My Bathroom Pass

In my wallet, I carry around a "Bathroom Pass"- or at least that is what I call it. It is a laminated official card made by the Foundation of Clinical Research for Inflammatory Bowel Disease that helps patients to be able to use a restroom anywhere, at any time and fast, whether it is a public restroom or not. I have read some articles and heard some opinions that this is not needed. Some may think this is over the top or silly. It certainly is not.

People with inflammatory bowel disease really cannot hold it long or not at all. If I do not get to restroom fast when I need one I feel as if i'm very close to having an accident and it makes me dizzy and nauseous. Thankfully, I have not had an accident since my diagnoses, but I always make sure I am close to a bathroom, especially when I am flaring.

Last weekend, I almost had to pull out this bad boy. I kind of wanted to, it makes me feel more in control of my disease. I was shopping around in Anthropology (love that store!) in Tulsa, and all of a sudden I did not feel good. I had to go-now. I urgently searched a worker and asked where the bathroom was. She said it was only for employees. I asked her where the closest restroom was, and she she that it was way across the parking lot at a Starbucks on the other side of the shopping center. I told her I have Crohn's disease, and need to use their restroom immediately. Thankfully, the worker quickly grabbed her manager and they escorted me to the toilet. I know it is not always this easy in retail stores though.

I am thankful for sympathetic retail workers and my card to back me up to prove my condition. Sadly, Oklahoma is not a state that has passed the Restroom Access Act, also known as "Ally's Law."

"This advocacy movement is named for Ally Bain, who has Crohn’s disease, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Several years ago, as a young teenager, Ally had an accident in a store after her request to use the employee restroom was refused, despite her explaining repeatedly that she had an urgent medical need. After that humiliating experience, Ally successfully worked with legislators in her then-home state of Illinois to enact a law to address similar situations in 2005. Since then, with continued public advocacy by Ally and others, similar laws have been enacted in twelve other states: Colorado, Connecticut, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, Washington State and Wisconsin. As these are individual state laws, they each vary in certain details, but most say that a “retail establishment” must give a person with an “eligible medical condition” access to an employee restroom if there is no public restroom immediately available, there are at least three employees (in one case, two) working at the time, and the facility itself or its location will not pose a safety hazard to the person or security risk to the business (www.ibsimpact.wordpress.com)."


Below is a photo of my pass:

So, I sure hope any of you who work retail out there or own a business will always let someone with a medical condition use your restroom. Even if you feel more comfortable escorting them and waiting outside the door, we don't care! We just need a toilet. :)