The Home IBS
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You may even have experienced the occasional near-miss or two caused by someone being in there when you needed it most.
Worse still, if you have a large family and the bathroom seems like it's always engaged (Daughters spring to mind here!), then the morning routine might be your most anxious time of day.
Guests
With just one bathroom, you may dread having guests over, and any kind or gathering at your house could seem like a nightmare. Have you ever queued for the bathroom at a party in someone’s house? - I'm sure you know where I’m coming from.
A practical solution?For some, the solution could be to have a second bathroom built, but that will usually involve a lot of money, building work and possibly even planning permission.
So what about us lesser mortals who don't have the time, money, or inclination to go to such extremes?
Well, I've come up with a simple and fairly dignified idea that will bring you some genuine piece of mind. This IBS emergency toilet idea can be done simply and cheaply, you don't have to spend thousands on builders.
The idea is based around the same theme as the bathroom arrangements I have in my own van.
I'm talking about our new best friend - the cassette toilet.It can be placed somewhere discreetly within your home that you can access easily and privately without fuss, in an IBS emergency.
The Cassette Toilet
Cassette toilets are amazing little contraptions. Understated, yet quite brilliant in thier design.
They are made primarily for use in caravans, motor homes and smaller-sized boats.
They are cheap to buy, simple to operate, reliable, hygienic and safe to use. Emptying them is a very straightforward and clean, no-fuss process - perfect candidates for an emergency toilet.
They are usually designed in two sealed sections that lock together, and separate for emptying. 1) The upper seat / flush-water reservoir 2) The lower waste container - a totally sealed compartment for the waste.
Economic to run
You only need two small bottles of chemical concentrate to run an IBS emergency toilet. These are usually quite cheap and will last a very long time (and they smell nice too!).
You pour a small measure of one concentrate into the flush water in the upper reservoir, and a small measure of the other concentrate into the waste tank with about a pint of water. That's all there is to it.
As long as you keep the cassette toilet emptied of waste, your emergency toilet will happily sit there on stand-by, odour-free, month after month and ready for use in an emergency.
Locating it within the homeYou would want to locate it somewhere within the home where discretion and privacy could be provided. It is very important that you choose a location where you will be comfortable using it, otherwise you will just exchange one type of anxiety for another.
The location will obviously be different for everyone, and some forethought may have to go into this. Think about the layout of your home and its grounds. Where do people venture the least? Where are people least likely to be if there is a gathering at your home?
In an ideal world, a large walk-in cupboard with a light and latch on the door could provide the perfect location for your emergency bathroom. Failing that, an under stairs cupboard, an airing cupboard, a basement area or even a garden shed might make suitable locations for your emergency toilet.
Rigging up some kind of curtain privacy screen could also be another option.
If you are lucky enough to have a more permanent location for it, like a walk-in cupboard, you might even want to consider making it a more cheerful place to be by decorating it. A lick of paint, maybe a picture on the wall and a selection of good reading material will transform any dark cupboard into what could feel like a small room. You are only limited by your imagination.
WardrobeBear in mind it doesn't necessarily have to be a permanent location. Many cassette toilets are small enough to store in the base of a wardrobe and can be pulled out for use.
The privacy of your own bedroom could suffice. If you are unable to put a latch on the door, simply set it up against the closed door so you won't be disturbed.
Peace of mind
Installing an IBS emergency toilet in your home is more about peace of mind than anything else.
Just knowing it is there, ready for use at any time, will instill in the IBS sufferer a greater sense of calm, which straight-away should help to ease IBS symptoms in the first place.
I would wager that any IBS sufferer who does this, will see a drop in their tension levels, and ultimately a lessening of their IBS symptoms.
Extreme?
To non IBS sufferers reading this, these steps may seem a little extreme, but to IBS sufferers who suffer anxiety every time the bathroom is engaged, this could be just what the doctor ordered.
I've managed to locate some reasonably priced casette toilets that are available via mail-order through Amazon.
Amazon U.S. Amazon U.K.
The Porta Potti 165 (far right) is the same model I have in my van
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