Men's health: stand up or sit down?

[JoeWras]

I'm not trying to be funny here! This is mostly for the guys, but any comments are welcome.

I'm talking about urination.

Recent news stories and even research articles suggest that sitting down is better for full elimination, especially if you have something like BPH.

I find this doesn't work for me. For complete bladder emptying, I need to stand up.

But the problem is that it can create a mess, even if you have good aim. The splash back is a problem with most Western style toilets. After ER and the pandemic lock-down, most Waste Elimination Events (wee?) are now at home. The water closet is getting overtime usage. I'm our household water closet maintainer, and I recognize that this creates a real mess. You get spots on the walls or nearby toilets from the fine splashes. It builds up over time, and can actually cause damage. I think the recent articles about sitting down are a conspiracy of sorts to help out the WC maintainers, and I can't blame them as I am one of them.

Short of installing a home-value-killing urinal, I'm at a loss to fix this. I guess I could wipe everything down every day, but what a pain. I also don't want to put up plastic wall barriers or anything.

What do you all do? Stand, sit, both? Anyone else with BPH find sitting helps? It sure doesn't for me. How in the heck do you keep everything clean? I know I can't be the only one.

 

[FLSUnFIRE]

LOL, I'll bite. I prefer to stand but I sit mostly at home because it's cleaner. To completely empty the tank I need to be standing. I don't really use my upstairs shower due to the tile/grout and the pain in keeping them clean compared to the acrylic downstairs (main living floor). I intend to buy a piece of PVC to insert in the drain of the unused shower and improvise a urinal eventually so I can stand and save water too.

 

[Sunset]

I read a lot of magazines while sitting, kills 2 birds with 1 stone. We subscribe to a lot of mags, so I often sit a lot longer than needed as the articles can be interesting.

NOTE: we don't subscribe to certain magazines as that would interfere with urination

ETA: Outside the house it's just standing.

 

[Nemo2]

Open windows are a plus...as long as no-one is walking by outside.

At the moment, even though I feel 'healed' from the THR, DW wants me to keep using the commode chair we borrowed until the specified time has elapsed...so, sitting right now.

 

[finnski1]

My ex neighbor was a divorced bachelor and in the house he built next to us he installed a urinal along with a regular toilet. At first it seemed out of place but it may well solve the standing aiming problem.

 

[grasshopper]

I can't fully empty sitting, so I am a stand up guy. Here at the ponderosa I do a lot of nature boy watering. No chance of anyone looking/seeing.

 

[Car-Guy]

Almost always stand inside with indoor plumbing available and absolutely always stand when outside in the woods.

 

[Jerry1]

Mostly stand, but if woke in the middle of the night, I sit down. No need to turn on a light, don’t have to stand still (a little wobbly when sleepy), no aiming required . . .

Agree with the cleaning issue. DW asked how come there’s residual all over the place. Blaming me and grandsons’ aim. I had to help her understand the secondary splash. It’s kinda hard to drop fluid from a few feet into other liquid and not have splash. Aiming for the walls of the toilet doesn’t help either. Only answer I have is frequent cleaning.

I once asked a plumber about a urinal and he said that they don’t help. Not like there’s no splash back with those.

 

[Gumby]

Besides the copier, the only other thing I miss about w*rk is the urinal. If the young wife would permit, I'd have one at home. Sadly, that would require pigs to fly.

 

[JoeWras]

Aiming for the walls of the toilet doesn’t help either.

You hit the target and then the stream forks. Argh!

 

[omni550]

Reading about these splash issues, would something like this help?

https://www.amazon.com/Worltra-Device-Splash-Toilet-Lavatory/dp/B073YKS2Y7


omni

 

[mpeirce]

Mostly stand, but if woke in the middle of the night, I sit down. No need to turn on a light, don’t have to stand still (a little wobbly when sleepy), no aiming required . . .

Depending on your height and the size of the toilet, getting on your knees in the middle of the night in the dark is an option.

 

[Jerry1]

Depending on your height and the size of the toilet, getting on your knees in the middle of the night in the dark is an option.

OMG. I’d have more trouble getting back up. Try to remember, I’m half (or more) asleep and trying to stay that way.

 

[JoeWras]

Reading about these splash issues, would something like this help?

https://www.amazon.com/Worltra-Device-Splash-Toilet-Lavatory/dp/B073YKS2Y7


omni

What!? Things I never knew existed. It might work, but man that seems awkward.

The cartoon graphics for the product perfectly describe the problem, however.

 

[wmc1000]

In residential homes I sit 99.999% of the time. In restaurants or sporting events I stand.

 

[grasshopper]

Back to overspray, his and hers works for us, I clean both anyway.

 

[SecondCor521]

This is more about the health aspect than the cleaning aspect:

I think standing provides for more complete elimination.

I also think lack of elimination is something they call urinary retention, and I think that urinary retention can lead to UTIs.

I did discover that some medications can also lead to urinary retention. Astelin is one such that seems to have that undesirable side effect for me - it may be all or many antihistamines. So check what medicines and supplements you're taking that may be contributing to the issue.

The other things that will help are pushing more fluids (drinking more), which is hard to get motivated to do, because who wants to go more when there are issues with going? I suspect our sense of thirst may fade with age. But it seems to help.

I'm convinced cranberry juice is a good thing as well, again based on personal experience.

Finally, I've read to go when you feel the need and don't try to hold it. Holding it apparently causes problems. Wait 'til you make it to the bathroom if you can though!

 

[RobbieB]

How about the back yard, behind a tree?

 

[JoeWras]

How about the back yard, behind a tree?

I can neither confirm, nor deny whether I've used this method.

 

[JoeWras]

This is more about the health aspect than the cleaning aspect:

I think standing provides for more complete elimination.

And I agree, which I why I started this thread. When you do a search, all you see are recent articles and studies saying sitting works better for men.

Hell no, it doesn't work for me.

And your point about UTIs is well taken. Get it out of there.

 

[mpeirce]

Try the following: stand, go, then sit, try to go. Then contrast to sit, go, stand, try to go. It’s pretty clear that standing is better.

 

[Time2]

I stand, but I lean a bit and put one or both hands on the wall. My wife complained that if you looked just right you could see the paint was getting discolored by the constant touching. The solution, I cut a decorative piece of plastic and double side taped it to the wall. Now I only put my hands on that.
I sat twice, when I was having BPH problems, that's when I new it was time to talk to the doc. Proscar and Flomax generics and doing OK, for now,

 

[frayne]

I'm a stand-up kind of guy, with good aim and I'll leave it at that. It's shaking the end of the fire hose that can leave clean up on aisle #3 if you get my gist. It is nice to have a north forty for easy access when doing outside work and nature calls.

 

[Nemo2]

Every thread needs a theme song:

 

[mystang52]

Since my prostate was removed, I generally sleep through the night. But if I get a middle-of-the-night call, then it's sitting down. Otherwise, I'm in the stand-up group. My aim is so-so.