Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | Planning a quick trip, need advice from fellow IBS control freaks on planning details! (long)

Hi

Hopefully if you're reading this, you're the same as me - you're not stable (or used not to be), and you've had so many bad IBS experiences that if you do do something out of the ordinary you plan ahead every single detail... (I was already like that pre-IBS on clothes, etc, to take on holiday, but now I need to plan for my IBS).

Some of you might now I am not at all stable - I have left the house only 4 times in 3 months. I am really low / depressed, and anxiety/stress cause many of my attacks. (quick update - I went to the docs again on Tuesday, and she upped my amitripylene dosage (from 20mg to 50mg), put me on mebeverine (anti-spasmodic) and gave me codeine for those times the pain stops me sleeping, or is just really intense. It knocks you out though so for nighttime only really. I also got my tummy fiber yesterday, and started taking it this morning.)

Anyways, next weekend it is the UK Ice Hockey Playoff Finals weekend, to which I go every year. This is the first time since I was diagnosed with IBS. It is in Nottingham, which is only 30 mins from where we live, but as there are 2 games on the Saturday and 1 on the Sunday afternoon we always stay in a hotel which is a 10 min tram ride away from the arena.

Usual schedule - meet in the pub at the hotel for lunch, tram to arena, watch first game, wander to McDonalds for tea, watch second game. Head back to hotel, drinks in the pub, then the whole group of us heads back to one of our rooms where we have a pre-prepared picnic of all foods non-IBS safe! Next day it's a lie-in til midday, lunch in the pub again, then we drive to the arena for the Sunday game, leave the car in a nearby car park, watch the game, then drive home.

So... for someone who barely leaves the house and definitely ISN'T stable, this is quite a task! So, I was thinking of ways to make it easier - such as eating very safely for a few days before the event (how many days?), making some IBS safe snacks that I can fit in a large-ish handbag for through Saturday afternoon and evening (me and my boyfriend will go to a local cafe when everyone else does McD's and I'll have a baked potato I think), and items I can take for the picnic, but also stuff that will last til Sunday afternoon as nibbles - as other than bottled water the arena won't sell anything safe, etc etc.

We'll eat at home the Saturday lunchtime before we meat everyone at the pub, so I guess I'll have a potato or something, but really need everyone's advice on stuff to take / what to do. This is a massive event for me, which is really embarrassing coming from someone who used to travel the world on a weekly basis...

I'm so determined to make it go ok.

I've already created my 'worst case IBS' pouch to go in my handbag - personal loo roll, hand sanitizer, immodium, nurofen, Windeze (simethicone) and spare pants. I've never needed any of it bar the meds so far, but it makes me more comfortable always having it with me! It's so mortifyingly embarrassing sharing this, but really need everyone's help.

So, long post finished! Any help appreciated! Feel free to email me if your ideas for preparing etc are embarrassing also and you don't particularly want to post them...

Hugs,
Caroline x

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