u/Aggressive-Cookie-32

What helps with anxiety while traveling the best? I have been anxious about our upcoming trip for a month now and we leave in 2 weeks… I am scared i will have a flare up on the airport or during the flight and how will I be able to get to the bathroom in time? I am also scared I’ll flare up during the trip and will have to try and find a bathroom mid a beach day. I am also scared that my anxiety will pre-occupy my mind so much I will not be able to enjoy our family holiday with my kids…

I have read comments that some of you use Imodium or lorepamid daily. I have been only using it for flare up’s but I need it more than that… What kind of doses do you use Imodium/loperamid if you use it daily and does it still work for flare ups or do you build tolerance?

I have a GI appointment coming but it’s months away and I am looking for something that will make life work till then

I have to attend a 1 hour long event at my child’s daycare tomorrow and I have been dreading it for weeks. I have been trying to eat light all day and avoid all possible triggers and I am planning on taking Imodium plus tomorrow as soon as I wake up. I hate how such a small, and supposedly nice thing, is causing me so much anxiety. All I can think of is that I will be out of the house for 1.5h and I cannot shit myself in that time. And I would like to be able to be present and focus in my child and not worry constantly if I can leave already or where there is a bathroom adults can use….

We have two small kids and we’re supposed to go on a holiday with my in laws (flying required). My IBS has been flaring up and I have a few (rice and chicken mainly) safe foods atm. I have been struggling with a particularly difficult IBS period for the past 9 months, had a baby, been back to work and work is super busy atm. With the IBS flares I have been stuck on the toilet for half a day easy and have lost 33 pounds in the last year. My energy is at an all time low and IBS symptoms are giving me so much anxiety right now… Hence, so is this trip. Organizing two kids for a week long holiday is stressful enough but the thought of being stuck in a plane with a flair up is super scary. I am also thinking about how am I going to be able to relax there when we are eating out all the time, when everything is making my IBS worse atm.

Honestly, I just want to stay home. But, I am scared that I am just giving into the anxiety of IBS but the on the other hand, I just feel like this is such a bad time for this trip that I am also aloud to consider my wellbeing and stress levels as a priority.

So IBS community, please help! What should I do? Should I just face my fears and drag my ass to the hotel and hope I don’t need to spend the week looking at the bathroom walls, or should I just call it quits right now and accept that this is not the time?

I just started adding Metamucil to my diet as I read it could help with diarrhea. My question is, what do you mix it with? I have mixed some in smoothies but I don’t have time to make smoothies twice a day… I tried to mix it in water but it was very unpleasant to drink. Any suggestions? And any advice on Metamucil would also be appreciated! I started about a week ago, with half a teaspoon and now I am up to one teaspoon a day.