To be worried that I'll get an infection? Warning TMI

[CherryBerry99]

Just want to preface this by warning that this will be tmi, will word it as nicely as I can but just a warning if funny about bowels etc not to read on.
Also I'm not a troll, I'm only posting here as I'm not sure what to do. I'm mortified and will probably delete this at some point later today.
Basically I've been having bowel problems flicking between constipation and diarrhoea, I'd been in a constipated phase so took some laxatives.
I ended up having an accident in my sleep and woke up covered. I've cleaned up etc the best I could but I'm worried some will have gotten in my vagina or urethra and that I will get an infection. Is this likely to be the case?
I'm not asking for personal stories just some advice to know whether there's anything preventative I can do. Thanks. Please be nice, I'm so upset and am in tears disgusted at myself.

Please don't worry. Best thing to wash that area is with aqueous cream and plain water. Thats it. Don't go using harsh soaps or anything anti bacterial as it will cause an imbalance in natural flora which could then cause thrush etc.

You do need to seek medical advice though as alternating between constipation and diarrhoea requires medical advice.

Have a wee, that will flush the urethra out. And the vagina is self cleaning. As long as you’ve washed your labia with water it will be fine.
Remember that nature put those three holes so close together, it knows how to keep it clean!
And diarrhoea can sometimes be overflow from constipation, so get yourself sorted.

Without meaning to sound awful, but thousands of people are bedbound and lay in their excretions without leading to infection, so as long as you’ve had a good clean up, you should be fine, but you do need to look into your bowel problems, how is your diet, do you need to include more fibre and water to try to stabilise the constipation.

Drink lots of water to pee frequently and book a call with the doctors as soon as poss, you should be fine.
Don't be mortified!

Thanks everyone, I'd gone to the GP with it a while ago but they didn't really do much and said it sounds like I have IBS. I think I definitely need to make another visit as I didn't realise that IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion and no further tests were carried out.

Sure you will be fine

Don't worry. You cleaned up so it's extremely unlikely a bit of poo near your vagina will do any harm. IBS can be awful. Has the symptoms only just started?
I guess you have to eliminate loads of different foods one by one?
I find that if I'm constipated, docusate/ ducoease is the best laxative, as it doesn't case diarrea or cramping, just softens the stool. Hope you feel better soon. And no need to be embarassed. I've been in hospital for 5 weeks before and you end up immune to poo/ bodily malfunctions.

You could get an infection but you would be unlucky if you did.

My gran had almost continuous utis but this was only when she had long term double incontinence that this started. In the days of accidents she got utis at her normal frequency.

I've had symptoms since my teen years, now in mid 20's. Always fluctuating between diarrhoea and constipation. My record without a poo is 17 days lol. It's like every so often my bowel just shuts down. As a teen I was too embarrassed to go to GP (typical 🙄). I've always allowed myself to be brushed off and just accepted the IBS diagnosis/suggestion.
Think I'm going to try to speak to GP this week and be more assertive to try and get a plan together.
Thanks all for being so supportive, was worried I'd get the wrong side of Mumsnet and be told that I'm disgusting (as I felt this morning) or that I'm a troll, but you all have been lovely

Echoing other posters, having a wee will help clear out the Urethra, and a good wash will of done the rest x

@CherryBerry99 You poor thing. Deffo see the GP, explain you have had these awful symptoms for years and enough is enough kind of thing.
I have a few friends with IBS and Chrones so I know how hard it can be.
Of course it's not disgusting. Everyone has an arse! lol.

It happened again 😭😭 I was feeling a good bit better so decided to lie down to catch up on missed sleep and it hit again. I didn't even have time to run to the bathroom and exploded everywhere. The diarrhoea is only like this as I took laxatives, never again. I've spent ages having to clean the floor, throw clothes out and now I'm lying in the bath in tears. I wish I could erase this day from memory. I feel disgusting

Sorry if that's tmi btw, my friend offered to come over for a bit but I'm too embarrassed and scared of another accident. Hoping it eases up soon as I'd worry about getting dehydrated

If it seems to be happening a lot, consider buying a pack of incontinence pants. You can get them online, you don't have to carry them to the Boots checkout . They tear down the sides, so are easy to get off afterwards.

You're not disgusting OP you have a medical issue it's not your fault x

Get some tena pants in. I found them excellent at saving my clothes when things were really bad. It'll help put your mind at ease.

Happens to the best of us OP (I have IBS too), please don't be disgusted with yourself and yes, do go to the GP and get a plan in place, you will feel better

Also, any sign of a UTI (unlikely but possible) get some D-mannose (available online or from Holland and Barrett/Boots) as early on as possible, it will often fend off the infection so you don't need antibiotics.

Sounds horrible! Surely you weren’t asleep in it for long as it must have woken you? In which case you cleaned yourself up quickly?! I wouldn’t worry about infection but you need to see the drs again.

Thanks everyone, I'm feeling a lot better after my bath and I'm going to let it go (hopefully not literally again! 😬🤣). It's not worth beating myself up over a couple of accidents and clearly there's something underlying.
I'll contact the dr tomorrow and hopefully get this looked into properly and a gentler/longer term laxative prescribed in the meantime. Hoping the incontinence has just been due to the lax being too strong, I'll mention it anyway as I've had a few close calls lately.
Thanks so much again