To ask if you've ever been caught short

[Sugartits27]

I'm suffering from really bad IBS-D at the minute. So much so that i darent go out. I've had to ask a friend to do the 10 minute school run for the past two days because I'm frightened of going. Long car journeys or going anywhere without a loo are out of the question.

I think a lot of this is also in my head. I give too much power to it and sometimes worrying makes my symptoms worse. I'm trying to rationalise the worst possible outcome and put it into context so I can actually start living again and not be ruled by my bowels!

So with that in mind, aibu to ask you to tell me your stories of getting caught short and what happened/how you managed it....

I have IBS D, mostly stress related like you’ve mentioned. Cutting out dairy helped massively. Also I get up at least two hours before I leave the house.

Have you been to see your GP?

I have a few times. Out on a run (long run if 15-20 miles) and when i need one, i have to have one. I run rurally, mountains and countryside so plenty of secluded places.

But now i take immodium early in the morning so it stops the problem.

Why beware 🤔

I've been caught twice on dog walks - dock leaves come in very handy 🙈

Yes embarrassingly. Had bowel surgery six months ago and have never been the same. I have to be careful not to have dairy when going out as it seems to make it worse.

Remote dog walks are also a trigger to me. It's like as soon as I find myself somewhere without a toilet my brain tells me I need to go even if I was fine beforehand. It's really impacting on my life now. I do take Imodium a lot but even that doesn't always work.

GP have totally fobbed me off and doesn't seem concerned because my symptoms are sporadic. I can go for months without any issues then I'll get an attack (like now) which knocks me off my feet. But even when I'm symptom free I still have the anxiety of going certain places 'just in case'

@OneThreadOnly0101 I can assure you this is genuine and not perverted in anyway do people really get off on poo tales?!

I'm asking on here because it's embarrassing to discuss in real life and an issue where many people feel like they're alone.

Those who genuinely want support are probably better off with the resources here

www.theibsnetwork.org/support-groups/

I have a bowel disease so am often caught out! It's much better managed now but the worst one was definitely on a remote country road on the way to my grandparent's funeral...not a car for miles and, of course, as soon as I get out the car to sort myself out a whole cavalcade stuck behind a tractor go past!!
It's not a funny situation when you're in it but looking back it's pretty good!

I've read endless research about the physical symptoms and how to manage them but what people don't understand is the fear of having an accident and how that can impact on you mentally.

By posting here I was hoping to try and overcome the mental side of the problem by seeing it as not being alone and not being a big deal. So 'if I have an accident it's happened and this is how I'll deal with it' type mentality. If you haven't suffered from it you wouldn't understand.

The people immediately jumping to the conclusion that I'm some sort of poo troll....well I think that says more about how your mind works than mine.

It's a huge shame that people have to be beware of the 'poo troll' (or trolls) because bowel conditions can significantly affect your quality of life, as attested to by the OP and others. As another IBS sufferer I find it somewhat reassuring to speak to other women in a similar position because it's such a taboo subject very often.... one which sufferers feel embarrassed and 'ashamed' about despite the fact it relates to a normal bodily function we ALL have, albeit one that's gone 'wrong'.

Being caught out is a perpetual worry for most of us and where your condition is exacerbated by stress and anxiety this can be a horrid vicious circle. I've recently been to my doctor (yet again) because my stomach is so rarely comfortable /normal yet everything I was tested for came back clear so I really don't know what to do now. I have some definite food triggers but regardless of avoiding those I still have regular unpleasant attacks and I'm sure anxiety plays a huge part. It's bloody miserable, not least because so many public loos are disappearing and in any case they're often grim, and lack the privacy you want (though obviously beggars can't be choosers). I've also taken immodium in desperation and/or as an insurance policy but usually find I still feel very uncomfortable (anxiety?) and that it rarely stops things dead. Sooner or later I suffer.

I wish this topic was talked about more openly because I don't think people realise how widespread it is. I think the chances of some poo pervert getting off on' toilet tales' is less important than those suffering with bowel issues finding some comfort from knowing that their experiences aren't unusual, or that they're not 'disgusting' for having a body which reacts painfully and unpredictably, and very often unavoidably. Sharing 'battle' stories can help with that, in making you feel less isolated about something which can be utterly distressing and mortifying if the worst comes to the worst.

Thank you @catsmother it's nice to know I'm not alone.

@PumpkinP well it's not me. I came here for advice and support about a medical condition that's impacting on me mentally but clearly MN isn't ready to discuss such issues so I'll direct my query to an IBS network and hopefully I'll get some more grown up responses there.

I'm not asking for gory details ffs! I'm asking how they dealt with it and what the circumstances were. For me long car journeys and places without a loo are a trigger. That's why.

Tbh this post just seems to be full of ignorant 'mean girls' who are totally overlooking the fact I've spoken about my medical issue and anxiety in favour of casting me as some bloody poo pervert. Thanks for that, just what I needed.

People can ‘get off’ on all kinds of things. Just because some saddo might be getting off on it (and harming no one) is not a good reason not to discuss worrying issues

sugartits. I had ‘urgency’ issues a few years ago. I’m not really sure what changed, but it has gone now, for the most part anyway. Last year I had been walking and wasn’t far from home, crossing the park & I just couldn’t wait, luckily there’s a small wooded part in the middle of the park and I was walking along the side of it. I had NO choice. It was difficult (in full winter walking gear) and I was extremely worried someone’s know would see me (well anyone really but especially someone I knew). It was horrible & humiliating, but marginally less so than the alternative. I’ve no idea what triggered it, but I’ve been fine since

Hope you can find a solution, but try not to feel alone, it’s far more common than people realise 🌷

OP what triggered this in the first place? It can be caused by stress or anxiety. Your doctor can put you on medication to manage the anxiety which in turn should help with your symptoms.

I don’t know why people get so funny about the possibility of a poo troll reading a random anonymous post about someone shitting themselves. People get off on far worse, it’s not like they can trace it back to the poster and show up at their house with a big estate agency type sign to put in the front garden displaying their story...! Who cares.

Anyway. I have Ibs. I understand how you feel op. I was on holiday in Greece and playing a game of table tennis when I felt “the rumble” and suddenly had to abandon the game and try to leg it up several flights of stairs and across a very large courtyard to reach my room. I didn’t quite make it. I was mortified and spent the rest of the holiday worried about it all but I survived and it wasn’t as horrendous as I thought it would be! Anxiety definitely makes it all worse.

Morning,

Just stopping by to confirm that the OP's been on the site for a fair while and that we've no major concerns about this thread.

We understand that people can be wary of such threads but, as ever, we'd like to point people in the direction of our Talk Guidelines which ask that you report any suspicions to us (just hit the Report button), rather than air them on the thread and risk upsetting the OP.

Thanks all.

Op, has your GP ever suggested trying a low FODMAP diet?
Also if you really are worried, could you possibly insist on a referal for a colonoscopy, or even have it done privately possibly?

I have severe OCD about incontinence and accidents, about both bladder and bowel and i can be housebound for up to 2 years at a time when it and the anxiety gets bad, stress is definitely a factor also. At really bad times i can be on 4-6 immodium a day and still have difficulties.

Finally managing a bladder scan sometime in the next month, which im terrified of as i have urgency issues and have to have a full bladder but can only use the loo in my own home as a result of the ocd and the need for a bowelmovement every time i toilet. Thankfully i can have it done at my GP rather than local hospital now so only 3 streets from home, but still stressing like crazy so i sympathise.

Hi OP. I have Crohn's and have been caught short several times. I now travel with a change of clothes in the car and loo roll/wipes.

Please know you are not alone. IBD/IBS cause flares, sometimes triggered sometimes not. I used to be told I was making myself anxious by worrying about having nowhere 'to go' which was causing it. That is not the case. You can of course get nervous tummy, which can make things worse, but it is more often that not an actual 'I've got to go' that happens. People without this issue struggle to comprehend why you can't just hold it.

If you register with Crohn's and Colitis UK you can get a Can't Wait Card, mine has been invaluable and most shops etc will take it seriously and let you use their facilities. I also know all of my pit stops on various journeys I take regularly.

But sometimes you will just have to stay at home. It's a crappy illness (pardon the pun!) and usually not talked about properly because people don't want to discuss that kind of thing unless it affects them personally.

Always an open ear if you need to offload or want to chat!

Have you tried Mebeverine OP? It's no exaggeration to say it changed my life.

I never have, but if I had, I'd be scared to go out. It would absolutely do my head in and I have every sympathy for people with IBS and similar problems.

On the (very rare) occasions I've had an upset stomach, I've not left the house until I've gone 24 hours without a dash to the bog, I'm positively neurotic about it.