does anyone have a fear of not being near a bathroom?
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Mary Wargo
- Posts: 274
- Joined: Wed Feb 06, 2008 12:37 pm
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Chuck Striler
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Tue May 13, 2008 12:50 pm
Ok, I just had to reply to this one. I'm 45 years old and had the same fear when I was in elementary school. In fact, I think I had a few accidents then to reinforce that fear. It was a Catholic school so bathroom runs were scheduled (like you can really schedule nature 
and you were only allowed to go twice. Being a stressed out kid my parents took me out and put me in public school in the 3rd grade and the anxiety kind of went away. Years later when I had my panic attacks and anxiety the bathroom fear came flooding back. I couldn't go anywhere without knowing where a bathroom was and it was the first place I'd look for. I got so good at it I could tell you what stores or restaurants had the best and cleanest ones! 
Well, to shorten this, one day while shopping with my wife at one of those outdoor outlet malls I passed a little gas and then my stomach rumbled. I wasn't nervous or anything, I just felt like I had to go. I calmly told my wife that I needed a restroom and I'd meet her back at the store. I started walking to the restroom but it started coming, thats right, my worst fear in life was about to happen. Halfway there I had an accident in my pants!! Oh My GOD! I couldn't believe it, and I wasn't even in the bathroom yet! Now what? I wrapped my coat around my waste like I was hot and just prayed that I hadn't messed my jeans. Finally I made it to the bathroom and immediately went into a stall. I undressed, used a little of the toilet tank water and paper to wash up, threw away my underpants when nobody was there, and went back to my wife. After years of fearing an accident I'd finally had one and you know what, I survived. It really was no big deal. So what if that happens. It was how I reacted to it that made it "ok". Yeah, I had underwear full of poop but nobody even noticed, until they went into the restroom that is but that was kind of funny in a sick way! :p I could have made the whole situation much worse by getting upset and embarassed but I chose not to. I just dealt with it and went about my business. My suggestion to you all is don't let IBS scare you. You're not the first or last person to not make it to a bathroom and you shouldn't be ashamed if you don't.
and you were only allowed to go twice. Being a stressed out kid my parents took me out and put me in public school in the 3rd grade and the anxiety kind of went away. Years later when I had my panic attacks and anxiety the bathroom fear came flooding back. I couldn't go anywhere without knowing where a bathroom was and it was the first place I'd look for. I got so good at it I could tell you what stores or restaurants had the best and cleanest ones! Well, to shorten this, one day while shopping with my wife at one of those outdoor outlet malls I passed a little gas and then my stomach rumbled. I wasn't nervous or anything, I just felt like I had to go. I calmly told my wife that I needed a restroom and I'd meet her back at the store. I started walking to the restroom but it started coming, thats right, my worst fear in life was about to happen. Halfway there I had an accident in my pants!! Oh My GOD! I couldn't believe it, and I wasn't even in the bathroom yet! Now what? I wrapped my coat around my waste like I was hot and just prayed that I hadn't messed my jeans. Finally I made it to the bathroom and immediately went into a stall. I undressed, used a little of the toilet tank water and paper to wash up, threw away my underpants when nobody was there, and went back to my wife. After years of fearing an accident I'd finally had one and you know what, I survived. It really was no big deal. So what if that happens. It was how I reacted to it that made it "ok". Yeah, I had underwear full of poop but nobody even noticed, until they went into the restroom that is but that was kind of funny in a sick way! :p I could have made the whole situation much worse by getting upset and embarassed but I chose not to. I just dealt with it and went about my business. My suggestion to you all is don't let IBS scare you. You're not the first or last person to not make it to a bathroom and you shouldn't be ashamed if you don't.Bella,
I have this problem too. I've been in chronic pain for years and this has brought on terrible anxiety. This causes terrible stomach cramping and of course, YOU KNOW. It's a terrible thing as my world had gotten smaller and smaller. I hope that this program will help. I hope to chat with you!
Marcie_K
I have this problem too. I've been in chronic pain for years and this has brought on terrible anxiety. This causes terrible stomach cramping and of course, YOU KNOW. It's a terrible thing as my world had gotten smaller and smaller. I hope that this program will help. I hope to chat with you!
Marcie_K
Hello,
I'm new here and am so happy to have found a support group for IBS. I suffer from IBS, and I am paranoid about not being near a washroom also. I am very outdoorsy and active in the outdoors, and have had to urgently go in the great outdoors in the trees a couple of times. Once right in the middle of a jogging class. I took off in to the trees. No-one noticed I don't think. I didn't know at that time I had IBS. Anyways, I have good days and bad days. I am not so afraid of not being near a bathroom, but have a worse fear that I will collapse in a bathroom with bad abdominal cramps. This happened to me once at home, and I started hyperventilating and all the blood went out of my limbs to the center of my body and I couldn't move. I thought I was having a stroke so my son called the ambulance (at 34 years of age). By the time the ambulance got there, I had recovered and declined to go to the hospital. So I have a fear of that happening to me in a public washroom.
I am a bit paranoid of not being near a bathroom, and it causes me to limit how much I travel and certain things that I will choose not to do because of it.
Best to you, Genie
I'm new here and am so happy to have found a support group for IBS. I suffer from IBS, and I am paranoid about not being near a washroom also. I am very outdoorsy and active in the outdoors, and have had to urgently go in the great outdoors in the trees a couple of times. Once right in the middle of a jogging class. I took off in to the trees. No-one noticed I don't think. I didn't know at that time I had IBS. Anyways, I have good days and bad days. I am not so afraid of not being near a bathroom, but have a worse fear that I will collapse in a bathroom with bad abdominal cramps. This happened to me once at home, and I started hyperventilating and all the blood went out of my limbs to the center of my body and I couldn't move. I thought I was having a stroke so my son called the ambulance (at 34 years of age). By the time the ambulance got there, I had recovered and declined to go to the hospital. So I have a fear of that happening to me in a public washroom.
I am a bit paranoid of not being near a bathroom, and it causes me to limit how much I travel and certain things that I will choose not to do because of it.
Best to you, Genie
I just ordered this program and read your message- I could not have put it any better myself, it is so refreshing to know that there is someone going through the exact thing that I'm going through. I've tried everything! I would be interested to know if your symptoms have subsided a little bit since you started to use this program 
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coachgal0252
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Sat May 03, 2008 5:33 pm
This is how I live my life 100% of the time. I need to know where the bathroom is, or how long my car/train/bus ride will be if its necessary to take them. I was unable to take the train to work for over 2 years and was spenidng ridiculous amounts of money and time driving in, until I started this program. I am proud to say that I take a ferry to work and the train home. I focus on other stuff like cell phone games or using the internet while I am commuting. I still have issues or urgency when I get to a new place or are around new people. Its not that I have awful pains, pass out or have fear of those two, its the fear of not finding or being able to get to a bathroom and going ON myelf in front of people that gets me all crazy. As soon as I get to somewhere new, I have to find the bathroom and sure enough ALWAYS have to go #2 and then I am FINE! I do pay attention to what I eat/drink but at 28 years old its so hard. I am slightly dependent on Xanax for such times when I can not find the bathroom and have panic attacks but since I am trying to have a baby I am trying to NOT take them ever but its hard. This program is the first thing that has made me feel strong in years. With this program I went from taking at least 5-10 whole xanax pills a month to taking maybe 1 -2 pills in a month. Any advice?
To Chuck-
I went to Catholic school for 13 years and boy did the bathroom regulations mess me up! I've always had a nervous stomach and sometimes you just really have to go. I would come up with the most ridiculous excuses to go to the restroom because if you just said you had to go they wouldn't let you. My most used trick was to pretend to sneeze a really big sneeze into my hands. Then I would be allowed to go to the bathroom to "wash my hands" because no one wants snot on the desks! It seems silly now, but sometimes I'd be so desperate!
On another note though, thanks for being brave enough to share your accident story. It's nice to know that you can have something like that happen and not spontaneously combust from embarrassment (which is my irrational fear).
I went to Catholic school for 13 years and boy did the bathroom regulations mess me up! I've always had a nervous stomach and sometimes you just really have to go. I would come up with the most ridiculous excuses to go to the restroom because if you just said you had to go they wouldn't let you. My most used trick was to pretend to sneeze a really big sneeze into my hands. Then I would be allowed to go to the bathroom to "wash my hands" because no one wants snot on the desks! It seems silly now, but sometimes I'd be so desperate!
On another note though, thanks for being brave enough to share your accident story. It's nice to know that you can have something like that happen and not spontaneously combust from embarrassment (which is my irrational fear).
...and right when she thought the world was ending, the catepillar became a beautiful butterfly...
Wow, this string of comments is amazing! I've lived with this fear of not being near a restroom for the last 4 years. Its been an up and down ride, mostly down, and my world has gotten so much smaller. Its not until you see all these posts of people expressing themselves exactly the way you think that you realize you are not alone. I've just ordered the program a few days ago, I can't wait to sink my teeth into it so I can finally shake myself of this problem and start living the way I want to again.
YES!!! I just posted about taking pepto and immodium. I am so with you! I went shopping with a friend and was having anticipatory anxiety for 2 days. I was so afraid I'd need to pull off the side of the road and poop that I was in a full blown panic attack. I actually was reaching for my index card to try and calm myself down when I rearended the car in front of me. After that, I was more concerned about that and my IBS anxiety subsided. Does anyone out there have difficulty eating out? I eat so little when I'm out with people that they probably think I've got an eating disorder. Just so afraid of the urgent need to get to the bathroom but more so of embarrassing myself. So, happy to have support and to know I'm not alone.
God Bless America
K
K