Traveling with crohns

[lookame]

So this year I'll be taking two trips, the first being a car trip from columbus, ohio to cleveland ohio. This isn't so bad except I'll be visiting fiance's family and riding in a car with them as well and it is sometimes hard to get my point across that I NEED TO GO NOW!! (They are in fact a tad dence and unwilling to learn that I have a disease) We'll be staying for 2 days in a hotel and then going to his uncles house for a reunion.

The next trip will be taken in October and is VERY exciting. My parents are taking my fiance, son and I to Disney world. We'll be travelling by car from columbis, ohio to florida. My parents are a tad more understanding as they've seen the worst of my condition so I'm not worried about the car ride as much as I'm worried about while I'm there. Should I be worried about bathrooms? We'll be staying for a week or a week and a half.

Any advice for these trips?

 

[Jennifer]

Lomotil. Its an anti diarrhea pill. My GI prescribed it to me for frequency and I can take it every 4 hours as needed. I think it works very well, much better than Imodium because its a little stronger.

Extra pairs of underwear and have at least one extra on you at all times (in your pocket or somewhere).

Find out who's driving and take them aside and let them know that you need to go immediately when you ask unless you specify otherwise. Drop the word diarrhea. Even people without IBD can understand that. Add the word explosive if that will help. Explain to them that if they don't want a mess in the car then they better do what you say. Sounds more and more like a hostage situation. lol If you don't want to do that do what I used to do and say that you get car sick. So I always played it off that I was throwing up and needed to rest every now and then. Worked for me.

Bring a roll of toilet paper or two. You never know when there's a long stretch of roads without a bathroom.

Get on the internet and check where the bathrooms are on your route and mark them on the map. This will help give you peace of mind. There's an off ramp coming up but is there a place to stop? Sometimes they are residential off ramps. Knowing ahead you can say to the driver, "There's a rest stop or McDonalds on ______ exit."

Sleep in the car as much as you can. When you're sleeping you aren't stressing and less stress means less diarrhea on a trip.

For the women's bathroom there's a always a stupid long line, dunno about the men's side but I know my dad was always out and waiting for us before my mom and I got out. In the case of long lines, DO NOT WAIT when you feel something coming on. Get in line right away. Or use a bathroom in a restaurant inside the park since those are less crowded. You could also try to get a disabled card but I don't know how well that would work cause everyone in the states uses the handicap stall as a regular stall. In this case, I'd still pop a Lomotil.

 

[Mountaingem]

On long road trips I bring one of those portable camping toliets-not the most pleasant thing in the world but defintely handy when you're in the middle of nowhere lol!

Here's a link:http://www.amazon.com/Thetford-25100-Porta-Potti-135/dp/accessories/B000BGHYNE

 

[silvermander]

On little thing I will add, if you absolutely have to go and are heading for a bathroom at Disney and they tell you that they're cleaning, tell them that you have a disease and that you can't wait.

I had this happen a couple times the last time I was there and I didn't really stand up for myself until the last time. They won't know there's an issue unless you tell them.

I don't know what the laws in Florida are, but in Maine any place of business that you might enter as a patron that has a bathroom for the employees, also has to allow you to use the bathroom if you have medical condition, are pregnant or have a child.

I need to print out a copy of that law again. It helps to have a hubby who works for the State Legislature and puts the Legislative information online.

 

[Gems867]

I just got back from vacation and I traveled with my Mom and step dad in a car from Columbus to NJ. My mom understands completely that when I have say I need a bathroom that means I need one now, restaurant, rest area, gas station, port o potty I don't care. My step dad is trying to understand but doesn't quite get it. You can Google interstate rest areas and get a listing of all highway rest areas. Might help...
When I travel with him I typically stick with foods that don't irritate the belly and I offer to drive as much as possible much easier to stop if I am the driver.

In Disney pick up a park map so you know the bathroom locations. You prolly can download one in advance.