Needing the toilet

[pippa43]

Hello,

I have just joined this website and I think it is great.

My panic attacks always leave me wanting the toilet desperately, I am not sure if its the worry of not finding a toilet that leads to the panic attack or the panic attack leads me to want to go to the toilet.

Which ever way it has made my life a complete misery, I have suffered now for over 18 years and it started one day out of the blue when I went to climb on a bus and froze and felt I needed to go to the loo. Ever since then it has been a big problem and has ruined my life. I really hope I can find some help on this site and advice that will help me to lead a more comfortable life.

Any help would be great.

Thank you

Kim

[jackie]

pippa, for many of us this started so suddenly although if you look back your thinking for a while was probably negative before the actual panic. i no that i was tired and very vulnerable when mine walloped me up the face one day.lol

going to the toilet is such a common symptom as you will see if you read the "symptoms" section

most importantly you are not alone
jackie

[pippa43]

Hi Jackie,

Thank you for your support, I would like to know how I can help myself and feel that I dont need the toilet, do you have any advice where I could start?

[Karen]

Here is Needing the toilet (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4839) that might help to reassure you Pippa.


Karen



Happiness is not a state to arrive at but a manner of travelling.

You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough ~ Christine Cagney, Cagney & Lacey

[nomorepanic]

Try these too..

bathroom obsessive (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2946)
Anyone else in this situation??? (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6510)
bowels (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=6941)


Nicola

[molly15]

hi what u describe is so common i was like that for ages .the more i worried about it the worse it got.then something else took its place and now i worry about that.you can have symptoms linger for a long time its all part of the anxiety its learning to accept and let go.which i am still learning to do.you are certainly not alone there is plenty of advice here.welcome to no more panic take care marcia

i have to do it for my kids if not for myself marciaxx

[Lou17]

Sadly I know how your feeling Ive had this now for 8 years, i read the back of a leaflet (medication) and it said Diarrhea side effects, all that night I was worried I might need to go, i was looking for a toilet all not it was horrible. After that I was constantly looking for a toilet just in case. the fear beat me sadly, Ive been in the house (agoraphobic) for the last 7 years and I just cant go out, because i know that my fear actually triggers of those physical affects. I d love it if someone had a solution, but I dont see their being one.

[janeybaby25]

sounds to me like you might be suffering from IBS. I suffer & have some symtoms. I advise you to go see doc & get him to make a proper diagonsis, Best of luck. xxx

[thoughts and actions]

hey

i no exactly how u feel

I ALWAYS feel like i need to go to the toilet when i get anxious.

I suffer from nervous stomach/ibs and have to go to the toilet about 4 times before i even leave the house.

To be honest- i am better than i was.

For me i had to first understand what was happening to my body- if you read the symptoms signs under the main menu it explains it in there but basically if you feel anxious then your body reacts to the situation you prepare for it and prepares to fight or flight

That means it wants to get rid of any wanted waste in your body NOW that means you will suddenyl feel like you want to go to the toilet and your insides are made of water- its a horrible horrible feeling and believe me i know exactly what u mean. But think abotu this - if you didnt eat for 5 days and then you where going to go out of the house you will get anxiouis and suddnely need the toilet- now theres no way that you need the toilet becuae the body is getting rid of unwanted waste- you stimulate the bowel and intestine nervous by thinking in your brain about going out and this triggers the anxiety.

Accidents however are extremely rare- our bodies were trained to hold onto the stool until we find a toilet- i know at the time you feel like u cant hold it in or u feel like u just made it on time but if your are tellin yourself u need the toilet u will

here are some tips-

1. If you are out where a pad and dark clothing that will make u feel confident
2. Know where your nearest toilets are
3. There is medication you canm take that will calm the bowels and stop them from working (only avail from docs)
4. When you start to feel like you need the toilet ensure that you breathe in and out and tell yourself that youve been already- there is nothing dangerous and harmful and just wait few minutes until get home or get into shop etc (this takes a lot of time btu you will be amased how changing the way you think will change the way you feel.)
5. Distract yourself with scenery, books, ipod anything that will take your mind off it

PM me if you want

xx

[rocklover]

There is a UK toilet phobia group on Yahoo and all it's members have similar problems to you. I haven't got the url, but you should be able to find it if you search in the groups section. I found it helpful to chat to people with same probs as me.

For what it's worth I have both types of loo probs, my IBS is such that I take Immodium before I go on any type of lengthy trip, or sometimes need it to just get out of the house. Also, when I panic I find I have to pee desperately every 15 mins or so. I KNOW this is just the adrenaline being expelled, but still it is a nightmare when I am not driving!!

[kmell]

hi all

This is my first post i joined today after reading some of the other posts
and learning i am not the only person in the world to be suffering from ibs
so hello to everybody. kmell

[punkypops]

Hi there.
I am new to this site after my doctor told me to look the site up.
For the last three years I have had a fear of getting in the car and not being able to get out if I need the toilet. Unlike many of you I know where my fear comes from as I did infact wee while i was stuck in traffic.
I was embarrassed at the time but after laughed at it, as i work with children and it is something a child would do.

But now it has become an absolute living nightmare. I fear the weekends coming as my partner is a keen photographer and loves going out to the country and things, but I make every excuse under the sun not to go, and it is getting to the point where I will lie to him to get out of going and I even lie to him about going to the toilet.

I will deliberately loose him in supermarkets and different places so i can go and find a toilet. It's not as if he is not supportive because he is my rock, it's just the fact i feel shameful about the problem and also because i know i don't need the toilet but without going to the toilet I wouldn't be able to get into the car.

I have severe panic attacks when it comes to getting in the car, which in turn makes me have an asthma attack and on several occasions have been sick.

I know that I can travel without needing the toilet but it's like there is a little voice in my head saying "you do need the toilet, you do need the toilet" and these fears outweigh my rational thoughts.

I'm not sure but for many years I have had problems with many symptoms that are talked about under the OCD section, I count everything, Everything has to have it's place and I trust nobody to do things for me as I fear they will have not done it right.

I also fear that if i talk about things that I dream or think about they will happen, and i constently remember numbers and letters along with repeating everything more than twice.

I hope I will find a little solice in the site as I am awaiting an appointment from the doctors referal to a counseller.

I just feel like I'm loosing the plot just lately and am finding it so hard to think that it will ever stop. Even if it got a little easier and i got a little better would make things better.

It does help though knowing that other people experience things like this as i was worried people would think that I was 'strange'