# how to handle a cruise and IBS???? HELP



## 14499 (Sep 4, 2005)

I have IBS and know where every restroom in the State of California is..My IBS erupts whenever I eat and then move. Literaly..walking after a meal, no matter how mild or non threatning, causes spasm's that require immediate bathroom facilities. I am booked for a cruise in Oct & am scared to death. What shall I do? Does anyone knnow of any medication that will stop dirreah spasms...or shall I just not eat for 10 days?? All suggestions welcome!!


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

You could try Imodium 20-30 minutes before a meal while you are at home to see if that helps.For some people peppermint or prescription antispasmodics before meals can work as well.K.


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## 22943 (Aug 27, 2005)

Talk to your doctor. There's a lot of anti-sposmadic medications out there. Although, I don't know what you've tried yet. There's donnatal, some anti-depressants, and a few other.


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## 14988 (Aug 10, 2005)

Fiber has almost cured my food reactions, but it can't cure my anxiety, so I'm not sure. But a cruise sounds like something with a restroom so that's a plus right there! Good luck.


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## 18939 (Aug 26, 2005)

I shared your anixety about going on a cruise or vacationing at all for that matter. I went on a cruise last year. I talked to my doctor before I went and she gave me librax to take before meals. I also took plenty of immodium with me and I took it before I ate any big meals. The only problem I ran into were shore excursions. I had to starve myself before them because restrooms are usually no where to be found. As far as restrooms on the cruise, you should be fine. They are readily available to you. Plus, if you ever need them, they do have a doctor on board. I had a good time regardless. I hope this helps. Let us know how it went! GOOD LUCK!


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## DireWeeYah (Sep 27, 2000)

Bad and Good and Mostly Good.I went on a Carribean cruise several years ago before I had a handle on my IBS-D. I didn't do a lot of excursions off of the ship because of fears of being in a "****ty" situation. I had a good time staying on the ship, honestly. My girlfriend at the time and now just my drug-dealer (she's a doctor) probably had a less of a good time, however, because of my desire to stay near the ship. We did go snorkeling and I asked the excursion boat captain, "is there a bathroom on board?" When the answer was yes we went (we already paid for it but if the answer was "no", I wasn't getting on the boat). That excursion went fine--just knowing the bathroom was there was a good thing.Now, for a less "fun" outcome. We decided to take a scenic hiking excursion which required a long bus ride to get to the starting point. About 15 minutes into the trip I was having EXTREME urgency (you know, the cramps, sweating, fear of an "accident"), I couldn't hold it and I was too embarrassed to tell the guide I need to stop (there was about 20 others on the bus)! My girlfriend spoke up instead and the bus pulled over to the side of the road. I made some quick joking remark to the people on the bus as I ran off into the foilage (darn good cover, I must say) and did my business--had a mini-pack of tissues with me. The GOOD thing was that several others had to pee and took that opportunity to relieve themselves off the side of the road --that made me feel better-almost like I was the martyr. When I got back on the bus I still felt like I would need to go again soon. The guide say there was a scheduled rest stop another 10 minutes up the road. We got off there and the sympathetic people on the bus let me use the loo before them. We did not get back on the bus--I was too queasy/upset to continue. We took a taxi back to the ship and I was relieved.Even though that episode was awful, it was still a victory to me: I didn't **** in my pants, people were sympathetic, and I survived even if I didn't get to go on the excursion. And even with this event, I still had a great time on the cruise, meeting people, great scenery, ship entertainment, good food, etc.Now, that I have much more control (meds/self-calming feedback) this type of attack doesn't happen to me as severly.I would say to you though, that you should not worry about the reaction of others on the cruise or excursions if you suddenly have to excuse yourself. Afterall, a huge percentage of those people are going to be sea-sick and they will just think you are having the same issues as them. Take your meds and go have fun. I wish I had discovered meds before I went on my cruise. You'll do fine!


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## joy81499 (Nov 11, 2004)

Well, I'm guessing Sheran has already taken her cruise, but just wanted to say that I'm D and cruise all the time. There are tons of bathrooms on the ships once you know where to look. I do not, however, take shore excursions. If I'm feeling particularly brave, my husband and I will take a taxi or a walk "into town" and look around at the ports, I just fear getting into a group tour situation and not being able to make a stop should it become necessary.Thanks, John, for the story -- it made me feel better. I have a cruise coming up in December. I would LOVE to do some excursions, but I'm never sure how long that bus ride will be, how long we will have to sit on the bus waiting to leave, blah blah blah.Question for you, John ---- how do you manage as a realtor with D? Do you escort potential buyers from house to house to house? Is that a problem? How do you handle it? I need some career guidance in that respect.


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## DireWeeYah (Sep 27, 2000)

I could never be a Realtor if it wasn't for my huge improvement in managing my IBS. With that said, I still have bouts of urgency quite often.First, I concentrate on marketing listings rather than representing buyers so that helps(although I do service buyers when opportunities arise). When I am meeting with sellers or if I am taking buyers out, I try to schedule those in the afternoon rather than morning (like most IBSers, mornings are worse for me). Second, when I have meetings I'll prophylatically pop some immodium well ahead of time. Third, I leave for my appointments up to an hour earlier than necessary to make sure I have time to "hit the head" one, two, or three times on the road before arriving at my appointment. Fourth, if I have to go when I'm with clients, I just deal it. But frankly, once I'm with my clients my mind is off the preoccupation with IBS and things are usually fine except for below.Permit me to tell two stories regarding client experiences: I had one very good client; This lady and her son bought and sold multiple properties with me. On one outing with the mom, I was having some urgency and we were nearby a small local casino. So, I just said, 'I need to run to the restroom, I'll be right back out.' She was fine with that. When I returned, she said 'You didn't have to go in there to take a smoke break.' I was confused and said that I don't smoke. She apparently smelled the smoke on my clothes from the casino and assumed I was smoking in there. So, I fessed-up to having IBS. Her reply: "So Do I." Needless to say, I don't worry about my IBS when I'm with her anymore.The other story involved a client who was also a newer female friend of mine. I never had an "IBS day" with her before. We were looking for a condo for her and found several for sale in one complex. After seeing the first condo which was empty she said she had to use the bathroom, I said good, so do I. So we both did our business and went to the next condo that had tenants in it. When we left that unit, I told her that I had to go again, and she said, so do I! So guess what? We QUICKLY drove BACK to the empty unit(shhh!)and took care of the bowels. Now on to unit three, occupied. Yep, you know it--I need to go again. So, I said we have to go back to that empy unit again! She laughed and said "again?" I said, yes and what are you laughing at, you had to go twice too? She nodded. In any event, I felt "justified" because we both were having urgency days even though she does not have IBS. Even "normal" people understand that everyone has "one of those days." Just in our case, it's nearly everyday.Basically, those are the only two "with client" episodes I've had and they both seemed to work out fine. Mentally, I almost embrace my IBS when I have to be somewhere. I say to myself, "you've done this 100 times before--yeah, you have to stop at the bathroom a few times before your appointment but it always turns out fine after that." And, usually it does.As an aside, I think in another post you mentioned that you are thinking about going into teaching. I SAY GO FOR IT. For me, I have found that once my mind is completely engaged on a task, I tend to not have IBS attacks and I hope that works the same for you. You are going to be so focused on keeping kids in order you aren't going to have time to think about IBS. And, everyday you go to class and you make it through the day, you'll gain confidence that you can do it! For me, SSRI antidepressants made a huge difference in my IBS attack frequency. If you haven't explored that treatment, you might want to.


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## joy81499 (Nov 11, 2004)

John, you sound a lot like me --- and I love your attitude. It gives me confidence.Yes, it is during my idle moments that I worry about having to take a ####. Once I am busy with a task, I don't have time to worry anymore. It is always "before" the event that I am a nervous nellie. Once I "go" a few times, I'm usually okay and I take immodium as a preventative if I expect a tense situation. Immodium works too well and then I'm blocked up for days and days. So I try not to take it often.I'm so embarrassed to share my problem with anyone, and as I can see from your story (and as my husband keeps telling me) - if you just tell people what is going on, they are usually understanding. I think a lot of us just feel terribly humiliated because we have trouble controlling a bodily function that any 4-year-old has learned to control. I do believe my problems are strictly anxiety related. I've NEVER woken from a sleep and had to go. I never haver urgency when I'm sitting at home doing nothing, but God help me if I have to ride in a car with someone other than my immediate family - I stress about having to make an unscheduled stop and being embarrassed about it. When I cruise I never take bus trips or anything like that. I hate to go to a meeting or church or social function and sit in the front of the room - I want to sit near a side or exit where I can slip out quietly if I have to. I have a wonderful husband who is very patient and understanding - having support from those you love is half the battle. Anyway, as my problem really is mostly in my mind, in June I started taking Paxil and I have never felt so calm in my life. I still have to make a few trips to the bathroom before I leave the house if I'm going somewhere I'm stressed about, but overall it has made a huge improvement in lowering my level of anxiety. I take 20 mg a day. HOWEVER, the Paxil is really messing with my sleep. I am alternately exhausted or have insomnia. I can't go to sleep at night, and then I can't get up in the morning. I have a 40 hour office job and need to go to work. Anyone have any advice on dealing with this? After taking this for 4 months, is there any hope it will eventually go away. As good as I feel stress-wide, the tiredness is killing me and I'm thinking seriously of quitting the Paxil.


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## 19473 (Oct 25, 2005)

Hi sheran... Other than lots of Immodium, you may want to try taking Ginger Root (you can get it at any drug store). It seems to help me some of the time. It seems to calm the stomach spasms.


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## 19047 (Oct 18, 2005)

i WENT ON A CRUISE TOO AND HAD NO WORRIES, WORKED OUT WELL...IMODIUM AD BEST FRIEND...


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