To think there is something wrong with my bowels?

[WildPoo]

In times when the world seems to be falling apart this may seem trivial, but it’s becoming an important issue for me! Have name changed for obvious reasons.

For the last maybe 18 months or so, every time I go to the supermarket, or any large shop eg IKEA or B&Q, within minutes of getting there I feel like I’m about to shit myself. It’s an urge that comes on suddenly and strongly, and I have to waddle off to the nearest toilet with a great degree of urgency. It’s not like I’m worried about it happening because I genuinely get taken by surprise by it each time, and it’s not like I find shopping a stressful experience. TMI warning - when I do get to the toilet, by god it’s Quite The Event, consistency is solid/normal, but when I walk out I must be about a stone lighter.

Anyway, that’s been a bit curious and annoying for a while, but easy enough to manage as there’s usually a toilet nearby. However, this seems to have extended to when I’m out walking. 3 times in the last 4 days, I’ve ended up having to have a wild poo when out with the dogs, which isn’t as handy as the supermarket thing as you can imagine. Similar feeling, comes out of nowhere and then within a few minutes it’s critical. This is more of a problem, because I’m out walking A LOT.

The shame of posting this on the World Wide Web, but I thought I’d see if anyone has any advice, do I need to see a doctor or is nearly shitting yourself on an almost daily basis just something that is part and parcel of middle age?

I wish it was online shopping for me! That would be a lot more convenient 😂

It could be something like cryptosporidium

All the money the big stores must spend on psychology around merchandising and it just sends customers off for a big crap 😂

I don’t think it is. DP has had that because he works in an industry with contact with sewage, and he was shitting through the eye of a needle when he had it. Mine has never been diarrhea.

How active are you?
This happens with my daughter.
She isn’t very active and does very little walking - drives everywhere -
Always happens when she goes out and walks much more than usual (usually shopping) !

Its definitely a thing. Ive known it in book shops, libraries, charity shops, supermarkets and randomly home sense, family and myself

I reckon you're eating something that disagrees with you. Cuppa tea with milk or sweetener? Sandwich? Something is setting you off and I bet its food related somewhere

I wonder if it’s some sort of mental association thing. I know you say you’re not anxious (anxiety does play havoc with the gut, I practically made myself house bound for a while because of toilet anxiety) but it could be something similar. You kind of are expecting it so it happens? Honestly the link between the brain and the bowel is incredibly strong, even subconsciously. It seems odd that this is happening in the same sort of situations repeatedly. By all means see a GP, always worth getting checked out. But if all is well physically I would strongly suspect something is going on between your mind and your bowel even if you’re not fully aware of it.

For me it’s the library
and taking a phone call from one particular friend
weird !

Ohhh I feel you're pain. I made sauerkruit as part of a Sunday dinner (polish grandfather) and had the left overs for Mondays dinner, we had a joiner in to finish off a job and guess what? I took severe cramp, was doubled over and thought i was going to shit my jeans 🥺. Can't even hide my shame as the joiner is my best pals son 😬😭😬

Go see your doctor but also carry some sort of thing where if you need to go when outdoors walking you can without having to do it on the ground. Like a portable potty thing

Gluten is in so many things. I am celiac and get urgency. Especially in shops.. I think the action of walking also moves things along

I used to have this and got so I dreaded going anywhere unless I’d checked out the loo situation before hand. Every day was a wild poo day with the dogs,even when I walked with others,so embarrassing. Diagnosed with IBS and lactose intolerance. However started slimming world and the low fat low sugar has pretty much sorted me out. I was under the hospital for my severe gastric issues that went along with the 💩problems ,that’s all sorted now. If you’re low carb you may be higher fat? I’m not very good at sticking to SW enough to lose the last bit of weight but because it’s changed my health so much it’s my basic diet now

Bless you OP, this sounds awful.

Could you plan your eating schedule in a manner in which results in morning poos at a set time, for example? I only eat once a day, at about 5pm and my daily poo is at 5am, so all done and dusted (wiped!) before the day begins?

Defo visit the doctors though.

@WildPooi dint eat UPFs either but it’s the raw veg that does it for me.

Is there a common time?

3 hours walking dogs a day is a lot. If you’re going for a 90 minute walk twice a day after meal times, that is likely to move things along a lot and then the problem is you’re far from a toilet.

Dog walking can do this to me too but I only have a lazy old chihuahua so we’re never that far from home.

Same with the large shops, you can do a lot of steps in those.

Do you get plenty of fibre?

I get something like this - not so dramatically, but for me it's a pelvic floor issue (a small amount of prolapse).

Possibly not relevant to you but fwiw because for me it's 'mechanical' its most noticeable running downhill. I do run, so I have taken to picking a route with a loo about 10-15 minutes in towards the bottom of a slope (I have a couple of options!)

But I also used to get it talking on the phone, decades ago when the phone was 'tethered' by its cable and I used to stand looking out of the window to talk ... pre kids so no prolapse in those days, just very chatty family.

Do you poop at the same time every day usually? Or more sporadic? I’d try taking a laxative before bed so you go to the loo on a morning. Then try going walking/ to Ikea afterwards and see if it happens when your bowels are relatively empty. That should help work out if there’s a psychological trigger.

I was going to suggest this.
I used to have to make emergency stops with explosive diarrhoea when running although weirdly it would always be around 55 minutes in, so I was able to plan my routes.

I tried cutting out gluten, cutting down on fibre (difficult as a vegetarian!), drinking more water, drinking less water, Imodium, run in the morning, run in the evening, waiting until immediately after having a dump; none of which made any difference. Then I twigged about chewing gum which I admit, I did chew a lot of. I stopped the gum and the diarrhoea stopped too.

Yes and they are a prolific poster, but usually more subtle than this one.

I was exactly like this!
I haven’t eaten dairy or wheat since January 2025 and it’s stopped!!
Its a pleasure now to go anywhere!
Im no longer having to look for a toilet as soon as I go anywhere 🤣🤣

I think it's like a Pavlovian response, you've formed a mental association with going out and wanting to 'go' and subconsciously that triggers every time so it's become a habit. I am triggered that way every time my DP leaves to go somewhere (this started in my teen years if I'd been left at home whilst the parents went out for a short time). However it doesn't happen to me if I am the one to go out, but still!

Of course the other thing is the exercise of walking can trigger it as well.

For me, it's Home Bargains.

For my sister, it's Aldi.

However it's definitely more psychological for me as even if I've been before I get to HB, I feel the urge but don't actually need to go and the feeling does go off.

Your situation does sound different @WildPoo as having to go for wild poos (with dogs you're walking!) must be really shit <sorry, I had to!> 😁

What happens if the shop doesn't have a toilet or its out of use? Can you hold it to get somewhere else or you always need to wild poo?