Question:
[Background: I once drank water mixed with majority vinegar on 2 or 3 occasions, because I thought the tap water tasted bad, in order to avoid the question of saying a bracha, which exceeded the recommended daily dosage for vinegar. I little later I medicinally for general health had a high dosage of tumeric twice, which may have damaged the bladder further.]
I may have stupidly damaged my bladder and nerves drinking a lot of vinegar. [A doctor says I have no problem clearing my bladder though.] It is difficult to describe the bladder sensation, but now even after urinating I have a minute senation in my bladder, perhaps oscillating, or as occasional spikes in pain. [I do not know if it is an actual sensation to urinate.] It sometimes a little later may disappear for maybe 20 seconds, when I ignore it or sit down.
I don’t know if I should say Asher Yatzar with H-shem’s name? [Sometimes I get another person to say it for me.]
Also, if needed, should I wait and try to rush the bracha within the small time-period the pain might disappear? What if it reappears in the middle of the bracha? [A rabbi may have said to continue the bracha in such scenarios.]
Secondly, if I don’t drink 10 or 20 minutes prior to a meal, I have a constant bladder pain throughout the day. I was told by a rabbi if I don’t have to run to the bathroom in 10-15 minutes, to say the Asher Yatzar in cases of pain. [In cases of intense pain, a gadol might have given me a different procedure.] So I might wait 10 minutes as I precaution, and almost never say the bracha, because I listen for those above possible sensations underneath the pain, since I don’t know what he means by “running to the bathroom” in my case.
Thank you so much for helping me with a long-standing issue.
Answer:
Hello,
We have to say asher yatzar after using the bathroom, even if we have pains in our system. however if the pain is because one needs to use the bathroom again, then it is already too late to make the bracha on the previous use of the bathroom. For example, a person that has stomach pins, will still say asher yatzar after using the bathroom, unless these pains are because he has to use the bathroom right away a second time.
From what you are describing, that you are emptying your bladder when you use the bathroom, therefore the pain or sensation that you have in your bladder is not because you need to use the bathroom again, rather it is because of the nerves in your bladder. Therefore you should say asher yatzar even though you have these pains.
This is also a matter of knowing your body, by identifying which pain is a pain because your bladder is full and you need the bathroom, and what is just because of the damage to the nerves over there. For example, you can test yourself, lets say when you have pain X try using the bathroom, and by trial and error you will learn when it is a pain of needed to urinate and when it isn’t. If I am understanding your question correctly, this should solve this issue of when to make a bracha or not.
Best wishes
