Sharing a bathroom and Crohn's Disease

[+ve19]

Hi there,

I feel like a bit of a hypocrite because I haven't looked at the forum since I ended my course of meds.
I have a bit of a problem though and I was wondering if you could give me some advice on what you would do in my situation.
I was diagnosed with CD about 6 months ago, I had a fissure and no real symptoms like stomach pain or diarrhea so Im not used to a habit of running to the toilet every 5 minutes.
Im a college student and live away from home hence I have to pay for accomodation, and this year I was paying a ridiculous amount of rent, to clarify- my parents pay for it. The advantage here is that I have my own toilet and bathroom, which I dont really need (i can live without it) at the moment because i dont have those symptoms. During the past year my family has been having financial difficulties, my dad is out of work, so I want to make life easier and move into a less expensive place for next semester. I found a place which is fairly reasonable, the rent is half of what im paying now!!!! but its a house for 7 people and it has 2 toilets so my parents dont want me to live there and would prefer to pay the more expensive rent so that I have a toilet for myself- just in case i develop symptoms!!!! The 7 people id be living with are friends of mine. The best part is that id be able to pay for all my accomodation costs on my own if i lived in the house for 7 people, from the money I'll earn from my summer job!!!
Do you think its reasonable for a person with Crohns to share a bathroom with 3 other people approx (since ints 2 bathrooms for 7 people)?? What would you do if you were in my situation?? Any and all advice is very much appreciated!!! Thanks

 

[Entchen]

Hi, +ve!

Sounds like your parents are giving high priority to your potential needs, which is wonderful of them -- and also wonderful that you want to do same and think about their current needs. I'm very new to Crohn's symptoms, too, but my understanding from reading this forum and other resources is that symptoms can change over time, or can be fairly unpredictable in general.

HOWEVER. You know your system best, and you sound confident that you could manage sharing a washroom with others. If things did get sticky in future, a bottle or two of "Just a Drop" and a quick explanation that you might be in the bathroom a little more often than usual might do the trick (and would help keep your roommates as friends!). I bet that, with a good look at your symptoms and plan for symptom management, and some resourcefulness like working out a plan in case your symptoms do change, you could be just fine.

Another thing to consider is how much time your roommates would spend in the bathroom. For example, are there people who use the two washrooms for doing their hair and makeup in the morning? If they're anything like, well, me, your chance of getting into the washroom in a hurry would drop to about zero during those times.

But for the second part of your question (would I do it): heck, no. I did the dorm thing for 3 years and shared 3 stalls with about 15 people. This was several years before the onset of any symptoms. It was fine and I didn't even think about it except when I had the flu - and then it was kind of miserable using a shared bathroom. But, I decided at age 25 that it was time to have my own space, so I left dorm life behind and now I even refuse to share rooms at B&Bs and hotels.

 

[Claire617]

Well in my first year of uni I made sure I was allocated a dorm room with en-suite it was more money but my loan paid for it well, it was classed as a disability within the uni so i entitled to it if i wanted it. Like you said I didn't have symptoms at the time but it was my back-up in case I did and I wasn't particularly looking forward to my 2nd year when i would have to live in a house with other people, this situation never came as I had to drop out because I got too ill.
This was an awful situation I had to face a couple of times though, when i went on holiday with my ex to his dad's home in Portugal and when I visited him at his uni. Even though he knew about my condition I was still sneaky about it, like when I had to go toilet so he wouldn't be none the wiser that I had been because I would say I'm going for a shower so turn the shower on then go toilet lol. Was terrible when I went to his uni because I would hold it for so long it felt awful however after a couple of days he would make jokes about it to tell me he didn't care.

Basically what I'm trying to say is if the people you're going to be living with are your friends, they really won't care and will do everything they can to actually make life better for you....as long as you spray the bathroom after you've been in there they won't have a problem lol

 

[+ve19]

thanks for the replies guys! appreciate it!

 

[Liverpool FC]

Like yourself, I've thankfully not suffered from the regular toilet trips and I know how much more expensive the ensuite accomodation is, but just like Claire617 says if you speak to the Uni about it I think they may be able to do something (they may just give you priority over someone else instead of a reduced rate-but worth a try!).

I have been pondering the same myself for this coming year about sharing a house. To be honest I even worry about the other option of travelling if it is with others, as when you feel really bloated its a lot more "comfortable" to be on your own than with others...is that weird?

You may be able to get some sort of grant or something to help you pay the extra, though if you feel confident and want to move in with your mates then I'm sure your parents will understand.

I have often wondered if people like ourselves not having the diarrohea are going to remain as lucky, or is this a time to be treasured?!!

 

[terri_ann87]

I personally have major issues with diarrhoea so would not be happy to share toilet facilities simple due to embarrassment from smell, noise, cleanliness.

However, as I have just finished uni I do understand that finances are a major issue and you will just have to weigh up the pros and cons.

 

[DustyKat]

Hi +ve19,

I think in the end it boils down to what you are comfortable with. Roo moved away to uni at the beginning of the year and lives on campus, I am paying all her expenses. She has short bowel syndrome and has about 6-8 loose/explosive BM a day. It really concerned me when she wanted to move into an eight bedroom, 3 bathroom apartment, all complete strangers. I have asked her about the bathroom situation and she says ir's fine and the others don't mind. The mix is 5 guys and 3 girls. It her case it has worked out fine but then again she doesn't get easily embarrassed! Don't know if that is good or not. Lol.

 

[Lisa]

Something else to maybe have as a 'back up'....if you have your own room, you could get one of those chair-pottys (I forget when they are called!).....keep it tucked away in a closet - but there if needed in an emergency.....My Mom has one at her house, it was for a friend who had trouble going up/down stairs so she wouldn't have to navigate in the middle of the night...(my daughter used it too when she slept over) ........'problem' is solved now though - they just finished redoing the upstairs and have a full bath up there now!