No longer using the toilet

I just realized while writing a response in another thread that I haven't used a toilet at all in over a week, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. I've been having off-and-on again issues with IBS the past few months, and after weeks of waking up with painfully strong bowel urges for days on end I decided to start relieving the urge and then let myself hit the snooze button before getting out of bed and showering. More often than not, I will have another smaller movement within fifteen minutes, and usually while half asleep. My significant other heads wakes up and heads to work an hour earlier than me, and since I empty the bathroom bin before I leave, I've not mentioned anything about it yet. I had been having minor leaks at night in the weeks prior, so the plastic pants make sense.

Ever since I started doing this, my BM schedule has become less erratic (I was noticing small messes that I didn't remember a few times a week while changing during the day) but for the past week or so I've been having exactly one movement each day, every morning when I first wake up. The only reason this is convenient is because of our current schedule, and so far it seems to have helped prevent the daytime issues I had been having. Is it healthy long term to continue this, or should I try to make it to the restroom in time when I can?

depending on the situation sometimes its better not to, fighting to get the diaper on and off again afterward almost makes a change necessary anyway. I know exactly what system you're using so I can tell you it almost isn't worth the hassle of trying when you have an overnight pad in. It's just going to ultimately hinder the effectiveness of the brief more then just using it would... keeping it on and taped secure, you're probably better off at this point just using the brief.

Just beware that every body fluid and solid waste that contacts your plastic pants erodes the plasticizers and helps them wear out , so getting control of your leaks means longer product life . Your pants will thank you .

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Thanks for the advice. IBS accidents (which aren't something I've had many issues with in the past) always make me feel depressed, I also think consciously allowing myself to go in the morning it gives me a feeling of some control over things. I've already started to work the extra showering steps into my routine and I'm never in a soiled diaper for very long, so it's not nearly as unmanageable or unhygienic feeling as I thought it would be. It's only really recently that I've started having such regular movements, before I stopped trying to hold it in the mornings I was beginning to have small accidents while working out some days. Lately I have barely felt any urge whatsoever during the day...only immediately when I wake up and sometimes another within half an hour. It works really well right now, but if my body's routine shifts by even a few hours I'm worried that I could end up having daytime accidents again with even less control than before.

yeah it can be a bit disheartening at times,

messy daytime changes aren't something I want to deal with, but since they've been happening less frequently (so far) using this method I'll probably keep it up unless things change. still haven't told significant other about it (and not sure I need to since I deal with it very discretely even at home and it's not something we've talked much about since we first started dating) but I'll probably have to say something when our schedules line up again in August… not sure I want to start taking Nullo or anything like that. so I'll keep taking it day by day, like I always have

chlrophyll tablets aren't awful, but being honest is probably best.

Also will try holding it in the morning and making it to the toilet to see if I have less control, I can monitor if anything changes during the day since I have next two days off. Morning urges are still really strong, I'm hoping this is IBS-related (since this flares up only occasionally, although with increasing frequency and for longer periods of time) and subsides to the point where I can still use the toilet most days instead of being the new normal. Especially since suddenly noticing that I haven't used the toilet (as in not even once) in over a week is what scared me in the first place :/

A week is not too long and in my personal experience incontinence is not a stable state - it varies and you need to keep a record if you really want to understand short term changes and long term trends. I have been inco for long enough to know that using the diaper for what it is made for is often the best option - once you get over the squeamishness of having to do so. Starting to pee as you unfasten your diaper is a problem - starting a bowel motion as you are getting un-taped is a disaster (I speak as one who knows!).

The diapers what have velcro fastenings - often with a waist band are very good if you want to combine protection with still being bale to use the toilet.

It's been about a month now and so far two things have happened. First, morning bowel urges aren't as strong as they were before. I'm usually able to get out of bed (and out of my overnight diaper) to use the toilet now, although the urge intensifies when I stand up, so it's still a race against time. I've had a few accidents on my way to the bathroom. But it's definitely an improvement, especially since my significant other and I are now on the same morning schedule again. Up until this week, she left earlier than me, so messy mornings weren't as much as a hassle over the last month as they would be going forward. So that's a slight improvement.

It's the second thing that's more concerning: I'm now having occasional small (very small) daytime accidents, often without noticing, almost every day, and always before noon. It's as though I've replaced severe but regular morning bowel urges with less severe urges, followed by a second movement a few hours later. It's nothing a few wipes can't take care of, but it's made me feel self-conscious again, right as I was beginning to get used to managing my urinary incontinence with public diaper changes (as opposed to pull-ups, which I switched from nearly a year ago. I've still not said anything to my girlfriend since it's happening while I'm at work, but last weekend it happened while we were at brunch with friends, and when I took longer than usual to change she asked if everything was okay after we left and I didn't know what to say. I'm still hoping these IBS issues will subside, but I've been urinary incontinent for years and this has never happened with such frequency, or for such a sustained period of time. I suspect it may have to do with the diapers themselves. My urologist has always encouraged me to exercise as much bladder muscle control as possible, but ever since I started to trust my diapers and go longer between changes I've noticed myself paying less attention to holding my bladder throughout the day. I'm now wondering if my sphincter muscles are weakening alongside my bladder? Probably a question for my urologist (I'll have to make an appointment) but has anyone here had a similar experience?