Bathroomphobia
It was very hard to come up with a title for this article since I am not really sure that "bathroomphobia" is a real word. Then I thought that you can use it as an expression.
For example, I have a phobia about bathrooms. But then I thought well, that didn't make sense. I am clearly not afraid of the bathroom as a small kid would be when he or she flushed the toilet.
So I think that it is only appropriate that this article be called what it is, but we can take this title and break it down so that you understand it.
Spending hours in the bathroom
Since I have Crohn's, the bathroom is my life. I spend about a good hour total in the bathroom each day. That’s a very long time!
I have seen great bathrooms with strong fans that help cut out the noises that come out of our bodies. I have seen terrible bathrooms that don't flush, and the sinks don’t work.
I recently wrote an article that gave ratings about bathrooms. But I think that most of my fear lies with the same question: Will there be a bathroom readily available wherever I travel? It should be an automatic yes, but you would be surprised.
Crohn's bathroom anxiety
I remember a few years back when I went down the shore with a few buddies. One friend's parents owned a house in a small beach town. I have been there before, and the bathroom, although small and old, was suitable for my needs.
When we went down there this one time, the toilet wasn't working. I honestly thought that people were playing a cruel joke on me. It was true though, the bathroom was out of order! I went into an instant panic, and I, of course, had to use the bathroom. Where do I go?
I jumped into my car and headed to a nearby casino because I know that they always have bathrooms. When I returned to the beach house, my friend’s dad was already talking him through how to fix the toilet. So things do happen, I just have a hard time dealing with crisis situations.
The daily bathroom struggle with Crohn's
When my wife and I travel, even if it is to a store, I always ask if there is going to be a bathroom. I know that the answer is always going to be yes, but I find it comforting that somebody tells me that there is one.
The phobia really kicks into high gear when we travel somewhere new. The phobia also really kicks in when we travel to a place where we would be outside for a long period of time.
For example, we just went to the Oklahoma City Zoo. I really wasn't keen on the whole zoo idea, and I knew that there were bathrooms all over the zoo. But what happens if there are long lines? What happens if the bathrooms are not near where I am standing?
It is a constant struggle that I work through each day. As always, I open the floor for suggestions!
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