HolidayArse

[HolidayArse]

Firstly- I've been on MN for 100 years or so, I'm not the poo troll (but then I would say that...)

I'm looking for advice from like-boweled people please? I'm off on hols next week, and wondering what I can do/prep/take to mitigate Holiday Arse?

For those that don't know what I'm talking about, its the stupid, annoying phenomena that means my perfectly functional butt takes one look down an unfamiliar pan and goes 'NOPE'.

To emphasise. it's not a choice- I DGAF about being alluring for my husband, any mystique within our marriage fecked off a long time ago! I eat well, lots of water, fruit, and veg, but the whole digestive shebang just slows down and I spend a lot of precious holiday time feeling bloated, sluggish and crap

Anyone sympathise, and have any ideas that can help? I fly in a few days, so could start something now if it would make a difference?

Thank you!

Order some bisocodol online, and make sure your breakfast includes fruit or soluble fibre. As long as you keep yourself hydrated, you should be fine.

Oooh I hear you. I'm exactly the same. Last time I took sugar free polo's and sugar free lemon sherbets as well as senokot. My holiday arse was still reluctant to let go. There's nothing like that poo you have on your own loo 10 minutes after you walk through your front door.

If you’re eating / taking anything that has a laxative effect may I suggest that you don’t take it until after you have arrived at your destination. I know someone who tried to cure a case of constipation before heading to the airport and the results were quite unpleasant.

I suffered from this a bit until travelling in Asia. Squatting over a hole is sort of what the body finds instinctively natural which kicks proceedings along, also whatever dignity you’re subconsciously holding onto finally goes the way of your street noodles.

So I would advise to go to Asia and stay at crap hostels

I had to consult the ship’s doctor on a cruise because I was so uncomfortably bunged up. He charged me an arm and a leg and prescribed lactulose, the good news is you can easily buy it OTC. It worked far better for me than Fibogel.

Thanks to this thread I shall be giving the coconut cocktails a try in future..

I hear you. My family have a sweepstake on which day of the holiday I finally go for a poo.

I don’t have any magic cure but have also tried pretty much everything I can think of.

I get that 🤣🤣🤣

It's like my body can't relax on a foreign loo!

Worse being when you finally do go it's old waste and leaves a nice lasting aroma 🫣

What works for me is taking Fybergel for a few days before I go once a day and then taking it's twice a day when I'm away.

They do tablets now which I've not ever tried but I'm going way next Friday and so will start them next Tuesday and hoping they are as good!

i also suffer and did loads of research before my last holiday (it finally worked). Apparently eating loads of certain types of fibre once already constipated makes it worse, so this time I did some he following:
drank as much water as I could in my flight;
took a preemptive senakot the first night;
stuck to mostly things like eggs and yoghurt for breakfast.
However, I did also have a celebratory pina colada that first day too… I shall make that a routine!!!

Lactulose is what the vet prescribed for our constipated cat and my goodness it’s effective (also worked on DH after an op and heavy duty codeine; I didn’t share that the he and the cat could swap war stories).

On infrequent days that I'm bunged up (or not) I love eating soft dried prawns (no seed) nibbled at the end of a meal. That provides delicious sweetness and one of your give a day (three prunes). Plus lots of fresh plain water or tea. 🌹

Gift link to a New York Times article about this- seems like an exaggerated amount of water will help?

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/08/well/eat/travel-constipation.html?unlockedarticleecode=13dwQoqqTSI4Gli9AM8nfjT-Z7l8DrK8yk7CYb8cQVfgmhrMUCiabwAu8Ieexy5VKR1pnmSRVYC3ydP2X2t7PKwajRqJnJRg9rAWaHLiToWsC4FbLf0ufPXDDC-Vpmyyu8U3E96j6rQeADFFyxqhZO8DUO74vOJR4lkaOj9buaJUw8e9wx6DwgCezvIqRPPPtXk5JeLQbVw4cMYVwfzi5rZ3qWDj-2i83ewjTsDuod6DQRu11nwH88bKocLrdYpJ-QPJcIrPK4VZ7atdN-4i5fF4nIQODnstY8uv8-fDwnLKpSOW2Kyqv5Pd4Z6iYSR28MlwsXqO0Ic2sDuA&smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Another vote for Lactulose here, I would definitely recommend starting on a lower dose than it says on the bottle though. My GP suggested it and it’s saved many a holiday!

Drink plenty of fizzy water.

Glycerin suppositories.

Lil torpedo goes up, few minutes later chonky torpedo fired out.

Make sure you get enough exercise, sitting still (e.g. during a long journey) is a killer. You have my sympathies, it's horrible feeling you need to go but not being able to. In fact, my DF ended up on a water and medicine only starvation regime in a German district hospital for several nights when he got a bad case of this...

Just to add: by that point we had done at least a thousand miles in the car and my dad is a stubborn so and so who refuses to drink enough, ever. The hospital admission was also a slight overkill in hindsight. I'm sure you're more sensible and will manage to avoid a hospital stay!

No advice from me, just solidarity (ha!) I'm always pretty predictable bowel wise, unless I'm anxious, then I might as well just park my arse on the toilet for the day. But I also have that holiday phenomenon of not being able to go. It's amazing how it can take over your entire life, wondering when things will start to move. It's impossible to ignore the congested, bloated, pressurised feeling. I usually end up in a lot of pain. I have never found anything that helps (other than time), but will try some of the suggestions on here.

Fellow sufferer here. Partner and I have regular conversations about my ‘shy bum’ on the first week of any holiday and have a thumbs up, thumbs down code whenever I make a loo trip. I think he is more invested in it than me as he is incredibly regular and finds my shy bum fascinating as he cannot comprehend how I can not go for so long.
I take Inulin for other reasons, but found it really helped me on holiday this year and while it doesn’t resolve it completely, it did make going much easier on day 2. Be careful on first dose, it’s not a proper but things can still get explosive. If you can get your body accustomed to it before you go I think that would help.

Inulin has massively improved my sleep, for anyone suffering from insomnia or just waking up far far too early.

Proper laxative that should say.

Could it also be a complete change of daily routine?

Planes do something to my digestive systems.

Womdered If you are normally quite active and then on holiday lots of sitting about?

I take fybogel sachets for the few days before I leave as well as daily throughout my holiday. It's made such a difference the last few trips.

While on the loo think about something vivid that really scares you. Best if it actually happened to you in the past so you can summon up your terror. Could be anything… for me it was when Sister Mary Frances caught me out of bounds during study period. After forty years it still works.

I know drinking water is tedious but if you're going somewhere hot then you do need to drink a lot more fluids that normal (especially if you sweat a lot).

I can tell when I'm getting dehydrated on holiday as I wee a lot less often than normal

If you are dehydrated then you will inevitably get constipated as poos are too dry and hard

This had me in stitches. Thank you @Noizettely i needed that this morning!! 👏

Keep moving! I know the feeling and generally I find it’s worse if I’ve not moved all day. So regularly do say 5 mins of swimming or go for a little walk. Keep movement in the gut.