# Imodium, Jobs and small bathrooms



## ebell11 (Mar 14, 2013)

I am a IBS-D suffer. After reading some other posts, I can say mine is not as bad as others. I used to have these symptoms daily and I found out that my birth control was causing it. Apparently that is a side effect for some people, rarely but it is. No doctor believed me until I talked to a GI doctor.

Anyways, I got off birth control and now I have one or two real bad spells of it a month. Which is great compared to everyday. Mine is for sure linked to stress. I have been applying for jobs and every time I go on an interview I HAVE to take an Immodium to survive the anxiety.

So I finally landed a good job. One problem...it is a small work space with a small bathroom right next to someones office. To most people in the world that is no problem. For IBS-D suffer I am terrified. I dont want to not take this job but I fear everyone will know something is wrong with me because it is bound to happen. I always have imodium on me but sometimes its too late to take it.

I really need some advice because none of my friends or family understands..


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## Grant8 (Mar 14, 2013)

Why not try Sylliflor a product made by my company here in Denmark, it's a natural product and has proved very effective, you could also try pure colostrum powder which we also produce, let me know if you want more info


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## urbanfresh (Aug 31, 2009)

I know how you feel,I have had IBS-D for 6 years. I have an interview next week and my stomach is playing havoc! I just recovered from a virus which upset my stomach and now the nerves about my interview is irritating it more so I have resorted to Imodium (what would we do without it). I would just take the job personally. I have worked in places where the bathroom was in close quarters but you find strategies. Maybe EVENTUALLY you could even tell your boss you suffer from IBS? I have never done this but perhaps I would in a serious career (I am a student). Can I ask what kinds of testing you have had to diagnose your IBS? I have had stool and blood tests and a colonoscopy. On another forum a member has stated that her doctor supposes that if you have suffered from IBS for a long extended period of time and that no drugs work then there is probably a physical cause for your IBS that needs diagnosing, so this is why I am curious.


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## looby_loo (Mar 19, 2013)

Is it worth scouting around to see if there are more loos on other floors (ask at reception when you arrive?) I use the one 2 floors away from our offices.


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## ekaterina (Oct 12, 2011)

In a similar situation, I just took Imodium preemptively at first until the stress subsides. It also helped that I found a favorite bathroom in the building after a few days, it was in a loud area with lots of women using the changing tables so it was easy to slip by unnoticed. The proximity can't be helped in desperate situations but it's amazing what a few courtesy flushes and a few match strikes can do. Good luck, I hope it works out!


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## ebell11 (Mar 14, 2013)

I wish it was as easy to just go to another floor. This company is small and has only one bathroom right next to someones office. The next closest option is a 7-11 about half a mile away. I am trying to stay calm about all of this but I just know there will be one day that it will be bad and everyone will wonder whats wrong with me.


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## looby_loo (Mar 19, 2013)

I can understand where you're coming from, even before IBS I was a bit paranoid about smells and once made my partner queue to use the bathroom at a party after me so everyone would think the smell had come from him







Does the bathroom there at least have a window that opens? I have a little bag I keep in my desk (and a duplicate in my handbag) that I refer to mentally as my sh*t kit, (sometimes you have to laugh at this affliction or you'd cry!) that contains wipes, imodium and a can of body spray. Somebody else on here I think mentioned matches too (though maybe check for fire sprinklers first







)

I have told my boss I have IBS, I had no choice as we sometimes get the same train and bus and I had to warn her once that I may have to jump off any minute but it definitely made things easier once I had told her and she understands if I have to take a day off. I refer to it occasionally to my workmates but not in too much detail, they must notice I disappear to the loo a lot though (a lot of my visits are just false alarms) but nobody really says anything.

Will you be able to drive to work if you get the job?


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## ebell11 (Mar 14, 2013)

Yes, I can drive to work. Its about 40 min to get there. At my old job I lived within walking distance of my work so if I wasn't feeling good I could just say I needed to grab something at home and use my own bathroom. I think knowing I dont have that safety net anymore is hard too.

I guess if it is a bad day I can just tell my boss...I start my job tomorrow and I am hoping to make it at least two weeks without a problem so if I do tell my boss at least I know him a bit better. Until then I will be armed with Imodium, Xanex and be taking some deep breaths!


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## looby_loo (Mar 19, 2013)

Good luck, I hope it goes well for you!


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## lib2266 (May 29, 2009)

I feel your pain. This has always been a huge concern for me when I get a job...how big is the bathroom, what is the traffic like, how far from my desk? I've been fortunate though.. I like the idea above of the sh*t kit!! My fiance always tells me that i need to have all of htis stuff on hand because 'of my issues.' There's a product called "just a drop' that works pretty good. You put it in the water before you go and it covers the smell. Either way, maybe once you get settled in it won't be so bad. And just remember, IBS or not, everybody poops. I'm sure someone has had to go in that very bathroom. When in doubt, I'm kust honest with people. They ask me whats wrong, I just say I have an upset stomach. Eventually if you say that enough maybe they'll start to realize it's a chronic problem.. and they'll start saying things like "wow, you're stomach is always upset" and you just say "yeah, it sucks. I've been to the doctor" and then maybe you can teach them a thing or 2 about IBS. Information never hurts..


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## JuliannaCol (Jan 1, 2013)

I really get how you feel; I think we all do. Well, I have the same problem at my office, but it is even worse since I only work with divas. There is a really small bathroom right in front of the main entrance in our floor. No possibilities to use the ones in other floors since they -the building administration -have given keys for evey office. So every time I have to use it, I have to ask the receptionist (another diva herself) for the keys. It is frustrating and stressful to even eat since I know I will have to use the bathroom in a couple of hours later, or even less... I laughed my *ss off when I read that somebody else named his stuff the sh*t kit! I have matches to light some toilet paper when I finish and throw it inside the water in the toilet, baby wipes, a mini air freshner that works wonders and buscopan plus to take after I'm done because it starts to hurt so much. It is really hard to deal with the symptoms, and even worse to keep explaining yourself to everybody who comes out with things like, ohh! I feel sick too! you shouldn't be complaining that much, it is not that bad!

ebell11, try to have your meals at the same time every day so you can keep track of your BM. I try to have very very very light things such as white rice and similar at lunch to avoid bathroom complications while I am at the office. Probably you already know what sort of things do good or not. And if you finally feel forced to, then talk to your boss! People is sympathetic when you give them the chance.. and if it looks like they won't understand I'd say F** them!: everybody poops! Is just that we have to do it more often than the rest.. Have you tried amitriptyline? Is what I use. At the beginning makes you feel like a zombie, but after a while, you get used to the pill and helps very much to ease the crazy tummy we all know and hate. Or maybe you can talk to your doctor and find out what is good for you and your case.

rooting for you! Good luck in your first day


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## urbanfresh (Aug 31, 2009)

JuliannaCol said:


> I really get how you feel; I think we all do. Well, I have the same problem at my office, but it is even worse since I only work with divas. There is a really small bathroom right in front of the main entrance in our floor. No possibilities to use the ones in other floors since they -the building administration -have given keys for evey office. So every time I have to use it, I have to ask the receptionist (another diva herself) for the keys. It is frustrating and stressful to even eat since I know I will have to use the bathroom in a couple of hours later, or even less... I laughed my *ss off when I read that somebody else named his stuff the sh*t kit! I have matches to light some toilet paper when I finish and throw it inside the water in the toilet, baby wipes, a mini air freshner that works wonders and buscopan plus to take after I'm done because it starts to hurt so much. It is really hard to deal with the symptoms, and even worse to keep explaining yourself to everybody who comes out with things like, ohh! I feel sick too! you shouldn't be complaining that much, it is not that bad!
> 
> ebell11, try to have your meals at the same time every day so you can keep track of your BM. I try to have very very very light things such as white rice and similar at lunch to avoid bathroom complications while I am at the office. Probably you already know what sort of things do good or not. And if you finally feel forced to, then talk to your boss! People is sympathetic when you give them the chance.. and if it looks like they won't understand I'd say F** them!: everybody poops! Is just that we have to do it more often than the rest.. Have you tried amitriptyline? Is what I use. At the beginning makes you feel like a zombie, but after a while, you get used to the pill and helps very much to ease the crazy tummy we all know and hate. Or maybe you can talk to your doctor and find out what is good for you and your case.
> 
> rooting for you! Good luck in your first day


Hey Julianna, just wondering how many mgs of amitriptyline you take? I feel that sometimes it works and sometimes it really really doesn't...


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## rellybelly17 (Jun 10, 2011)

Good luck! and btw, if you are looking for a BC that doesn't hurt your belly, Nuva ring has a very low dose of hormonesbut is still 99% effective. I have been using it for a year and It didn't improve my IBS, but it did give me all the benefits of BC without making my IBS worse like the pill did....


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## kthejung (Mar 30, 2013)

I take an immodium pill and long-acting hyoscyamine(prescription) pill everyday in the morning and then again at around 4pm. this allows me to function as someone without ibs-d. i have a little bit of gas after meals, which i can easily let out whenever convenient, and i drop off a solid log in the the bathroom once a day. my doctor told me that both medications are benign and that i can take it everyday if that helps me out. i can finally go to the movies, sit through a dinner, and sit in meetings without issues (at least as it pertains to my ibs-d). i cannot say that i am completely cured but probably better off than most people. even non-ibs people have "issues" sometimes.


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## ebell11 (Mar 14, 2013)

kthejung: I have just been prescribed hyoscyamine. Is it better than Imodium? I guess I just want to know how it would be helpful to take both together.

Thanks for the advice so far I went through the first week but during meetings I have a bit of a panic attach from the worry that I will need to go to the bathroom. Hopefully I will become less stressed about it soon.


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## JuliannaCol (Jan 1, 2013)

urbanfresh said:


> Hey Julianna, just wondering how many mgs of amitriptyline you take? I feel that sometimes it works and sometimes it really really doesn't...


Hey urbanfresh... I start taking a quarter a 10mgs pill because it makes me feel sleepy when I start with the "treatment". right after my body is used to it, I take the whole pill. You know? It feels that is not working sometimes too. I just hope for the best... How much do you take?


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