[Coggie]

We're going from Lynnwood to Alki Beach in West Seattle to check out a garage sale held by this couple we met at a restaurant the other night. They're also former Hawaii residents who are returning by the end of the month. They've got a crib they never used because their daughter slept with them the entire time and this would really help us, as we're overwhelmed with what to buy for our upcoming firstborn.Their garage sale is tomorrow.That means a long drive to a home without restroom facilities.That means this sudden diarrhea attackfest I've endured days in a row after the second meal (and sometimes in between) could be a problem.That means I'm scared like hell that I'll be perusing the items at the garage sale, have an accident and have nowhere to go to take care of myself or worse, about to have an accident and nowhere to go.Any tips?

 

[Guest]

Hi Coggie...I am going out tonight and I am scared too. It is the first social thing that I have done in 2 months!! My husband is taking me to the theater to cheer me up, but I think it is causing more stress and anxiety. It is only a 45 minute drive downtown but it will be nerve racking.I have found some comfort in what I call my "IBS Survival Kit". A roll of toilet paper, some industrial strength paper towels, some depends and an icecream bucket. I carry all this with me to and from work every day. Do you have something you can take to reduce the anxiety? My doc perscribed some Ativan but it conks me out a bit.We all know that when you gotta go, you gotta go. So just go in the car and worry about the mess later.

Hopefully someone else is driving!Good luck!

 

[Coggie]

Great suggestions.I didn't think about paper towels and toilet paper, but I'll bring those tomorrow. I usually have a spare Depends diaper, spare underwear, a garbage bag and tight black shorts. I unfortunately can't wear the underwear and shorts because I'm bigger with my 8th month of pregnancy.I also plan to make Eddie stop along the way and a final stop at Alki Beach, right before we get to the house for the garage sale.If I have to, I'll drive the car to a nearby gas station myself while Eddie keeps browsing.You are SO nice to give me these pointers! Thanks a million.

 

[Jeanne D]

Hi Coggie,I empathize with you , as traveling scares the heck out of me too. I am curious to know how the trip works our for you , so when you get the chance, let us know.I too carry toilet paper, change of clothes and wet wipes.. or baby wipes, same thing.Somehow knowing I have them, eases my mind a little bit.I have a weekend trip in December, in which I will be doing the driving.. 3 hours up to Pa, and 3 hours back. We will be staying overnight, so on the day of the return trip we will be heading home in the morning.. needless to say, mornings are probably my worst times of the day. I am trying immodium now to see if it has any effect, since I have never tried it before. I am hoping it works, so I can use it while I am on my tripWell good luck coggie, bring the things you need with you and maybe , if you are not driving you can try to sleep on the way there, or at least part of the way.Keep us posted

 

[Coggie]

I'm fighting depression right now, mostly because today was a weird day. I had to go shopping, which I hate, and the entire time I had to pee but poop too, and now my hemorrhoid keeps coming out and bleeding badly.It seems every weekend this happens. I don't understand it. I alternate from this constantly having to pee/poop with bleeding hemorrhoid, to sudden diarrhea attack after the 2nd meal.I am not pushing but this damned hemorrhoid keeps popping out anyway, which exacerbates the pressure and blood comes out. Sigh.It's part of being pregnant. I already talked to an ob-gyn last weekend about it, while in a panic. She just said it's something that happens to many pregnant women. Great.I just pray to God tomorrow is a relatively good day, no attack, no constant urge to go, no incomplete bowel movements. Yeah right.Somebody should invent a driver's seat in the car that turns into a toilet,

I'll be sure to let you all know how it went. Wish us luck we find the crib of our dreams!

 

[Jeanne D]

Hi again,My heart goes out to you, it really does.I agree, it would be great to have a car seat turn into a toilet seat.I told my husband that my definition of heaven on earth is having, and going everywhere , in a winnebago, or a camper with a toilet. This way you have your toilet with you wherever you go. Unfortunatly we don't have one of those.

I will be praying for you .. Do you think your IBS will improve after the baby is born and your hormones readjust? I know they seem to play a role in this with a lot of women.The one time I didn't have problems was when I was pregnant, because in addition to my prenatal vitamins, I was taking iron , and that constipated me. Somehow I would prefer C to D, although neither is the ideal way to live.Well I wish you the best.Hope to hear your trip was a very enjoyable one,and I don't know when you are due, but have a healthy , beautiful baby !!Jeanne

 

[MALI]

Coggie, sorry for all you have to go trough right now. i'm a mom too but did not have the chronic diarrhea until after my kids where born. imagine it is hell being 8 months pregnant, having diarrhea and trying to get from point A to B. well you got some good advice allready. those depends are a goodsend.did you have diarrhea this bad before your pregnancy? i do hope things will get better after the baby is born. best of luck, MALI

 

[Coggie]

Some good news for a change! I'm sure we could all use that in our lives.For some reason, God shined His mercy on me today. I got up at 8 a.m. to get the morning ritual of breakfast and pooping out of the way. I went several times, but none of it was really liquid, although the third was a close call, which I successfully held in between my butt cheeks until I got to the bathroom.Then, I half-slept through most of the ride over. Once we got to West Seattle, we stopped by a Burger King, where I peed and pooped a little. Eddie had to poop majorly.We found the garage sale and luckily it wasn't at a house but in a condo unit. Hence, I was able to use the bathroom there. The sale was mostly for whomever lived in the condo and lots of people came by yesterday.This couple waited for us to look at the pregnant stuff. They couldn't find any pregnant women to practically give their brand new stuff away and lucked out running into us at a restaurant the other night.We ended up buying a brand new crib (for a boy no less, and they'd had a girl who never slept in it), mattress still in its plastic cover, bumper, receiving blankets, fitted sheet, etc. AND, we scored a practical, nifty bathtub for bathing infants, a superior vacuum cleaner with a hose attachment (we currently have them in two separate machines, very old).We made an offer and they were so eager to unload as much of their stuff before moving back home to most of their family in Hawaii that they took it. They tried to give away a lot more.We felt very blessed to have been in the right place at the right time. Serendipity. Not only saved us money and time, but mental work in figuring out which crib to get.Now, all we need to buy is a car seat, which they had there too but it's best to get that item personally.I got to pee twice in their home bathroom, and made it back home just fine.Now, even if I have to go after lunch, I'm safe at home.Every now and then, I'll get blessed with one of these uneventful days and thank God. This was the one day I really truly worried about.

 

[Jeanne D]

HI Coggie,I was thinking about you yesterday and wondering how you were doing. I even said a prayer for you.I am glad the trip worked out good for you , and that you were able to travel without a lot of discomfort. It sounds like you were able to get a lot of nice things for the baby.Well thanks for keeping us posted..Take care, Jeanne

 

[partypooper]

Hi, Coggis- Were things this bad before you were pregnant? Maybe they will improve after you have your baby. I hope so!Are they letting you take any medication while pregnant? I want to get pregnant soon but am scared to get off my IBS.Once you have your baby, you can get on some medications that could potentially help your symptoms. If you suffer from D, I recommend giving elavil or imipramine a try.Take care and good luck!

 

[Coggie]

To answer...Yeah, my symptoms were pretty bad, off and on, before the pregnancy. They're more consistent now, however.I was latching onto what most of you already know about before I found out I'd conceived, Imodium. Whenever I knew I'd be out, like, say, attending a gig of my husband's (part-time jazz musician), I'd take Imodium and it would help all day. Since conceiving, however, Imodium doesn't work. I'd still have to go.I had had a good bout of almost normal BMs when I went on the Atkins diet almost two years ago but it relapsed for some reason later that summer, and then slowly improved until I got stomach flu (least I think that's what it was) Nov./Dec., which caused diarrhea continuously after the nausea made me vomit once. After that, I was sick up until February, slowly trying to find some kind of food regimen I could stomach, no longer able to go protein/low-carb.Then, I got pregnant.I won't be able to take those meds recommended right off because I plan to breastfeed. But I do plan to follow up on a specialist recommended by my ob-gyn, a friend of hers at the University of WA hospital who does surgeries to tighten sphincters. Mine was weakened with an anal fistulectomy in 1995, which exacerbated 100-fold the IBS to where I often cannot hold in any stool, no matter the texture.As long as I try to stick close to a restroom after meals, I should be fine for the most part, give or take those unexpected blow-outs.Thanks you guys.

 

[FedUp2]

Wow, I have the same dream, to buy a Winnebago, so that everytime we go on vacation, I will always have my own toilet, no matter where we are. When I go on vacation now, I always take 2 imodium, it relieves the anxiety that I might have to go. Hope everything worked out well for you. I even thought of buying a portable camping toilet and darkening the windows of our SUV for emergencies, isn't that sad for all of us. Just wish I had a NORMAL bowel!