are "accidents" normal?

well there are so many replies on this one, you picked a good topic girl! I definitely had to comment on this as I have about 2 a day - having no colon will do that to you. and yes usually i also only fart in the toilet. :o] It is true - when you are lying down your body or bowels are more relaxed and yes you tend to pass gas more often - at least that's what i've found.

one thing no one seemed to mention much of is diet - it would depend greatly on what you ate that day when you had the "mishap". perhaps starting a food journal is something you could consider.

and yes you can never be too prepared - when i leave the house i always have extra undies and pads and yes baby wipes work great - i buy them in bulk! and the funny thing is we have no children.

hopefully you won't have to experience it again, once it happens to you it seems you spend most of the time wondering when and will it happen again and will i be prepared? It is an awful thing to experience when you are young.

at nite it is more difficult cause usually you are half asleep and you end up waking up your partner and it just isn't the time to be dealing with such a thing - espically when you are tired and just want to sleep.
i know all about it and YES you are not alone!

it is nice to see the support here! you are all F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!!!


(please excuse my spelling.)

Yep it happens. It always never fails to make me feel embarrassed.

All I can say is after 7 yrs it still is upsetting. This happens to me anywhere from 2-3 times a week, sometimes more. Many times I have resorted to depends if I need to be away from the house for an extended period of time. I nearly died of embarrassment buying those things, but you know what, I am tired of throwing out undies and ruined clothing. I just think this is something no one can get use to.

i pooped myself in my sleep the other day. No idea when i did it that night, just rolled over and felt it all move. Yuck. Was everywhere. Fortunately i managed to get all my bed sheets, pj's ane me in the wash before my housemates figured out what was wrong. You just have to try to laugh it off, otherwise you could end up crying.

Hey, even people who don't have IBD have accidents like this! My husband and some friends have an "over 40 crapping your pants club." I had to laugh. Yep, we've all done this before, and more than once!! Now, I have wipes and extra underwear in my car. Usually, that only happens when I am sick. It is a bit traumatic when it happens for the first time, but you'll eventually get over it in time. Take care.

Nobody mentioned position. (Vertical vs. horizontal.)

It always feels good to pass flatus--sometimes really, really good.  Because my bms are liquid and frequent it also seems better to reduce  intesitinal pressure by passing gas only, thus allowing nutrients and water to remain in the colon longer to be absorbed and sparing the anal area some wiping.  (A dry fart doesn't need it.)

To pass only gas I usually have to get on my back which is frequently not convenient.  It only makes sense to me in that gas is lighter than liquid and that's why it's easier this way--the rectum is on the same level as the colon instead of below, whereas standing, the rectum is below the colon and the heavier liquid would tend to displace the gas.

I have had enough of them that I no longer cry when they happen. I think that is the saddest part getting used to horrible things your body will do to you.

Count me in. Walked into my building on the way back from my lunch hour one day.......I felt a huge gas pain and before I knew what hit me I had explosive D all over the place, down my beautiful black pants, into my high heeled shoes and on the two flights of steps I was trying to climb so I could get to a bathroom! As I ran by my boss's office I asked her if she would meet me in the bathroom. (Thankfully I have the best boss ever). While I stood in the handicap stall washing my pants, undies and shoes in the sink, cleaning myself up with soap and water, scrubbing the floor and crying hysterically, my boss ran to the nearest department store to buy me new clothes. It took her 45 minutes to get back so I just hung out in the stall, practically naked, waiting. It was the longest 45 minutes ever. What a HUMILIATING experience!!!!  I always swore it was the Splenda.......turns out it's all part of this crappy disease.

Just know you're not alone!