Social Outings With IBS

I'd like to think I'm someone with a good number of friends. Of course, this means that I'm often outside of the (more than) four walls I call home—the place I can have all the flare-ups in the world while being close to (and on) a private (and clean) toilet.

Preparing for socializing

All this to say, I do leave the house for long periods of time to go socialize with my friends. However, if I'm not in a safe spot like a friend's house/apartment or even a restaurant, I have to be extra prepared in case of a flare up.

Non-IBS people

A slight diversion from the topic at hand, but I'm always so jealous of those that can say "Oh well, I don't feel comfortable going to the bathroom just anywhere." There are people I know who won't even use the toilet at their friends' houses. Those of us with IBS certainly do not have that luxury! (The worst place I've had a very bad flare up was in a Port-A-Potty in a very public park).

Flare-up in the middle of hanging out

Anyways, back to what I was saying. There is nothing worse when you're having a bad flare-up in the middle of hanging out with friends when you are not in a safe toilet area. This is bad for two major reasons: you can't focus on anything else but trying to figure out where the nearest toilet will be, and once you actually do find a toilet, you'll be in there for x amount of time (never just a few minutes as we all know) and will miss out on the fun. (This is also bad because flare ups are bad and having a chronic illness is just not a hoot and a holler).

I was recently out on a boat on a lake near where I live. I enjoyed a Beyond Meat burger, a little alcohol, and some fruit while on the boat. I was totally fine the entire time I was on the boat but about 10-15 minutes after departing the boat, my stomach dropped and panic hit.

My friends and I were taking an Uber from the marina to a different part of the city. I got in the Uber attempting to be brave to make it to our intended location but less than 5 minutes in, I asked my friend to change the location to the coffee shop close by. My friends with me, both with chronic illnesses of their own, were patient as I spent the next 45 minutes in and out of the bathroom.

I should have been more careful

I should've been more careful about thinking about what I was eating, but it had been awhile since I'd had a Beyond Meat burger and couldn't remember it affecting me like that before (and yes, I'm sure the alcohol did not help). I'm glad I was able to make it safely to a bathroom.

Whenever I reflect on a fun time with my friends where I've had a flare up in the middle of hanging out, I get upset that I didn't get the full enjoyment of the hang out because I was so panicked about finding a bathroom. The question here is "Why don't I just always spend time in safe toilet area?" Well, here's my answer: I would like to have fun and enjoy life. I don't want my illness to drag me down and keep me miserable. Not to mention, flare-ups can strike whenever they please, sometimes, so I have to just hope for the best.