OK, first of all I need to establish whether I am the only one to which this phenomenon occurs. Then, if I’m not, I’d like the dope. If I am alone here, then we can ship this puppy off to the land of the misfit threads.
Whenever I am sick with a head cold or bronchitis (sp?), I always seem to have this thing going on when I need to piss. I notice that when I get the urge to urinate, I get up and walk to the bathroom. By the time I get there (~30 seconds), I really, REALLY have to go. I go from “Oh, I gotta pee” to “HOLY, SH**, I GOTTA PEE RIGHT NOW!” in no time at all. There is no “moderate” stage, for lack of a better term. This never happens when I am healthy. What’s the deal?
Perhaps you’re one of those folks who gets a urinary tract infection at the drop of a hat. In other words, the arteries to your kidneys and bladder have big yellow signs that say, “all disease germs must stop here. Weigh station is…OPEN.”
Does this happen only when you are sick at home?
Or does the same thing happen when you are sick at work?
Also I assume that you drink more fluids when you are sick.
Do you notice this happening when you take a certain type of medicine?
I know for me Actifed always makes me super thirsty, drowsy, and have to go pee a lot.
It could be because when you get sick, your immune system goes into overdrive and a lot of dead cells and bacteria start accumulating, many of which will be flushed out through your kidneys. You might notice a change in the color of the urine from pale yellow to something like muddy brown.
Do you have a large void when you go or just a small amount? Being ill weakens you, so it could weaken the bladder also. When ill, it’s a good idea to drink plenty of fluids to help flush your system free of toxins formed by the battle going on in there. In doing so, you also help flush out active bacteria which in turn lowers the total count in your body.
Most of your aches and pains with a cold are caused by toxins from the disease reacting with the cells. Your nose goes into high gear producing mucous to shed the virus or disease, which is why you can have a seriously stuffy nose yet not have a bad cough. You sinus cavities will fill with this mucous, making you uncomfortable until it can work its way out.
Buy a plastic urinal from a drug store to keep by the bed if you feel really bad and use it if you think you might have a problem in reaching the can.
[Extremely anal nitpick]
It’s “mucus”. Mucus is the noun, mucous is an adjective. Your mucous membranes make mucus.
Sorry, it’s just that it’s a pet peeve of mine.
[/Extremely anal nitpick]
RainbowDragon: It doesn’t matter if I am at home or work…both places. And I know I should drink more fluids when I am sick, but I never do. And it was happening to me yesterday, before I started taking any meds. I am now taking vitamin C, zinc, echanacia (sp?) and Dayquill. Same routine yesterday as today.
AVSC916
That sounds very plausible. And my urine does change colors, like you described.
Just a normal amount. I wouldn’t call it large or small.
It’s not that bad, that I am scared I am going to piss myself. But it is bad enough that when I finally make it to the toilet and start draining, I know I didn’t have too much time left.
Thanks for the info, everyone.