The Lighter Side of: Frequent Bathroom Breaks

To be honest, I am not even sure how many times an 'average' person goes to the washroom.
I think when people are young and healthy, they may not even notice. Maybe three or four times for the basics and once or twice a day for the full digestion, but that is a guess. Then, women who have had children or who have gone through menopause would go more frequently from increased bladder output.

When I first became symptomatic with Ulcerative Colitis, I knew something was wrong. My digestion seemed to be on fast-forward, and sometimes nothing even appeared to be digested at all. Add in blood and a frequency of about 8x a day, and there was obviously something wrong.

After years of medications, a couple of surgeries, injections, infusions, a temporary ileostomy, and removal of my entire large intestine, I was diagnosed - additionally - with Crohn's Disease.
Through all of these years, my doctors kept a specific goal in mind.
We all wanted my system to slow down to 6 times a day.
That was our goal.

I am still not there yet.
My frequency is better, by all means, but definitely not at 6. It is more around the 10-12 mark - which is still a marked improvement from approximately 18x daily. I'll take it.

So after hearing this 'goal' for years and years and years, I actually thought that 6x daily was considered 'normal' or 'average'... but then I saw a comment on social media about a girl who has Ulcerative Colitis whose frequency was my ultimate goal.
To my surprise, she was terrified, upset, and nearly hysterical. She even stated how she did not know how she could go on with that kind of constant interruption.
Now there is no judgement here. Experiences are relative, so I am certain that - for her - 6x a day is horrendous and life-altering.
Though you can see why my views are a little misinformed.

So what happens when you spend that much time in the washroom?

Well, you can do a lot of different things. You can catch up on current events, browse through social media, text your friends, write blogs, read, or even watch a show!
Don't scrunch your face in disgust, we all do it!
Just remember to use Lysol wipes on your phone or tablet frequently!

The Lighter Side of frequent bathroom breaks is that there is a lot you can accomplish from the washroom. I write many of my blogs during one of my twelve visits a day. (Isn't that a nice visual?) Lol.
An added plus, usually experienced during the summer months, if you are using the washroom that often and wind up having to use outhouses or squatting in nature -> your quads get a fantastic workout!!

Remember that normal is relative to what you experience.
My normal is more than what many people consider 'average', but less than what others consider their norm.
If you can find a light side to a crappy situation, life will be much easier. It won't ever reduce your pain or cure your illness, but a positive outlook and a sense of humour will help your psychological well-being and offer some decent distraction from your woes.

It helps me!