Travelling IBS Style

If you have any sort of digestive disorder, whether it is Crohn's, Colitis or IBS, you likely feel some degree of stress at the thought of travelling.  We have all encountered "close calls"; one of my most memorable close calls was while on my honeymooon in Antibes.  My husband and I had a lovely dinner, went for a walk along the boardwalk and then WHAM!  It hit me... that realization that I must find a washroom at all costs - before what I have always dreaded finally happened.

For anyone who has spent time in France or Europe, you realize that you cannot always walk into an establishment to use the washroom, you will likely have to buy something.  There are no Tim Hortons that you can slip into unnoticed.  There are no gas stations that you can discreetly duck into.  Europe has these public washrooms that are brilliant in their ability to self-clean - for those who are willing to pay, but, nevertheless, washrooms are not as widely available as they are in North America.  After extensive, frantic searching, I found such a washroom, during what is likely my closest encounter to date.  Thank goodness my husband is well-versed in my heightened level of panic and extreme erraticism when the runs come running.  Of course, upon discovering this washroom there was no toilet paper and no soap or sanitizer of any kind.  To add to this, you only have a certain amount of time to get in and out before it goes into clean mode.  This leads to complete and utter panic.

So, what did I do in this situation?  Being a veteran IBSer I carry the equivalent to the contents of a diaper bag with me at all times, especially when in a foreign country. In this vein, and in honour of my recent road trip to Cape Breton, I would like to share the contents of my emergency IBS kit.

First and foremost, the drug store is your best friend, especially the travel section.  Here you can find just the right size items for your carry-on or to fit in an overnight bag, or even your purse if you are out for a walk.

1.  Mini toilet paper roll:  I am in awe of the usefulness of this item.  I always pack one when travelling, or alternatively tissues if going on a short jaunt (think evening stroll or run).  This became essential last weekend when I had one of those emergencies and stumbled upon a washroom with no sign of toilet paper.  Not to worry, I had my handy-dandy mini roll in my purse, problem solved.

2.  Hand sanitizer:  if you have bowel issues you have definitely used some questionable toilets.  You reach a point where, in the right frame of mind, you will use absolutely any washroom available - be it the dirtiest gas station washroom, port-o-pottie, outhouse or the great outdoors.  I can personally attest to each and every one of these.  In these moments hand sanitizer is an absolute necessity.

3.  Vaseline/baby butt cream:  without going into too much detail - sometimes it hurts and these salves can help ease your pain.

4.  Baby powder or cornstarch:  similar to the products listed above, this can be helpful with pain management.

5.  Extra undies and panty liners:  in case that awful moment actually occurs, I always have stuff so I can quickly get cleaned up.  My theory is that if I prepare for the worst, I can hopefully avoid the worst.

6.  Baby wipes:  these can often be helpful and soothing and have a variety of uses.

7.  Purse hanger:  a friend gave one of these to me for my birthday a few years back.  I really had no idea how much I would use it, but I always carry this when I travel, for those bathrooms that you never wanted to step into and that you certainly do not want to bring with you (ie. germies).

Close Calls

Not sure I should feel flattered, but it appears as though I am the unofficial office/friend guru relating to all things butt.  This was proven again last week when a friend shared this article (she thought of me immediately!) about the public washroom situation in Halifax. I felt the need to briefly comment on this article.  I agree with the statement that public washrooms are hard to come by in certain areas of the city and that in Point Pleasant Park the signage is lackluster.  Indeed, there is nothing worse than going for a run only to be overtaken by a sense of impending doom as you are trying to not-quite-walk and not-quite-run to the nearest washroom - and you have no idea where they are!  And when I say not-quite-walk and not-quite-run - I am referring to one of life's great dilemmas: is it better to run in the hopes of arriving faster - or will that only hasten the runs?  Or, do you walk to try to slow things down, but potentially not arrive fast enough?  I am stumped, someone please tell me the right answer!

For any of you with IBS, or perhaps even a bout of the flu, you can likely relate to that sinking feeling, knowing that the runs are on their way, whether you like it or not.  This often happens to me in transit (car, bus), at work, walking, running and travelling.  One of my closest calls ever was in the heat of summer, I went for a run, was feeling confident, so ran a little further, only to realize that I was in trouble.  I was near the junior high school where I grew up, so I turned in, dashing for the door, sweaty, crying and banging for someone to please open up.  Luckily, the janitor was there (which was a pure miracle considering it was summer), I yelled EMERGENCY and ran past him to the washroom.  He was kind enough to ensure he was not around when I finally surfaced.  Needless to say I walked the rest of the way home, but, ever since then, I always carry a cell phone when running, because you never know when the wave will hit you.  This may seem trivial, but, it was a traumatic event for me.  Let's be honest - no one really has a burning desire to crap their pants, let alone in public.  This is probably one of the worst things about having IBS, not knowing when it will hit and whether or not you will be prepared.  There is always the sense of dread that today will be "the day" that you do not make it.

Moments like these certainly make for funny stories after the fact ... "do you remember when I was late for our wedding?" "do you remember when you had to spend a half our in the stall with me holding up my wedding dress?" ..."remember that time on our honeymoon when..."... interesting how the big events in my life are all framed with toilet tales!  At the end of the day, all you can really do is laugh and hope that someone in urban planning has the foresight to strategically place washrooms and that Europe will someday embrace the idea of not having to pay for the toilet!