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I have gone to the bathroom with the big D one too many times today. At home its not an issue. But I am a germaphobe, I am a squatter in public restrooms. It aint fun to squat when you are having thte big D at all! You gotta worry about making a mess, not falling in the toilet, and not shitting your pants. (sorry for the graphic image you may conjure up).

Also, I find that I can't seem to hold out between the big D and peeing at the same time. This makes it really difficult while squatting because I have soiled my pants a few times. I don't know why I am posting this, but it sucks, and I guess well yeah thats all I have to say about that. lol.
 
I never ever ever would go in public before...since the disease now I don't have a choice...I hate it! I don't know why but I just get so embarrassed because of the noise and the smell!
 
sadly we have no choice but to use the nearest bathroom. I guess I should carry a mini lysol or something you are right pen. but still ewww i dont wanna sit on that thing yuck. lol.
 
:voodoo:

My problem is about people who do things like squatting that make toilets dirty in the first place. If people kept their ass on the toilet seat it would all go inside. Instead they do all kinds of crazy maneuvers and end up crapping (and pissing) all over the toilet seat. If it weren't for people going all over the lid I wouldn't have a problem with public toilets but instead I have to go and try to find a toilet that people haven't been doing that on. It's frustrating as hell. It's not just a matter of disinfecting the seat either. When people go spraying it all over the place it aerosolizes and ends up on everything in the vicinity. If you're sitting down it creates a seal so that it doesn't get outside of the toilet bowl.

BTW, as much as you hear the silliness of toilets having a low bacteria count that's not relevant. The problem with toilets isn't the number of bacteria. It's the type of microbes present. When someone with Rota virus for example (the worst flu-type illness in the world that kills hundreds of thousands per year and is extremely common) uses the restroom it's such a light organism and it requires such a tiny amount to cause infection that if you're in the restroom at the time and you can smell it you're probably going to get sick. Some oil eating bacteria in high numbers on a keyboard are not what you should be worried about.

If it really bothers you, just disinfect the toilet. If you don't have alcohol wipes, disinfectant wipes/spray/gel, etc, just use a little of the disinfectant soap that public restrooms are required to have.
 
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I have gotten so used to going in public, I don't even care anymore. Sometimes I don't even wipe the seat off.
Pen is right though - what gets me is the doorhandle! I like the bathrooms with the paper towels and the waste basket right next to the door so I can open it with the towel, and throw it away before the door closes. Even better is the doors I can push open with my foot when they open outward.
 
Colt said:
If it really bothers you, just disinfect the toilet. If you don't have alcohol wipes, disinfectant wipes/spray/gel, etc, just use a little of the disinfectant soap that public restrooms are required to have.


i wish! so many times i have used a public toilet, and there is no soap at the washbasin. and often, that is in a restaurant.
 
the worst is when you do your business and are ready to clean up shop and realize there is little to no toilet paper left. ugh.
 
There's always the option of keeping a bag filled with the necessary supplies in your car or office or wherever. Rubber gloves, Lysol, toilet seat covers, toilet paper, wet wipes, and hand sanitizer... I've though about doing something like this, but even though it sounds good in theory, if you are in urgent need, you're not going to have the time to prepare for the horrors of a public restroom.

Usually the handicapped stalls are a little cleaner and sometimes have extra rolls of TP.
 
that reminds me one time i couldnt hold it, i was in my apartment, i pooped in a bag and dumped it down the incinerator. I share my apartment and although thats gross I should probably have a spare bag and bottle in case thee bathroom is occupied and i absolutely must.
 
I certainly feel lucky to be on the constipation side of crohn's instead of the diarrhea side sometimes.
 
Colt said:
I certainly feel lucky to be on the constipation side of crohn's instead of the diarrhea side sometimes.

I've been both sides, and I've always preferred diarrhoea. Less painful in my experience.
 
Creepy, not to have a suffering competition (hey we all win there) but how bad were your urgency issues during the diarrhea, and did you end up getting bad pains in the "exit area" from the high "traffic"?
 
BWS1982 said:
Creepy, not to have a suffering competition (hey we all win there) but how bad were your urgency issues during the diarrhea, and did you end up getting bad pains in the "exit area" from the high "traffic"?

Bad and yes. 20+ times a day. I couldn't leave the house as I needed to be within seconds of a toilet.

When I say constipation, however, I probably tend to mean obstructions. With me, one generally follows the other pretty quickly.

The absolute worst condition I've encountered was a bizarre constipation/diarrhoea hybrid. All the worst features of both.
 
I HAD THAT TOO!! ARGGH...I have these awful cramps and pains that will be there, and the stool won't come out, the bathroom trips will be several fold the necessary amount when it gets like this....then when it does come out, it's like diarrhea and the urgency is still there, I have to run and hold in the start of it, within seconds, and then, the rest is constipated. If you remember Creepy, I actually did a thread on it called Coining the term Constipated Diarrhea back in the spring....it sucks....

I will admit on the pain side, I haven't had the worst, like you, never had obstuctions, just cramping and brief stabbing pains randomly coming/going within split seconds once in a while....glad I haven't had an obstruction, after hearing Pen and you all talk about them...
 
I've had constipated diarrhea as well. I've also had some pretty amazing levels of pain from temporary obstructions. But, collapsing on the floor screaming in pain isn't a non-stop all day thing. You don't collapse 20 times in a day and with suitable pain killers it's manageable. The diarrhea isn't so easily stopped.

I do end up going to the bathroom a lot with constipation though. It's just that nothing or very little comes out and while it feels urgent I don't really face a risk of having an accident.
 
how do you all react to either eating high fiber foods or staying away from high fiber as a remedy for constipation or diarrhea?
 
I stay away from high fiber...gives me terrible gas and discomfort. I don't have a problem with stuff coming out!
 
dingbat said:
i wish! so many times i have used a public toilet, and there is no soap at the washbasin. and often, that is in a restaurant.
quite right dingbat, we dont have germ killing soap, if were lucky we have cheap and nasty pink stuff that pretends to be soap!!! but i would rather have loo roll than soap, thats bloody awful when there is no loo roll. regards sharon xx
 
I don't fight the public restrooms, if I have to go I go@!! I just always make sure I have toilet paper/paper towels before I hunker down, made that mistake to many times to fail again, or at least I haven't again, YET!

rotf what a twister of words....

More over, the gem issue, we chronies have more intestinal perisites that the average "joes/janes" so for us to be so overtly worried about the public head is alittle 'paraniod" to say the least.....

if all else fails, go home and shower and clean the body and rear!!!!

:voodoo: <--- Crohn's likes to tease me all the time....bugger!
 
i know a toilet seat is supposed to be pretty clean studies say. i dont care its still the thought that disturbs me, just yuck! i can't do it.
 
hippie4lyfe said:
i know a toilet seat is supposed to be pretty clean studies say. i dont care its still the thought that disturbs me, just yuck! i can't do it.

People mislead you about that. They base 'cleanliness' on the bacteria count. The problem is that bacteria count has nothing to do with if you'll get an illness from an object. Harmless or even beneficial bacteria in large numbers are not a bad thing. Even small number of certain viruses and bacteria are bad though. There may be 1/10th of the bacteria on a toilet seat as there are on a keyboard but it doesn't matter if the toilet seat has rota and rhino viruses all over it and the keyboard's populated by harmless bacteria eating your spilled soda.
 
I have to admit the thing that scares me the most about the public toilet is the door handles!!!!


Off all things they give me the weebee jeebeies!!!!

YUCK!!!
 
Theability is right, the bathroom door handle and the flush handle are the worst things in the room. When your poop leaves you it goes down to the water and then down the drain. Unless someone's squatting it doesn't get on the toilet seat so you don't have contact with it. But, people wipe themselves and get it on their hand, then they spread it from their hand to the first few things they touch in quite high concentration.
 
I'm glad it's not just me that gets a bit weird about door handles! I wash my hands after touching the flush handle, but I tend to use the little finger of my left hand to pull the door open.... to limit the "damage". Don't know if it helps, but it makes me feel better!
 
as an environmentalist this annoys me but i do grab a piece of paper to open the door handle. with an already compromised immune system i dont need to take any chances.
 
Agent X20 said:
I'm glad it's not just me that gets a bit weird about door handles! I wash my hands after touching the flush handle, but I tend to use the little finger of my left hand to pull the door open.... to limit the "damage". Don't know if it helps, but it makes me feel better!


3 things matter when it comes to infectious disease exposure.

1. Type of organism: Is it rhino virus, staph bacteria, mold, ebola virus, etc,

2. Immune strength: How effective is your immune system at repelling said infectious organism?

3. Amount of organism: Depending on the type of organism and the strength of your immune system a certain threshold must be met before there are enough organisms in your body for them to sustain growth. Some organisms like rota virus need so few numbers to infect you they're nearly impossible to defend yourself against. Others, like anthrax, require quantities of the microscopic organisms concentrated in such vast quantities that you can clearly see them with the naked eye.

By reducing the surface area contacted you are reducing the amount of the organism you pick up.
 
My friend would crack me up cuz she would be paranoid about the bathroom door handle and then put paper money in her mouth...now that has to be some dirty stuff!
 
Speaking of... I'm sick with a cold now. Stuffy nose, coughing, head pressure, running nose, ear aches... I think its this thread's fault!
 
I knew she was evil from the first time I saw her. Opposing health care and spreading disease at the same time? That finally proves it.
 

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