Hi,

I am in my third week after takedown. I had a week in hospital immediately following due to blockage and just when I felt like I was never going to recover (going to bathroom every 10 min), I started feeling better.

I havent been able to just pee yet. Should I set a goal of being able to pee standing up this week and if so, should I just drink a ton of water a couple of times a day and see if I can pee without loosing control in my rectal area?

And oh yes when does the burning "ring of fire" sensation subside?

Thanks!

well, I'm not a guy but after 6 yrs I know if I was one I would be hard pressed to be able to do that. I almost always move my bowels when I have to pee...But that's me.
There are a number of things you can do to help eliminate the "ring of fire" I am going to PM you my list of things that can help in this dept.
Hang in there and don't worry too much about sitting and standing...At least not yet!
Julie

Thanks for the advice Julie, I still won't accept a womans answer and give up on the urinal idea for life! Our plumbing might be a little different.

Are there any men available to speak up and say if I've got a chance at peeing standing up again?

One of your butt-burn remedies helped out a bit for today but left me with a sever itch problem - no pain anymore, just itchy-tingly. I'll find something.

My son has had a functioning pouch for seven years. He always stands and has for some time. May not happen this week, but definitely a future possibility. We're big Calmoseptine fans here.

Hey Dave I truly hope one day you`ll be back to peeing the way God intended us guys to pee but for now just go with the flow,pardon the pun.Its been 5 years for me now and I still have to sit to pee or else it would be a mess down there if you know what I mean.And at the end of the day who cares if you have to stand or sit just as long as you get it out thats the main thing.Good luck with the water works my friend.

Time, time, time... you need time for the frequency to decrease and the consistency of your stool to increase. If you really want to pee standing up, try sitting down first to empty your pouch and hold your pee. Once you've emptied well enough, you should find you can stand and go. That worked for me early on.

Truth is though, unless you drink a LOT of water, there will be few times you want to pee just to pee. I usually have to poop before I get the urge to pee, and empty my bladder at the same time. Only when I drink a lot or ingest caffeine do I have to pee for pee's sake.

Steve

It's a good goal to aim for because it means your sphincter control is pretty good. It's a good few years now since I was connected but I think I managed it quite soon. I don't think you need to force yourself to drink lots of water to do it - just have a go each time you need the toilet. Can't remember if I sat down first to get the hang of it but I think I (very carefully) tried it standing - you just need to be very wary of relaxing a bit too much - and make sure you crack it at home first!

Thanks to all for advice. I was sucessful once though just by the skin of my teeth. I suppose sometime down the road when everthing is a little bit more predictable and controlled will I make it an issue. I suppose loosing the ability to pee standing up wouldn't be the worse loss I've ever had.

Dave

Dave,

I am 16 years post takedown. I can pee standing up, or "like a man" as you say, most of the time. Occasionally, when I have the urge to defecate and pee simultaneously, I have noticed that I can't pee a good stream unless I sit down and do both. I suspect that the engorged pouch is somehow putting pressure on the urinary tract. Or maybe it is the positioning of the pouch when you sit down and its relation to the urinary plumbing system.

I have also noticed that sometimes I can evacuate the pouch more cleanly and fully in one sitting when I lean to the left while seated on the toilet and simultaneously strain as I lean left. Sometimes I need to get up, bend over, sit back down, and then I can evacuate the rest of a larger bowel movement. Basically things like this you will get used to over time as your body adjusts. You should try different positions while standing and sitting as it may improve your ability to pee or to defecate.