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A woman wearing an incontinence diaper rushes to an open elevator from incontinence

An Accident While Trying to Make It To My Apartment

If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), it is inevitable that you will have moments of intense urgency while out in public. Dealing with this is the worst and it is something you never really get used to. There are ways to help lessen the panic, like breathing and positive self-talk, but dealing with this issue is always difficult, annoying, and embarrassing.

A quick errand with IBS

Just recently, I had to go to the store to upgrade my phone. We all know that is a process and on this particular day it became a process. I ended up at the store near my home and they didn’t want to help me due to an issue with my account, so they gave me the address to another store. When I ended up there, they told me I don’t have an issue with my account and I was sent off simply because the other store just didn’t want to deal with a little more computer work to accommodate me. So nice to hear.

Anyway, the point is, what was supposed to be an outing that shouldn’t have been more than an hour and a half turned into one that was much longer. I started to get hungry and didn’t have snacks on me to alleviate the hunger pains. Also, for breakfast, I ate very light—just a yogurt parfait.

IBS urgency kicked in

After finally leaving the second store to head home, I felt the urge to use the restroom but I didn’t want to use the store restroom. I figured I could make it home. Big mistake. Midway on the drive back the intensity to go got worse. I suddenly found myself clenching for dear life and pressing down on the gas more aggressively to make it home.

To make matters more complicated, I wasn’t just pulling into my driveway to then run into my front door. I live on the 17th floor of an apartment building. I have to park in the basement. Walk to the elevator. Pray that no one gets into the elevator on my ride up to the 17th floor, then walk down the hall just to get to my front door. Let’s just say, I was praying a lot.

Once I parked in my parking space, I debated whether I should just ride the elevator to the lobby and use the restrooms there, simply because I didn’t have much time. But once I made it to the elevator I decided to press my luck and just go for it to the 17th floor. By God’s grace, no one got into the elevator. I rode straight up.

My IBS accident

Once the doors opened, I clenched and fast walked down the hall to my door and ...it happened. No matter how much I clenched I couldn’t hold it all in. Luckily, I wear a feminine pad every day and it saved me from disaster. Without the feminine pad acting as a protective layer, I would have had a mess. But I didn’t! The situation was contained and I didn’t have to wash or scrub any clothes.

So moral of the story: if you deal with urgency wear a feminine pad daily. It isn’t as bulky as a diaper but it still does the job and helps buy you more time to make it to the washroom.

Has something like this ever happened to you? How do you manage? Have you tried any treatment options for diarrhea? Share with us, we love to hear from you!

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This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The IrritableBowelSyndrome.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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