What To Do If You Are Stuck In The Bathroom For A While

When you have Spina Bifida, going to the bathroom often is difficult because sometimes your bladder and bowel muscles do not work. There are ways to manage these issues and stay out of the hospital, but often it can take hours to go to the bathroom. I am able to go to the bathroom independently because I have a stoma that allows me to go to the bathroom without needing assistance. Most times, I have no issues when I do my bowel regimen and can have a bowel movement with a shower in an hour or two, but it’s not perfect and doesn’t always. Some days, I spend all evening in the bathroom because, for some reason, I’ve gotten constipated and can’t have a bowel movement. It is frustrating when I am unable to have a bowel movement because I do everything to prevent that from happening, and there are a million other things I’d rather be doing than spending the evening on the toilet. It is boring when you are stuck in the bathroom for five hours or more, and there is only so much you can do to keep yourself entertained. What can you do if you are stuck in your bathroom for a while? In this post, I am going to talk about how I entertain myself when I am having bowel issues and am stuck in the bathroom for a really long time.

Start singing some karaoke– When I have a bowel movement, one of the things I never forget to bring with me is my cellphone because you never know if you are going to have an issue and need help, or if you are going to be in there longer than expected. If I know I am going to be in the bathroom for at least an hour, I always have my cellphone because there is so much you can do to keep yourself entertained. I don’t usually listen to music when I am having a bowel movement, and prefer to play games, but you could if you wanted to, because technology has made it so easy to put your favorite songs on repeat, and if you use something like Spotify, you can download your favorite music, and don’t even need an Internet connection. Put on your favorite Taylor Swift song and start singing the lyrics at the top of your lungs to distract yourself from the pain. If you live with people, they might not like your singing voice and be annoyed by your karaoke session, but at least you are having fun.

Play games on your phone– There are so many free games, such as Royal Match, that you can download to your phone to keep you entertained when you are at the doctor’s office or are chronically ill and are in a flare and can’t get out of bed. I play games on my phone on a regular basis, but I don’t usually play them for that long because I’d never do anything productive if I played games all day. If I am on the toilet, I sometimes will play games and color on my phone because there are a lot of coloring apps that I enjoy. Playing games is a great thing to do when you are on the toilet because it’s something you can quickly stop if there is a disaster.

I sometimes will plan blog post ideas– If you are a disabled or chronically ill blogger and having bowel issues and are stuck in the bathroom for hours, there is no better time than to start planning your next blog post idea. You can write a blog post from a cellphone, but I don’t usually like to do that because the screen is much smaller and takes me twice as long as it would from a computer. I sometimes will brainstorm blog post ideas so I have them ready to go for when I am at my computer and am ready to write.

Watch some YouTube videos- I follow a couple of content creators on YouTube and usually will watch them when I am doing my bowel regimen because I know I am going to be there are a while and don’t always have a lot of extra time during the day. There are so many YouTube videos online that you could possibly watch them, and as long as you have an Internet connection, it’s a great way to pass the time. If you wanted to, you could even download the Netflix app and watch some movies to keep you entertained and distract yourself. I watch a lot of YouTube videos when I am having a bowel movement, and sometimes get so involved with what I am watching that I forget what I am doing.

Utilize social media- – I am not usually the type to recommend social media when you’re bored because there are so many other ways you can entertain yourself, and you don’t need to be glued to your phone. I don’t think there is anything wrong with getting on social media if you are on the toilet and stuck in one location, because when you can’t move, you are limited to what you can do to entertain yourself. If I am stuck in the bathroom for a while and can’t do anything except sit there, I do recommend social media, and sometimes I will get on Instagram and watch pointless reels. Social media is a great way to entertain yourself when you are stuck in one location because there is so much content online that you are sure to find something that interests you. I sometimes will check my notifications when I am in the bathroom longer than expected because it’s a great time to respond to comments you have gotten around to answering.

Browse Pinterest- I have pinned all of my posts to Pinterest because the more places you have your blog on the more likely you will be to get more readers. I create a lot of my own pins and won’t typically create a pin from my cellphone because it takes a lot longer, but I will browse Pinterest when I am bored. I am careful about what I read on Pinterest and don’t believe everything because there is a lot of incorrect information online, but I do sometimes get ideas from Pinterest. In my spare time, I will browse Pinterest because even if I don’t find anything that personally interests me, sometimes I do get blog post ideas.  

Make a tweet– I mostly use X to promote my blog and don’t usually tweet anything else, but if it is your kind of thing, there is no better time than when you are stuck in the bathroom because you can easily do that from a cellphone. It doesn’t take that long to make a tweet, but why not do it if there is nothing else to do?

When you have Spina Bifida, going to the bathroom ca be a long process, and depending on your mobility needs, it may take some people most of the day because people with less mobility have a harder time going to the bathroom. It is frustrating to be stuck in the bathroom for hours, and if you listen to your doctor, it doesn’t happen as often, but it’s not always avoidable when your bowels don’t work properly, because you can be doing everything right and still have problems. If I know I am going to be in the bathroom awhile I always plan ahead and make sure that my phone is fully charged so if I am in there longer than expected that I am not totally bored. Disabled and chronically ill people often spend more time in bed than non-disabled people, and because of technology, it’s easy to distract ourselves from the pain. I don’t know what I would do with myself if I had to spend two hours or more in the bathroom staring at the wall without a cellphone. How do you entertain yourself when you are having bowel issues and are stuck in the bathroom for a while? If you liked this post, please leave a comment below and share it with your friends.

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