necessary to have anything else done as he was satisfied with the results. I'm back to square one now worrying that this now what i have got :(

Maybe coming on here wasn't a good idea after all :( :(

please read my earlier response as well. I do not think you have this and even IF you do (like I said earlier). It is almost never a huge deal. I've been living with it for 11 years.. and 10 of those have been fairly symptom free. Most cases are mild and require very little "therapy". In fact, if you had a case bad enough to warrant concern I'm almost positive your dr would know by now.