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How do commuters deal with UC?

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Posted 3/18/2014 10:53 PM (GMT 0)
I have a 20-25 min drive between home and work. Sometimes it feels like 1000 miles.

Wondering how someone who commutes long distances even handles this condition...I have visited urban areas where I had to drive to the train, then take the train to a subway and be let out a 20 minute walk to my destination. IDK how anyone with a UC flare could even think about doing this twice a day.

What about the people on either coast who have a 2 hour drive each way, especially in LA where traffic often comes to a screeching halt? UGH
Posted 3/19/2014 1:47 AM (GMT 0)
Back in university I used public transport. Many mornings I'd have to get off the bus just to make a mad dash for a bathroom, do my poopin then get back on the next bus as it came around. It was awful. I refuse to have long commutes now. My drive is about 15 minutes to work...with many public bathrooms along the way. This summer I was in Ireland, riding IrishRail, and there was a bathroom on the train! It instantly put me at ease. I've also come across bathrooms on ferries in England, thing of beauty it was (even though I didn't need it - nice to know it was available).
Posted 3/19/2014 2:16 AM (GMT 0)
I always knew all the restrooms along the way, and they knew me. Eat and leave time for the bowels to be stimulated before heading out the door.

There are just some things you can't do with UC. Like be a trial lawyer, or a toll collector. I think being a classroom teacher might be really hard if not impossible.
Posted 3/19/2014 2:37 AM (GMT 0)
I went to the bathroom immediately before leaving work. When I reached the point where I couldn't be in the subway for ~30 minutes reliably without needing to go to the bathroom, I was already sick enough that I couldn't work anyway. I suppose in that respect I was "lucky" because I never experienced that middle ground of having a lot of frequency/urgency but still being functional day to day.
Posted 3/19/2014 2:47 AM (GMT 0)
I'm in academic science, so typically unless I have a time point, a meeting, or a class, I don't have to be at work by a particular time (I try to get in by 10, but right now, I'm in remission, so no excuses!).

So back when I was flaring, if I had a flexible start time that morning, I wouldn't leave the house until I felt "empty" enough. Then, I'd get to a bathroom as soon as possible once I got off the train. There were a handful of times I had to get off the train early to find a bathroom, but fortunately, my university's campus stretches far enough that I hit the edges of campus halfway through my commute.
Posted 3/19/2014 2:50 AM (GMT 0)
Pure dumb luck?

I honestly don't know why my desk and my car are safe places, but my basement is emergency central. Even now, I make sure I stop at the bathroom on the way to the basement.

We drove to New Mexico two weeks after I was released from the hospital. I couldn't sleep in the tent because I was spending so much time in the bathroom, but the fourteen hour drive was fine.
Posted 3/19/2014 2:06 PM (GMT 0)
When I had my last job in Germany before moving to the US, I had to use the bus system to get to work. It took me 1.5 hours per trip. And sometimes longer, depending when I caught the second bus. Thankfully I was able to wait at the train station which had one of these locked handicapped toilets and I had a key for it. I had just gained remission with Remicade.
Posted 3/19/2014 4:08 PM (GMT 0)
When I was first diagnosed and flaring very badly, I worked in DC and had a 1 mile walk + 30 minute subway walk to work. I had previously started my shift at 7:30 but had to switch to 9:30 because I was always so sick in the morning. By the time I got out the door, I had dealt with the D for the most part, but the walk was pretty hard as I was usually pretty weak and I remember many mornings digging my nails into my palms to keep me standing up. But the train ride was the worst because I already get motion sick, so I would just sit with my eyes closed, holding a plastic bag in case I puked and focus on my breathing. I did that for about five months. No fun.

When I started my current job, I lived 45 miles away and had to deal with two major cities' worth of traffic, so it could easily take two hours to go one way. I knew nearly every gas station along the way and certainly made use of them. I also talked to myself in the car a lot, encouraging myself, telling myself it was going to be okay. Sometimes it really is mental...although most of the time, it's your bowels. :)

Luckily now, I live much closer--just a 30 minute drive.
Posted 3/19/2014 4:23 PM (GMT 0)
I had to skip a family trip to Canada a couple years ago because I was too sick for the 10 hour drive. The day everyone else left, I didn't need to use the bathroom almost all day (because I hadn't eaten much the day before), which meant I likely could have made the drive. The trip would have been terrible, honestly, so I'm glad I stayed home, but it was frustrating to know that I COULD have made it.

The following year, I was newly in remission ... but got food poisoning and ended up triggering UC symptoms on the ride up anyway.
Posted 3/19/2014 4:26 PM (GMT 0)
Please, my commute is about 20 minutes, semi-rural (I live on Cape Cod!)- & I still have a DIY port-a-potty in my car! And have used it!!! My thing is, I don't have time to pull off the road, get to the gas station, etc. When I get the urge, especially in the AM's, I have maybe 30 seconds before everything comes out. I used to take the subway to work daily, about 35-40 minute commute... that would be a literal impossibility with UC. First thing I'm gonna do after surgery is toss that stupid port-a-potty in the trash!!!!! tongue
Posted 3/19/2014 5:24 PM (GMT 0)

My average commute is 20-30 minutes depending on traffic. I wake up early to ensure I get most of my bathroom trips out of the way. I do this because as with most UC'ers the morning is the most eventful. :)

By the time I get to work, I usually don't have to go again, but I make a trip just in case, there is a stealth poo hiding somewhere.  However, once a week, my commute is an hour and half where sometimes I run into difficulty. I posted one of the funnier moments with this commute a few months back:


https://www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=38&m=2970524

Posted 3/19/2014 8:29 PM (GMT 0)

Eva Lou-I'm interested in this DIY Porta Potty! During my commute, I've thought of how I would design a concealed toilet in the drivers seat. I think I could sell this to the IBD/IBS crowd and make some good $$.

I have a 15 minute commute to work now. It takes 10 minutes to get to the first gas station with a restroom.  Some mornings I hold my breath hoping I can get there.  I used to have a 45 min drive to work with a good 25 minute stretch without access to a bathroom.  It ridiculous that I can hold it in for 45 minutes but I am glad those days are over and I have a super short commute now.
Posted 3/20/2014 2:42 AM (GMT 0)
I always keep a bag in my car with clean undies, butt wipes, tp and scrubs bottoms even though I'm in remission. My drive is 20 mins on a good day and I've had some very close calls on a bad day. Thankfully I'm driving through downtown St. Paul so there are plenty of places to stop.
My mom ended up pooping in her car once (not sure what's causing her problems yet) and she took the rubber winter mat off the floor and put it under her so that it wouldn't get on the seat. Genious IMO
Posted 3/20/2014 3:46 AM (GMT 0)
For those who commute in a car, if you don't have heated seats as part of the car already, I HIGHLY recommend getting this.

http://www.amazon.com/Wagan-IN9738-Black-Heated-Cushion/dp/B000ANOUHQ

I use it all year long and the deep heat really fights off inflammation. I find that as long as I have the heat on, my urges to BM are much more controlled. Just make sure to unplug it when you arrive or it will eat away at your battery!
Posted 3/20/2014 12:40 PM (GMT 0)
yeah, heated seats make a huge diff! I was on a trip once with a friend who had them, & I had that thing cranked up the whole time. Very relaxing, kind of calms things down.Oh boy- my DIY port-a-potty is a joke- it's a square plastic tub from BJ's- used to hold cream puffs! tongue   about 10 x 10", maybe around 8" deep. With a snap-on lide. I just line it with a plastic grocery bag, keep it in the backseat with a box of tissues. When the urge hits, I pull over ASAP, jump in the back, sit on top of the bin & do my business. Wipe up, snap on lid, & off I go to my destination. Then I tie the bag up super tight & deposit in the closest public trash receptacle. Kind of gross, but what can I do??? It's not like I can just go home & miss work due to an accident- if that were the case I'd be out of a job. That thing has saved my day time & time again.... but I still can't wait to get rid of it for good! I also keep a bag w/extra undies, pants, panty liners, wipes, etc.
Posted 3/20/2014 1:34 PM (GMT 0)
That is very interesting about the heated seats. I've never noticed a difference using them or not using them

One thing I know without a doubt is that if my body as a whole is a little colder than I would like, it will absolutely speed up my bowels and I'll go more quickly than if the heat was one/had more clothes on.
Posted 3/20/2014 2:00 PM (GMT 0)
I don't work so I don't have a commute, but last week I was in the middle of a very large store with my shopping cart when all of a sudden, I felt it. I was wearing a diaper, as i always do, but that sure didn't absorb fast enough. So I stood there with a panicked look on my face for a second. I gotta get out of here--NOW!! I ditched the cart, tied my jacket around my waist, and ducked down the aisles trying to make my way out of the store, being seen/smelled by as few people as possible, and not leaving a "trail". Made it to the car, got a blanket out of the trunk, and put that and my coat underneath me for the ride home. Went home, got cleaned up, and headed back to the store. My cart was still sitting there!! Picked up extra diapers and wipes and finished my shopping! Took a lot of guts for me to be able to do that!! Now I can laugh at it. Boy am i glad i was alone though!! Thanks to everyone for posting their stories--makes me feel not so alone!!
Posted 3/20/2014 3:20 PM (GMT 0)
My commute is around an hour. So far, I've never had an accident.

There have been a few times when I head out to go shopping, and have had to come right back home to use the bathroom.
Posted 3/20/2014 3:48 PM (GMT 0)
I have only a 20-25 minute commute to work but even that can be a challenge when my uc gets bad, and things get urgent. I give myself about 1.5 hours to empty out, best I can, before driving in the early am. I stop along my morning commute and use the nearest restroom when the urge strikes suddenly. I know where the nearest restroom stops are, lol and use them no matter how dingy/gross the bathroom. I know the spots along the commute where there are woods, semi-rural, and I've certainly had emergency stops where I have no choice but to use the woods lol. I keep an emergency kit in the car, in case I have an accident (and I have had accidents several times while driving).
Posted 3/20/2014 7:17 PM (GMT 0)

basa0806 said...
I always keep a bag in my car with clean undies, butt wipes, tp and scrubs bottoms even though I'm in remission. My drive is 20 mins on a good day and I've had some very close calls on a bad day. Thankfully I'm driving through downtown St. Paul so there are plenty of places to stop.
My mom ended up pooping in her car once (not sure what's causing her problems yet) and she took the rubber winter mat off the floor and put it under her so that it wouldn't get on the seat. Genious IMO

I agree, keep supplies in the car, just in case the urgency is too great. An extra-large zip-type plastic bag, and a trash bag and wipes and paper towels and extra underwear. Just the peace of mind of knowing you have it will help.

Remember that all hotels have lobby restrooms, usually much cleaner than other places. Pull right up and make up a story if you have to, to get right in.
Posted 3/20/2014 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
I take the Metro into DC daily, about 45 minutes each way. When I had bad flares, I knew every bathroom and every station manager along the way (you have to ask to use the bathroom and have them unlock it for you, often have to wait). Even then, I still had accidents. I finally had to wear diapers to get into work or home without a mess. Not fun. I hated taking cabs (no way to ask the driver to stop really) or carpooling with anyone. When I drove to an office in Virginia, I usually had to stop multiple times on the way into and home from work, and I dreaded every drive. Since my surgery, I have to say, that is the thing I like the most: a stress-free commute (well, except for traffic when I have to drive!).
Posted 3/20/2014 7:39 PM (GMT 0)
My commute was over an hr with no where really to stop. I keep a plastic container with lid, wipes etc in the car...just in case. When I had c-diff I wore a diaper to work & changed into undies as soon as I got to the office.

Peety ! Love what you wrote about travel...that you Can. Awesome stuff. Last yr in remission I travelled for the first time in my adult life. I soaked up every second.
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