How to manage uncontrollable diarhhea

[ritaxis]

If you can bring yourself to read this, you can benefit from my experience!

First, resign yourself to some period of dignity loss and relative helplessness.  You will be weak and if someone says "what can I do for you?" ask the to go to the store for you.  While the diarrhea is in force you will find the shortest outing challenging.
Also, if you don't have a washer and dryer, you should ask someone to handle the large amount of laundry for you.

Have a stack of clean towels.  A large stack.  Cover every seat and couch and bed you will use with the towels, and have a stash ready to replace them.

Resign yourself to two loads of wash a day.

Resign yourself to two baths a day.

Women have one thing easier: since we can wear skirts and no underwear, we can sit on the towels directly with the skirts drawn up so they're out of the range of fire. For men I would suggest making back-opening sarongs out of towels, borrowing skirts, or maye just a huge stash of loose boxers that are easy to switch out when they inevitably become soiled.

Your shopping list that you can give to your friend is:
toilet paper
possibly, toilet cleaner
bananas
rice
applesauce
white bread or saltines
(that's the BRAT diet: Bananas, Rice, Applesauce, Toast)
fresh ginger to make tea of
a beverage, from this list: pedialyte; seven-up; sports drink; or fruit juice. You need something with salts and sugars in it,  Don't drink all water all the time or you will actually be more dehydrated and weak (I learned this the hard way).

You may find these things disgusting in your current state but force some of it down.  It feels like it comes right back out of you at the other end, but some of the salts and sugars do find their way into your system.

Protip: if you are feeling any movement at all, even if it feels like gas, even if it feels way high up in your body, start moving towards the bathroom, and bring your towel, held up against your backside or even between your cheeks.  It will cut down on the number of splats you have to clean up.  You will have splats to clean up.

This is one time you want a TV.  I have one, but it is not hooked up to cable so gets no broadcast. But my friend lent me a stack of movies.


I know a lot of people have been complaining about the lj-cut change, but I like it.  I was always failing with the old one,

Comments

[green-knight.livejournal.com]

I hope you'll feel better soon!

I would also reccommend sanitary pads (or incontinence pads) and keeping a change of clothes where you can reach them from the toilet.

Alas, voice of experience.

<hugs>

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

This sounds very icky. I don't remember ever having it so bad I couldn't make it to the toilet. I hope you feel better soon.

[erikagillian.livejournal.com]

I was going to ask about the adult diapers also. I was thinking maybe a tarp, a clean one of course, on the couch, maybe over the bed with the towels, easily washed blankets, on top of it. I was trying to help out someone whose son, five, was throwing up so much he wasn't waking completely, I got her some of the puppy pads so she wouldn't have to keep cleaning up the sheets and the floor and the pillows. But if you know it's going to continue for a while, you may not want something that disposable.

Maybe diapers for going out if you have to?

I get the throwing up so hard I'm also peeing not as infrequently as I'd like, having lined the toilet-side trash with a plastic bag can be a gods send in such a situation.

I hope you feel better, this sounds like nine kinds of hell.