Posted by Richard on 15/6/2008, 9:34 pm

Hi I've had some form of this condition for as long as I can remember and have never, in my adult life, used a urinal. When I was at school I could not use the toilets so had to wait all day until I got home. I have always been put off going to pubs because I knew I wouldn't be able to go and it would get very uncomfortable. I would regularly stand over a toilet for ten minutes or more waiting for something to happen that never did. However, I can now cope better with the problem by taking some practical measures such as keeping an eye on who's coming in and out of the toilets and picking my best time. Also, I made a deliberate effort to become comfortable in the toilets at work, meaning I can now use them even when other people are there. This would have been impossible a few years ago. The knock on effect has been that I now feel more comfortable about using public toilets generally, although it can still take me a long time and I sometimes need more than one attempt. I have never told anyone about this, although I think people I know have got used to waiting for me. It's been good to read other people's stories. I've always known in the abstract that I wasn't alone but it is still reassuring to hear such familiar stories from other people. Thank you for the site. I'm glad I found it.

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