Accidents

Me too, me too! hahaha.....   But I recently stuck a DIY port-a-potty in my car & it's awesome! I used it for the first time the other day- it's a plastic tub, about 8x8" with a snap on top, lined with a plastic bag. Nice! But yeah, accidents suck big time. always carry a car kit in your car- plastic bags, TP, baby wipes, extra underwear, maybe extra pants, etc. Unfortunately you're not alone- I think there are far more members in this club than you'd like to believe!

You are not alone! I have never had it happen in public but I am also newly dx...so I've not had to deal with as much yet. But you will find many people here who can totally relate to you. You can also do a search and find other threads that address this...I believe there was one not too long ago and there were lots of posts with people sharing their experiences plus tips and tricks to make it through the tough times.

And yeah, I gotta say too...so far...rectal meds REALLY help the urgency issue. I know everyone responds to everything differently but if you've not tried them, I'd give them a go.

These should help...
I went to lunch with 4 work friends and on the way back I told them I could not make it back to work; I said "Stop now!” Tom resisted at first saying we were just minutes away but I saw a line at the gate and knew I couldn't make it. I demanded he stop. There were some bushes near the road I went in and he threw me a pair of his kid's dirty socks to wipe with; I wish his son was older because a three-year old has small feet.
While on a date at a Grover Washington Jr. concert (at a concert hall) I had a slip. I was seated in the middle up front and right in the middle of a song I had to excuse myself and go to the bathroom. I could feel the fluid soaking through my underwear fast. I had cream slacks too. I rushed to the bathroom only to find a line...I returned to my date minus the underwear...someone had a mess to clean that night.
While in college at a party at someone's apartment I had to go. I held it back and went to the bathroom but it was occupied and the line was long. I rushed outside but kids were everywhere. I panicked and had an accident. Embarrassed, I rushed to an empty bedroom. Thinking fast, I opened some dresser drawers and found someone's underwear. I took mine off, used the clean parts to wipe with and put on this person’s. But what to do with the dirty pair? I got another clean pair from the dresser and wrapped mine up inside his and put them both in the closet. I owe someone two pair of underwear.
There are so many...ski lifts, roller coasters, boat rides, sporting events, shopping, airplanes, weddings..you think of it and it's probably happened to me. It's not funny when it happens but it does make for interesting experiences. At 43 I now have the added pressure of driving my kids and their teenage friends around.

Last year when I was flaring.... I had an accident while working. Now I work as a horseshoer in barns where most don't have bathrooms. This barn happened to be in a suburb where there wasn't even any woods to go to. was tryin to hold it when I bent over to pick up the foot and bam. Talk about embarressed. I had no choice but to fess up to the client about my disease and use and empty horse stall at the other end of the barn to change my underwear and pants. Imagine my suprise when I went back to shoeing the horse, the client started tellin me about her disease. Which is chrohns. although she says her is mild and just alot of acid reflux. And her husband has diverticulitis. And now a year later it gives us something to talk about. LOL

And to even make you feel better. My neighbor, who is healthy, had an accident first part of this week. Said he wasn't feeling well..... but went out to the garage to work anyway. All the sudden the urge hit him and he couldn't make it back to the house to use the restroom.... Right in the front yard on the way to his house. The big D right in his pants. So you shouldn't feel bad at all. It happens to all of us even the healthy one. By the way.... He says now he will be alot more sympathic if I flare again and complain about urgency. LOL

My infant son wear diapers, so do I on occasion... and I'm 36 !

I keep a depends and pair of jockey's in the car just in case.

I've tried the gluten free diet. And I think it helped but didn't "fix" the problem. And how you start is just quit eating wheat. Find other things to eat. Even though I don't live gluten free anymore I do seriously limit the gluten I consume. My GI says I'm not allergic to gluten just intolerant. ( what ever that means. LOL ) But I definately notice a big difference if I consume to much gluten for to many days in a row. They make rice pasta. Most tortilla chips are gluten free. They even have gluten free beer. to find the products you just have to search your local store a little. If a recipe calls for flour I use rice flour or oat flour. I eat alot of lean beef, or venison. I also eat alot of veggies.
I also eat canned spinach often ( I believe this did more for my remission than gluten free ) If you like to cook a gluten free diet can actually be fun as you search for a try new recipes without wheat. You can do a google search and come up with lots of recipes to attempt this diet with.

Do you use rectal meds? They could help target the area that is inflammed if you have inflammation in the rectum that Lialda doesn't reach.

I tried the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and I wasn't one of the lucky ones. It made me loe a ton of weight and my condition didn't improve. I would recommend giving SCD or Gluten free a shot, it can't hurt, it might not be the magic cure but even a little improvement can be a big step.

Sorry you are dealing with these accident. We have all been there.

You sure were gutzy (or ARE gutzy).  Maybe at 20 I would have ran too.  Now I would just explain and people would just have to understand!

By the way, not everyone loses weight with UC.  I am obese and have a hard time losing anything like I should be!

ElaineNY

Burli - I absolutely agree with you.  No flack here!  At my mature age of 69 I find exactly what you have.  I don't really blame those who look for the "magic pill" or whatever.  We all get to feeling that way sometimes.  I think a combination of good medications (drugs) and some natural or supplements is good.  My gastro specialist has been working in the field for 30 years and he only recommends fish oil as a supplement unless I am deficient in some vitamins or ?  I have to take extra vitamin D.  I was tested for celiac disease and to see if I could metabolize 6 MP (could not) and lactose intolerance. 

I also have IBS so I have to be careful what I eat - that was way before UC.

ElaineNY

Burli - I think perhaps you are correct! I am looking for the magic that will make this awful nightmare go away. It is just plain unacceptable to mess my drawers! LOL Yes - I am laughing - because if I don't I will cry. I have to admit I've been talking about going the gluten free way for quite some time now and haven't done it yet. I like to eat so its kinda hard to start on something that takes things away in the very beginning.

Like I said though, I will call my doctor on Monday and I'm sure he'll tell me to start the Prednisone he prescribed when he saw me last. Its just shocking how fast things can progress. When I saw him last I was flaring but seriously not bad, started the Lialda and my flare went away. Of course I figured since the flare went away I would just stop the Lialda. I'm a horrible patient. I like to take medicine willy nilly and at my own discretion and to be honest its worked fine up until now! I've never had the accidents before and now to have it happen twice in one week is just plain ridiculous! What kind of disease is this anway? Ha. Yes, again I'm laughing cause again I can't do anything else.

Thank you all for your responses! I'll let you know what the doc says after I see him.

Jeanneac - that is EXACTLY what happened to me last night at work!!!!! I mean seriously to get that close to the stall and toilet and as you say - BAM! Not fun. Luckily I was done for the night but I still had to walk back into the office and gather my stuff to leave so I just casually walked with my front to everyone and then slowly backed out of the office waving goodbye!!!!


Needless to say I went to work today with clothes and undies and wipes and baggies for the car seats and trust me if I could I just would have packed the stupid toilet as well. That would just solve everything!

It happens to many of us. I have had to do the old "underwear ditch" on several occasions, including work, pub, concerts, etc. It sucks.

Further proof that accidents are not confined to the UC crowd:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUdHMkE5Qdk