I Don't Like Flying To Begin With

September 9, 2010 4:18 PM

I get indigestion, and the last month, it's been pretty bad. And now, I have an 8-hour flight this Saturday. What can I do to try to keep my indigestion from being a problem during my flight?

Basically, I get diarrhea. Regularly. I have no idea what causes it, and I cannot predict it at all until the pains start up in my gut.

Yes, I really do need to see a doctor, and I've had it in the back of my mind that I would as soon as I got back from this trip I'm taking. Only recently did I realize, waittaminute, I really don't want to have diarrhea while on an airplane. In a perfect world, I'd never had to use an airplane bathroom, and getting painful indigestion on an airplane sounds a lot like hell.

So. What should I do to decrease my chances of getting sick while on the plane? I know it'd be way easier to answer this if I had any clue what caused it... But I just don't. For months now, I've been looking for possible triggers (milk? gluten?), and I've been unsuccessful. I just can't tell. With that in mind, what should I stock up on before the flight? What should I do?

I guess the most obvious plan is just to take Immodium AD or something.. But I've never actually taken medication for diarrhea before. Given that I don't know the cause of my diarrhea, can I trust it to not make things worse, or leave me painfully constipated?

posted by anonymous to Health & Fitness (20 answers total)

Just load yourself up with Immodium. Worst thing that'll happen is you don't take a dump for a week.

And call for an appointment with a GI TOMORROW, before you go on the trip, since there's often a several-week waiting time for a new patient to see a specialist in a non-emergency situation.
posted by phunniemee at 4:25 PM on September 9, 2010

Start trying things now. Taking a double dose of a psyllium fiber supplement tends to help me stay regulated, you might give that a shot. Along with testing the effects of Immodium.
posted by gjc at 4:27 PM on September 9, 2010

The one time I ever took Immodium, it left me with all the symptoms of intractable diarrhea except for poop actually leaving my body. I had roily gut, horrible cramps, the cold sweats, all of it, except I couldn't poop.

I guess it was better than having all that PLUS pooping, particularly because I was on stage for two and a half hours, but it was, well, it was not the miracle cure I had been expecting.
posted by KathrynT at 4:32 PM on September 9, 2010

Immodium is your friend. Go by the recommended dose, though. Don't like, load up. You might even take some the night before so you don't wake up sick.

And if you have to go to the airplane bathroom, you'll live. Better than pooping on yourself, right?
posted by sugarfish at 4:35 PM on September 9, 2010

Yup Immodium will clog you up good - maybe too good, though. I have colitis and resorted to it when I was Vietnam - the cure was definitely worse than the disease, I was similar to KathrynT, and I couldn't go for five days - which really really really sucked by about day 3 and a half.

But it will prevent any accidents on the plane.
posted by smoke at 4:40 PM on September 9, 2010

Aisle seat! Just knowing you can easily bolt for the bathroom if you have to may help prevent you from psyching yourself into an episode.

You could try eating binding foods in the days before the flight too (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast).
posted by Blue Jello Elf at 4:41 PM on September 9, 2010 [1 favorite]

Any chance you can get to an urgent care facility or some kind of GP before the trip? Lomotil is prescription only, but it will stop diarrhea without the side effects of Immodium. Much preferable.
posted by parkerjackson at 5:18 PM on September 9, 2010

I have no suggestions for the short term, but when you do start looking into this with a doctor, consider fructose malabsorbtion. I have it, and until I found out, had a very similar sounding problem with diarrhea. Basically, fructose is in - well, just about everything that comes in a package, thanks to the rampant use of HFCS in processed food.

I'd recommend avoiding anything containing fructose (as well as gluten and milk) in the few days leading up to your trip - it might help, and won't hurt.
posted by chez shoes at 5:30 PM on September 9, 2010

Maybe there's a chance you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Do you worry a lot? Maybe this happens when you are stressed about things? So if you stress about getting sick on the plane, you will probably be sick on the plane. Just take an anti-spasmodic, some Immodium (trial this before your flight), and eat some fruit like bananas and apples and maybe some nuts on the plane. And mostly, just try to relax!
posted by foxy at 5:42 PM on September 9, 2010

Low-sodium chicken stock warmed up + canned pumpkin dumped in and mixed up= diarrhea stopping/preventing soup. I also typically use bananas, congee, and apple sauce. When I go to conferences I almost always get sick, so I eat this beforehand and it usually prevents it.

A major travel secret I've discovered is the baby food/children's snacks in little plastic pouches like this or Gogosqueeze. When I travel I stock up on any with bananas, apple, and/or pumpkin. They seem to do a great job at slowing things down. I was on Librax in the past, but I didn't like the side effects. This works just as well.
posted by melissam at 5:51 PM on September 9, 2010

In addition to the tips above, I suggest Lactaid (even if you don't have a known dairy sensitivity) if you eat anything with any dairy in it and also maybe try Pepto instead of Immodium if Immodium doesn't work out. I def agree with others who have suggested a trial run of your anti-diarrheal med.

Also might want to have along a little meditation/relaxation mp3 to help you calm down if you're very nervous about this being a problem during the flight. Inhale... exhale. Good luck!
posted by hansbrough at 6:10 PM on September 9, 2010

Oh also, ginger tablets are great! Especially for travel! I live on them, and always carry them with me. Even snacking on crystallized ginger is good, and it's yummy too!
posted by foxy at 6:33 PM on September 9, 2010

I have a sensitive stomach (lactose intolerant plus GERD) and I swear by Pepto Bismol. A lot of people don't know that it's available in swallow-able tablets now. Very easy and discreet. (However for some reason the lids aren't very sturdy so I recommend putting them in a different container).

The best thing is to listen to your body. If you think your tummy is starting to get queasy, pop a PB immediately.

I don't take Immodium frequently, but a friend has described KathrynT's experience. YMMV.
posted by radioamy at 8:45 PM on September 9, 2010

Any adverse reactions when zantac and imodium are combined. That's what I'd probably try but I'm reckless.
posted by Carbolic at 9:53 PM on September 9, 2010

I have occasional problems with diarrhea and I also swear by pepto. I just don't like the way immodium makes my body feel- it leaves my insides bloated and painfully gassy. I find that pepto stops the runs and sooths my stomach but YMMV.
posted by MrsHarper at 9:59 PM on September 9, 2010

This probably isn't the best solution... but my best friend has a weird airline bathroom phobia, and always fasts before we take any sort of flight so that she won't have to use the on board facilities. Warning: this may make you grumpy and unpleasant to travel with (if you're anything like my friend!)
posted by Nickel Pickle at 10:12 PM on September 9, 2010

On top of immodium, you might want to try activated charcoal tablets, which are very good for situations where your stomach feels bloated and gassy. The charcoal absorbs the gas, and i've found that it works really well for me in terms of quieting down my stomach.

(p.s. i have very similar-sounding stomach problems and it turned out to be lactose intolerance)
posted by ukdanae at 12:07 AM on September 10, 2010

On the Imodium front: if you have a morning flight, definitely take some the night before. You will also need to be mindful about the length of your trip - if it's, say, a week, be careful about getting into using Imodium while you're there and never having enough of a break before your return journey, because in my experience, your body will decide to override it eventually (or the worse, hospital-calibre alternative) if you don't ease off. On the other hand, if you're going for two days, doing the same thing for the return journey will probably work just fine. My experience (inflammatory bowel disorder) with it is pretty good and long-term, though I agree with the suggestions to test it out first to see how you get on.

When traveling, I usually combine that with using a thin, self-adhesive heating pad, and sticking to light meals of bland foods (mostly refined carbs), and drinking lots of water.

Best of luck finding out what's going on, on your return - 'indigestion' sounds like a hardcore understatement and it must be seriously inconvenient. It's definitely a good plan to see a doctor before starting to use Imodium much.
posted by carbide at 12:50 AM on September 10, 2010

I have had similar problems, and I agree with Nickle Pickle; the most reliable method of preventing diarrhea is to have bowels that are already empty. I would never eat before going on a plane. I am also somewhat susceptible to air sickness, so by having an empty stomach I also alleviate the risk of throwing up (and I do recall one flight which had abnormal air turbulance and I was really, really glad that I had not eaten anything that day).

There is also another strategy beside fasting which can be used to ensure that your bowels are empty, although it might be more of a precaution than you really need. However, it is possible to completely evacuate your bowels, using a 12 ounce bottle of sodium citrate solution (available in drugstores). This is normally done as a preparation for gastro-intestinal surgery. If I were sufficiently worried about the state of my bowels, that's what I would do, completely evacuate them and travel with empty bowels. This protects you perfectly from either diarrhea or constipation.
posted by grizzled at 6:14 AM on September 10, 2010

if you do take Pepto, don't freak out when your stool turns black, you probably aren't internally hemorrhaging. Immodium doesn't change your poop color, so it does have that going for it.
posted by jrishel at 8:34 AM on September 10, 2010 [1 favorite]