Incorporating Ulcerative Colitis in Your Travel Plans

Traveling with Ulcerative Colitis can surely be a stressful experience, especially as I consider the possibility of not having access to a toilet. In addition, not any toilet will do (except for emergency situations); I want to make sure that I'll have a restroom with adequate toilet paper, running water, etc. to accommodate my needs. After all, with an Inflammatory Bowel Disease, such worries that leave others untouched can have me plagued for days, even weeks, before I set off to travel.

When I used to travel by train in Japan, I would practically fall over sick in a crowded train from the pressure of having others pushed up against me (this is during rush hour, mind you) and the anxiety that came from entertaining the thought of not being able to make it to the bathroom in time. The train would come to a slow stop, the people would pile out, and I would have to push and shove, all while my stomach was knotted in agony. Once I got to the bathroom, I would find it in disarray and in utter squalor, with fecal matter, urine and toilet paper scattering the ground. Generally, bathrooms at train stations (in both Japan and the United States) have proven to be unpleasant experiences. Generally, I avoid train travel for this particular reason.

Airplanes aren't so bad, except when I'm stuck in a window seat. I'd have to ask the stranger next to me if he or she could get up so I could squeeze out of the economy seats. Sometimes, the person would be asleep, so I would delay getting out of my seat just to avoid any inconvenience. However, I would invariably suffer. Airplane bathrooms, once I get to them, are one of the better available restrooms when traveling. They are usually clean and soundproof, meaning the explosive diarrhea could go unheard. However, one time, I had an attack after mealtime, which is when the bathrooms are inevitably occupied for the next hour or so. I stood in line, in a panic, but with some deep-breathing and visualization practices, I could calm myself. Soon enough, the line shortened, and I was next to go.

Traveling by car is one of the most forgiving options, for usually you can pretty much determine when you get to the bathroom (unless you are traveling with a bunch of uncooperative people or are traveling along dirt roads, which rarely have available restroom facilities). Rest-stop bathrooms are also one of the most unhygienic places and hygiene tends to slip on my list of priorities when I'm having painful bowel problems. Once I had to go so badly that I plopped onto the toilet seat to relieve myself, only to realize it after I had already done so. This is never good news. Although I did not contract any diseases from the experience, as someone who needs to carefully monitor her health, I cannot afford to make a mistake like that. Therefore, I try to avoid truck-stop bathrooms as much as possible.

Bus travel may be one of the most awful situations for an ulcerative colitis sufferer. Once I was on a Greyhound bus, suffering from cramps and diarrhea, and was in there for possibly half an hour, during which several impatient people pounded on the door (this, of course, only added to my anxiety). Also, while I was sitting on the toilet seat (carefully covered with toilet paper, of course), the bus would swerve and hop, causing the nasty toilet water (filled with other passengers' feces and urine) would slosh about, making me paranoid about any of it reaching me. Though bus travel is usually less expensive than other options, I forgo it. It's just not worth the stress. Another thing I'd like to mention about bus travel is the proximity of the bathroom to the other seated passengers. What I mean is, after a significant bowel movement, the stench will not only permeate the room, but gust outwards when you open the door, causing others to plug their noses or make otherwise distasteful remarks. If you are sensitive to these sorts of things (as I am), then traveling by bus puts you at risk for this type of situation.

In general, avoid travel that involves grimy restrooms. However, perhaps the most important thing to consider when to traveling is to find a route along which you are sure there will be multiple available bathrooms.