“Worst case scenario”

In my last post I mentioned about getting an operation being the worst case scenario. This is always what my IBD team has said to me when I have a scope done or they change my medication. I have many friends who suffer from Crohn’s and Colitis who have had to have a stoma either an ileostomy or a colostomy. The majority of my friends have never said it is the worst case scenario as they have got their life back. The only thing they have to worry about is the bag popping off and soiling their clothes which is rare if you have a bag that suits you and you use all the special seals and bonds to keep the bag stuck to your skin. Or the bag fills up too quick that they need to run and find a toilet to empty their bag. 

I am in the middle of the biggest flare up since I was diagnosed in April 2013. I have been late once to work because I needed to go toilet yet again before I left the house then got stuck in heavy traffic behind a road traffic accident on the way I go to work. I have also soiled myself on the way to work too which I am not happy about but I was prepared that day as I was carrying a spare change of work clothes. Now this is what the IBD teams should be saying is the worst case scenario not getting a life changing operation.

I have come up with five of the worst case scenarios for anyone with IBD.

1.  NO toilet paper …this is definitely number one as it is the worst scenario you can have happen. If you are at home you might have a massive stash of toilet paper in the house but what if you run out completely or you are using a public toilet and there is no toilet paper at all in the cubicle. A massive issue is at hand how are you going to wipe your bum

2.  NO toilets … either the establishment has no toilet or there is a queue of other customers waiting to use the toilet. Either way if you are needing the toilet urgently it is going to end in an accident.

3.  Dirty toilets … from making a mess yourself and having to clean it up before the next user or the previous person did not clean it before they left and there has been no toilet checks for a while by the cleaning staff it can be a horrible task to clean the toilet really quickly if you are in a rush out and about or even just at a friend’s house.

4.  Clogged toilet … this is a really common thing to happen to anyone. The best way to prevent this from happening is to flush the toilet after you have finished doing your business then after you have finished wiping. If the toilet water do not go down do not flush again as it is a sign that the toilet will overflow as it is clogged up already.

5.  Bathroom accident … this can happen to anyone of us as it can just come on all of a sudden that we need to run to the toilet and we cannot always get there on time to use the bathroom. If you do not have an emergency kit already it is worth the 10minutes or so to put one together with spare underwear, wipes, gloves and other bits and pieces you might need to use if you have an accident. If you look further down my blog I have a post regarding emergency kits. Mine is usually with me and I have one also for my little girl as she is no longer in nappies and so far it has only been mummy who has had to use the emergency kit when out and about if we go shopping or out on a little trip to town.