Читать книгу The Good Gut Guide: Help for IBS, Ulcerative Colitis, Crohn's Disease, Diverticulitis, Food Allergies and Other Gut Problems - Stephanie Zinser - Страница 41

‘I was in the bar, having a drink, and I suddenly sensed an ominous feeling. I knew I had a matter of seconds to make it to the loo, and a whole crowded bar to get through. Barging past people was bad enough, but as I burst through the door to the Ladies’ Room, I saw a row of girls staring at me, arms folded, waiting their turn. I didn’t have time to queue up, but I couldn’t think what to say either. As soon as I saw a door to a cubicle open, I pushed forward, apologizing, and slammed the cubicle door shut behind me. I was already a bit too late and my embarrassment at having been caught short was only made ten times worse when I heard all the gossiping and tut-tutting going on outside.’

Andrea, 23, who suffers from ulcerative colitis (feelings of urgency are a common feature of this disorder)

‘Urgency’ means that desperate rush to the bathroom that often happens when we have an attack of holiday diarrhoea. Most of us, most of the time, manage to make it to the loo, but sometimes we don’t and the resulting embarrassment and feeling of shame can be dreadful – even when nobody else knows what’s happened. Bowel control is something that, because it’s learned when we are toddlers, seems to remain firmly embedded in our minds as an essential ingredient of being ‘grown up’. Anyone who can’t control their bowels is immediately open to ridicule – how can anyone fail to control something so basic, something even toddlers can do?

‘Frequency’ refers to the need to empty our bowels more often than normal – another symptom often associated with irritated intestines. Increased frequency is often accompanied by feelings that the bowel has not been emptied properly – what doctors refer to as ‘incomplete evacuation’. Most people open their bowels a maximum of 2–3 times a day, but if you have severe frequency and urgency you can find yourself going to the loo 10, 15 or even 20 times a day.