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Shy Bladder: The Decision That Changed Everything | Part 1

For almost 50 years, I lived with shy bladder syndrome.

And for years, I’d thought about doing something about it.

I’d think about getting help. I’d think about trying to change it. But that’s where it always ended.

I’d never do the doing.

Instead, I had learned how to organize my life around shy bladder. Avoid certain bathrooms. Plan ahead. Wait for bathrooms to empty.

And just live with it.

Then something happened.

I decided I wanted help.

For me, there was a big difference between thinking about doing something and actually deciding I was going to do something.

My wife, Susan, knew I had a shy bladder, but we really didn’t talk about it. She didn’t know how much it affected my life. And she didn’t know that I’d reached the point where I wanted help.

So I talked with her.

And then we started looking.

That’s when I found the International Paruresis Association (IPA).

I learned there was a name for what I’d been dealing with all these years: paruresis.

I learned I wasn’t the only one. And I learned that there were actually things I could do to work on it.

Looking back, finding the IPA was incredibly important.

But something had to happen first.

I had to decide.

I had to go from thinking about doing something to actually doing something.

And for me, that decision changed the direction of my life.

In my next video, I’ll share what I learned and the plan that I put together for myself.