morning commute advice
#248266 - 02/23/06 08:20 PM
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Hi;
I'm not new to IBS, but I'm new to having to function at a job. I'm starting a job on Mon...I'm semi-stable Ibs-D, on nortryptaline 10mg per day, take SF 3 or 4 times a day, and take Imodium as needed. Like many of you, morning is my worst time. Do any of you get up hours in advance to work through the IBS before driving to work? I need to be on the job at 7:15, and it's probably a 25 minute commute. I'm open to any advice from all of you experienced people! Thanks in advance!
Ps. When I save up some money I want to order the hypnosis tapes to help with the anxiety related IBS...In me, the two are tightly woven together...I feel like if I could get rid of the Ibs, the anxiety would disappear... Sorry this is so long... 
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I don't commute for work but I do have a hard time with mornings. I have to plan out my outfits and get my lunch/snacks together the night before. I have everything laid out before i go to bed. I also get up earlier than I need to so my stomach can settle a bit. I don't eat first thing in the morning, it is better for me to take a snack and eat it once I get to where I am going.
Hope this helps and good luck with your new job!
Bethany
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Microscopic Colitis, IBS-A, GERD, Hiatal Hernia
Bethany, Ontario, Canada
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I don't have a job to get to early but frequently have unavoidable morning appts and early church services. Just like you I have to get up 2 hrs early just to get my self settled down since mornings are my gas/D/more gas type of routine. One lifesaver I've found when I have to be hustling and YES stress can cause the D everytime...I take Lorazapam before I leave the house. Now this is just one added thing I do when I am stressed. Like you I take SFS (acacia) and immodium everyday after my morning BM/BMs. And I don't eat before I leave but keep Luna bars in my purse to eat after I arrive. Good luck 
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Franny
IBS/D
Celiac
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I also have a longish commute, 50 minutes, but it's not always in the morning and not every day. Thank goodness! I would take 1 Imodium caplet every morning for the first couple of weeks or until you get used to the schedule and slap on one of those disposable heat patches to help you relax. I know that staying in the driving position for more than thirty minutes can make me cramp up; the heat patches help.
I get up extra early too, at least 1 to 2 hours before I have to leave. However, I eat as soon as I get up. I know others can't eat right when they wake up, but I always wake up hungry. Plus, I want to see how my digestive tract is going to behave. If I'm going to have an attack due to what I ate or did the previous day, I'd rather start it at home, early, take Imodium and get it to stop. Sometimes if I don't eat until I get to work, I'll have an attack there. Ugh.
Good luck with your commute. It sounds like you're doing all the right things so far. Just don't be afraid to use Imodium as much as you need.
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Hi,
I have to get to work 3x a week and also get the kids off to school which can be a real stresser on my stomach. I normally get up about 1 1/2 hours before leaving for work. I will do my vitamins and fiber and a bananna. If my stomach feels iffy, you know that feeling, I'll take 2 immodium. Normally I'll go to the bathroom a few times before I leave the house. By the time I get to work, the immodium has kicked in and I feel pretty stable. I only work a 5 hour shift so I don't eat there except for some pretzels or safe cereal dry. I have some peppermint tea also. On really bad days for whatever reason, I will take a Lomotil (prescription) or a Donnatal. (anti-spasmoditic) I've had too many days where I had too many trips to the bathroom at work so I do whatever I can to avoid that. My commute isn't too long so I don't really worry about that.
Hope that helps some! Like others have said, don't be afraid to use Immodium. Do what works!
Sandy
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I'm not working and I avoid morning appointments like the plague, so my advice is purely theoretical. 
You might try taking an anti-spasmodic the night before. I find Donnatol (the regular kind, not the 12-hour timed release) often has some carry-over to the next day. It makes me too sleepy to drive or work (but see post), but by the next day I'm fine.
I'm in the eat first thing group - I start with hot decaf tea, move on to applesauce and Acacia, then on to something very safe like Heather's Brown Sugar Banana Bread. Similarly, you might try having something like applesauce with Acacia right before bed.
And if I were working, I'd be up 2 hours before I had to leave, but I realize that means getting up at about 4:45am for you. Shudder, but you might have to do it, at least until your tummy gets into a routine.
One last suggestion for that "OMG I have to leave the house anxiety". My Family Practitioner suggested I try low dose Valium. She said it doesn't affect the IBS directly, but it might take the edge off the nerves which would help the IBS downstream. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounded like it made sense.
HTH. Good luck with the new job.
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[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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I have to either be in court or at schoole every morning (except Fridays). When I was unstable, I used to dread mornings! I did wake up about two hours in advance so that I could head off any attacks or symptoms before I got to where I needed to be. However, that didn't always work because, like you, once I got in the car and found myself in stop-and-go traffic on the freeway for half an hour the anxiety just threw my stomach into convulsions!
I was put on Effexor for my anxiety about a month ago and it has done wonders for me! I am now able to leave the house whenever I please without getting the slightest bit of anxiety! Perhaps talk to your doc about some sort of anti-depressant or anxiety med if you feel it would help.
Otherwise, I'd just get up early and make yourself some chamomile or peppermint tea. Eat something safe like sourdough toast or a plain bagel. Don't rush out the door, give yourself time to get ready and allow plenty of time to get to work so you're not freaking out about being late.
I take Immodium every day as a preventative. You could try doing this for a while and see if it helps you to stress less about the commute.
Good luck!
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Okay, I take the subway to work about 50 minutes door to door every weekday. One thing no one has mentioned is having a contingency plan so that if you have to go along the way there's a convenient bathroom that you've already scoped out. For me that basically means knowing where there is a starbucks just outside one of the subway stops along the way to work (in my case wall street, 14th street, 96th street, etc). Starbucks has basically become the unofficial public restroom of nyc! As long as I know they're there, it helps calm my nerves and I only need to get off during my commute every so often - maybe once a week or every 2 weeks.
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Ladies & gentlemen take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice.
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--------------------
[Research tells us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. - Sandra Boynton]
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--------------------
Ladies & gentlemen take my advice, pull down your pants and slide on the ice.
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