Staying in a hotel room with IBS and 4 other women

[GunpowderGelatine]

Posting in Chat for traffic.

Next week I'm staying in a hotel room for 2 nights with 4 other women, 2 are friends of mine and I don't know the other 2. Problem is I have recently been diagnosed with IBS (after I booked the trip) - I'm so so nervous about having a flare up with one toilet! Any advice from other sufferers?

Five people in one hotel room sounds like hell on earth, even without IBS.

I would get my own room. But, if you really can’t, that VIP poo stuff actually works.

Are you more worried about the smell or the noise OP?

I know, someone else booked it and upon texting about the weekend I've only just found out we're all in one room 😬 I will try VIPoo thank you!

@Albadross the smell and the amount of time I spend in the loo during a flare up. I can mask the noise easily with running taps etc

Surely just an explanation will do... everyone poops. Women aren't usually as bad as men for mockery.

Surely just tell them the truth, no need to try and pretend

Vipoo is very effective. DH has IBS and has found it great. I think he feels more confident that I won't walk into a smelly room etc - I think he's more concerned than me!

Pretend you're going for a shower (noise and steam helps smell!) or use the toilets in your hotel foyer.

Immodium is your friend (well, the cheapo Tesco stuff if you're me!). Not so much for the hotel, but so you can enjoy the rest of the trip as much as possible. And do tell the others so they can understand why you're in the bathroom for a while. It might be worth sussing out other toilets in the hotel in case one of the others is in the shower when you need it. You may be able to tell that I've had some 'interesting' experiences over the years.

I just take immodum to avoid all of that.

I also book my own room, sharing is hell because you can guarantee one person at least is a snorer.

Can you make an excuse of going for a walk/to the shop and go in the hotel reception toilets?

To be honest I’d never share a room with anyone not my DH i go the loo a lot and like to just do it alone lol
Can you get it changed

Why on earth are 5 women sharing a hotel room. Unless funds are tight I'd be booking my own room, never mind worrying about anything else! That aside, I feel for you. I don't have IBS but have huge toilet shyness.

Even without IBS I wouldn't share a hotel toom with 4 others. What are the sleeping arrangements?

I would book my own room all to myself.

Just to add to the horror of room sharing a lot of hotel en suites dont have doors on them.
I would not even share one of those with DP and he would not be happy either

I know it’s a pain but eat very low residue food the day or two before. Low carb or Specific Carbohydrate Diet... chicken soup (homemade), that sort of thing.

VIPoo is definitely worth a try. I also have a mini air freshener in my bag.

Most hotels will also have a toilet in reception or Down the corridor

Even without IBS in the mix, I would hate to share one hotel room with four other people, two of whom were total strangers.
What beds are in it? Is someone on a sofa bed? Just no.
. I would in fact use my recent diagnosis as a reason to say 'I'll spare you all this and make sure I can always get to the bathroom by booking a room for myself'. If you really don't want to do that, I would cite recent insomnia instead and say you don't want to wake them all up when you're awake throughout the night.

The more I think about this, the worse it gets. I spend too much time in hotel rooms (for work), there will not be enough space to unpack everyone’s stuff. Nowhere to put 5 lots of toiletries and make-up. You won’t be able to hang up 5 wet towels in the bathroom. If you are lucky, you may have enough plug sockets to charge 5 phones, but I wouldn’t bank on it. You will be bumping into each other constantly. You will have to share beds, someone is likely to snore, cough etc. The whole room will be like a damp, horrible steam room after 5 showers.

Honestly, you are a lot braver than me if you go for this. Unless it’s the Ritz, no amount of cost saving would be worth not paying for my own room. You have the perfect excuse - just tell them about the IBS and say you want some privacy.

Why the hell are five people sharing a room? That sounds very cramped, and hell on earth to me anyway, with or without IBS.

I have IBS. It is a reason why I would never share a hotel room with anyone other than my DH.

If I were you I would book your own room.

Never mind the toilet how on earth are five women going to get ready in the morning in a reasonable time with only one bathroom/shower?

I predict a lot of arguments about who goes first, how long a person is taking and mess left by others.

It sounds awful and no way would I agree to it.

Would it be worth checking out if there are toilets in the hotel lobby (unless it’s night time) or would that make it worse?
If it happens I would just explain; you never know what other people might be experiencing

Not read the other comments so sorry if I'm repeating but I take Imodium comfort for similar events. Good luck x

Book your own room OP.

Get your own room. I wouldn’t sleep with others I didn’t know. How random. What about getting dressed? How awful.