3 Urinals and 1 Stall is what I peed in today.
All due to Fluid Loading!
I drank 24 oz of water, and then an hour later I’m out the door to run errands.
First stop: Menards
I head straight for the Men’s Bathroom. And as I enter with a high urgency to Urinate, I see all 3 urinals are empty, and one guy is coping a squat in the Stall.
I step up to the first Urinal, unzip and within 10 seconds I’m Peeing!
I Peed a lot!
Probably 2 minutes worth!
Then after some shopping, I tell Mike I could Pee again. He says “Why don’t you wait and we’ll go across the street to Meijers so you can Pee there!“
DONE!
Ten minutes later, we’re checked out, in the car, and heading to Meijers. I chug 8 more ounces of water (I brought extra bottles with me just for the fun of it).
And by the time we park, get out in the cold, and enter… I have to Pee badly!
I go into the Men’s Room…
This bathroom has 2 Urinals in it. I go to the first Urinal (so people will have to walk past me), unzip and Pee pretty quickly.
And then I do something I’ve never done before, something that I read about in the Shy Bladder Books…
Knowing that we have another store to go to after this one, I decided to follow those instructions and just out of the blue, I stopped my Stream!
I was about 3/4 of the way done Peeing and I just pinched it off. That way, when I Pee again later, I’ll still have a high urgency.
Stopping the flow so you can Urinate later is a talent in itself. Once it’s going, it doesn’t want to stop. ha!
But I cut if off, washed and left.
I felt good about that!
1/2 hour later, we’re on the road again for our 3rd and final destination.
And on the way (a 15 minute drive) I chug the last 16 oz bottle of water.
That’s a lot of Fluids!
We get to the store (Costco), and I waste no time in making my way to the restrooms.
I enter, some guy is drying his hands, and all 3 Urinals are vacant. I step up to Urinal #1.
I unzip and wait!
…If you’ve noticed, I haven’t been using Breath Hold today. When you Fluid Load so much, you don’t really need to. It just comes out!
And it Does!
FAST!
In just ten seconds I’m Peeing!
That’s when some guy comes in and steps up to Urinal #3. I just keep on Peeing! Seconds later, another guy comes in and steps up to the center Urinal, right next to me. All bases are loaded!
I keep on Peeing until I’m finished.
Some days are certainly better than others, that’s for sure!
1/2 hour later, we’re done shopping, and as we check out, I decide to Pee one last time for the road.
I make my way to the Men’s Bathroom and enter. I stop momentarily…
The Bathroom is BUSY!
All 3 Urinals are FULL, a guy is washing his hands, and another guy is coming in right behind me…
I look towards the Stalls and see that there are 3 and those are empty.
I didn’t want to use a Stall, but I would have felt awkward standing behind those guys at the Urinal…
…AND I needed to Pee!
So I made the best of it. I chose to go into the center Stall! That way I’d have to Pee around other guys if they used a Stall. AND… as I head in, I decide to do one more thing.
One Brave Thing!
This lovely thought ran through my brain “NO HIDING!“, and so, as I went into the Stall, I left the door WIDE open. I didn’t close it behind me. There were the sinks and mirrors behind me and anyone washing their hands could clearly see me standing there Peeing in the toilet. I was very visible!
And another thought entered my mind as I stood there… “I’m one of THOSE guys“, those guys who Pee with the door open and don’t care who sees or hears… :)
I Peed Very Quickly!
It came out in just ten seconds (almost surprised me). And as I Peed, I made sure that I aimed directly into the toilet water so it made loud splashing sounds. Everyone could hear. And trust me, it was the loudest Pee in the room! :)
I was so proud of myself!
I Peed and emptied my bladder, flushed and left (and not a Breath Hold in sight).
Some days Fluid Loading works like a charm. Other days it’s a complete misfire.
You just never know!
But today, today was a Good, Good Day! :)
I Peed 4 times in public. I Peed in 3 different Bathrooms, and I wasn’t anxious in the least.
I can’t tell you how much I enjoy Peeing in Public!
It’s like a breath of fresh air!
It really does make me feel alive. Alive for the first time in my life.
Paruresis sure does slap me around a bit. But you know what?
I can take it!
I’ve taken it for over 40 years, and I’m not going down without a fight.
Today I WON!
And right now, that’s all that really matters.
1 Day at a time! :)