Almost had an accident this morning and it scared me.

My morning was going along so great.  I thought everything had left my body, but obviously not. 

My mom wanted me to drive her to a store.  As we were driving the urge struck.  Oh boy, was I panicky.  I told her I needed a restroom fast, and she was really calm.  I pulled into a fast food place and they were reluctant to let me into the locked restrooms.  Eventually one was unlocked. 

This has happened a few times in my life, and it's really scary and embarrassing.  Honestly, if they wouldn't have let me into that restroom, I may have had an accident.  It's really terrible to think about. 

I'm going to call my doctor on Monday and talk to him about loss of bowel control.  I've done Kegel exercises in the past but they are extremely boring and time consuming.  I believe I've suffered nerve damage or scarring from having colitis for so many years, so there just isn't that control that most people have.  It's really scary, but I'm thankful for being able to get to work in the morning. 

I pray for the better health for all of us.

-John

John, you're scared of scarring, inflammation, etc, etc.....why aren't you on rectal meds? I know they're not the be and "end" all for everyone, but please give them a try. That's where your flare will start, that's where it ends. Asacol isn't enough to deal with the rectum, nor above that if you don't remember to take your meds.

It could help to take them twice a day instead...morning/night.

It's good you got to the bathroom....please ask for rectal meds.

quincy

Thanks for the replies.

Quincy, could you specify all the rectal meds you are talking about?   I do have a cortifoam that I quit using about a month ago. 

Thanks,

John

Hi Desdwel,

well.. don't worry, it will *probably* happen to you one day or another ;) I guess the best you can do (apart from trying rectal meds like others have suggested) is to pad your undies with toilet paper and carry spare undies in case.. and take it with humor.

I know what you mean when you say that you panic.. The other day, I went to see the movie Avatar with my girlfriend. We arrived just on time for the movie so the room was almost full. I couldn't choose a seat close to the isle, and ended up in the absolute middle of a row, with 20 people sitting left and right. Throughout the movie, I panicked to the thought of having to get up urgently, disturb everybody, and letting go in my pants before I reached the isle hehe. (In the end I didn't have to go to the toilet for the next 5 hours, so I panicked throughout the movie for nothing!)

Good luck:)

Rectal meds come in two forms: enemas (liquid) and suppositories (solids...AKA "but bullets"). I know enemas have both mesalamine (brand name is Rowasa in the US) and steroid as the active ingredient, and there are also foam steroid enemas, which I've heard are easier to hold. There is a mesalamine suppository (brand name Canasa in the US) but I don't know about steroid.

It sounds like you were using one of the steroid foam enemas. Was your urgency better on it? If so, I'd ask your doctor about using one again...maybe try a mesalamine enema this time, though, because they can be used safely long-term (I'm going to stay on them twice weekly permanently, unless I'm flaring, when I'll use them nightly).

Also, I think you need to make a committment to take your Asacol as prescribed. Perhaps ask your doctor about switching to Lialda or Apriso, which are both once-daily mesalamine drugs. Part of the reason I switched from Asacol to Apriso was that I was having trouble remembering to take my noon and evening doses of Asacol, which I knew would make it harder for me to stay in remission.

Hey John, sounds like you had quite a scare. I've had plenty of those in the last couple of years. I live in Minnesota and here they actually passed a law that says if you have a condition like Colitus of Crones, businesses have to let you use their restroom. My GI sent me a card for my wallet that states the law as it's written. I call it my poopie card. I haven't had to use it yet but you might want to check and see if your state has a similar law.