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I have Crohn's disease and will be taking a vacation to Sedona, Arizona, in May. If anyone with this disease has taken a vacation there, perhaps they could give me tips on how to deal with the apparent lack of bathroom facilities, what to do there easily, how to deal with a wide-open-spaces environment, mention problems that came up, and their solutions to the problems.

 Reply posted for marilynaz.

Marilyn,

Thanks very much for the suggestion. I'm writing my gastroenterologist at once to see what he thinks. I can try it beforehand to see if it works. I've thought of the surgery you mentioned, but I hate the idea of it. I take a drug called Humira, which is very effective against the basic illness itself (unfortunately it is very, very expensive), but even this drug doesn't do that much to prevent diarrhea. What works for me by far the best  is a pill I take called colestipol ... it is a generic and not that expensive. I take four pills a day ... the drug books say I can take up to 16 a day and not harm myself medically. This drug reduces the number of times I have to go to the bathroom to none or one or two if I stick to my diet as it firms up everything. If I eat or drink anything with milk in it or with concentrated sugar, however, nothing whatever prevents me from having diarreah. So, diet is extremely important to me. I usually skip lunch on vacations. One of the best benefits of this drug colestipol is that even when I have to go, it's usually not in a terrific hurry. A downside of colestipol is that if I take too many I get constipation (but even that is better than diarreah on a vacation).  Maybe some of what I say can benefit you.

 Reply posted for David D Jones.

David: Has your Dr. talked to you about using the nicotine patch, the same one that smokers use when they want to quit, to control your diarrhea? Some of the Drs out here are using it and I know of 1 success story. One of the members of our support group was voluntaraly having a coloscopy because he felt that wearing a bag was better than 15 to 20 trips a day to the bathroom. His Dr. suggested that he try the patch and within 2 days he saw a difference. He has now cancelled the surgery and is doing fine. There are a lot of Chronies in Arizona and we all have adjusted to the food in one way or another. Just a thought. There's still time before your vacation to get started. Living on grilled cheese and peanut butter and jelly when you're on vacation is no fun. Marilyn 

 Reply posted for marilynaz.

Thanks for the advice. I'll be sure to eat a lot of bland sandwiches and bring a passport. Thanks again.

 Reply posted for David D Jones.

Sorry David, but bland food is hard to come by in Az.Most of us Crohns patients have gotten our systems to accept the spicy food by slowly building up a tolerance to it. It might be good to start eating some now so it won't be shock to your stomach when you arrive.  Grilled cheese and hot dogs are about as bland as you can get. Mild salsa is not served in restaurants. Ask your waitress for suggestions as to which dishes are the mildest.  You can get that at the store and have it at the time share. We have some great tortilla chips out here.  Also, I would get a jar of peanut butter and make a sandwich for the road. If you haven't been keeping up with the news, it would also be a good idea to carry a copy of your birth certificate with you.  Have a good trip.

 Reply posted for rena.

Hi,

Thanks for the advice. I don't take Xanax, but I do take valium at times and will use it on the trip to keep from getting emotionally unnerved, which in itself doesn't do my Crohn's disease any good. If you found any restaurants with bland food, maybe you could tell me which ones they are as most of the restaurants we looked up were crammed with spicy Mexican-type food, which I can't eat. We've never been there, so the uncertainty of the circumstances is a main problem.  

 Reply posted for SalRX.

Thanks a lot for your advice. It was very helpful and positive. Four of us will be staying at a time share in Sedona for ten days. I'm interested in seeing the vortexes, hanging out at the hotel (to swim and just relax), and we'll be taking two train tours, one to the Grand Canyon and one to Fort Verde desert. We were told bathrooms are on the trains. I just bought an item on line called a biffy bag (ten of them), which I will carry with me at all times. It's a quick way to go in an emergency, either in back of the car or by going behind a bush. It's new, I understand. We'll be taking short tours of the vortexes. We'll be landing in Phoenix, driving to Sedona, and eating breakfast and lunch at the time share. We'll probably be going out for dinner--most places seem to have very spicy food. Did you find any restaurants with bland food? I plan to carry with me at all times a bottle of water, medication (part of the reason for the water), and a change of clothes in case of a worst-case scenario. Photography is one of my main reasons for going there. Did you find any particular places to take good photos, if that interested you? We'll be driving to Flagstaff. I understand that it's very hard to find bathrooms in the tourist section of Sedona. Is that right? Public restrooms are listed here and there in the center of town. Did you use these and are they very crowded? Do you have to put a quarter in a box to get in? All seemingly small details, but, as I'm sure you know, very significant details to someone with Crohn's disease who is in a hurry. Did you do anything astronomically? I haven't been able to get a response from an astronomy tour I contacted. There is a telescope there and if you did the astronomy, is it in a building or do you have to go outside where there are no restrooms? Did you stop at hotels to use their bathrooms or mostly at fast food restaurants? 

 Reply posted for David D Jones.

hey i was just down there a few weeks ago...where are you going to be exactly? the imodium is definitely a good idea...granted there is a lot of desert and open areas...but every 10-15 minutes on those long stretches of hwy there are stops...and the business owners and such are pretty nice as they let you use their bathrooms...not like NY...where i live lol...when i was down there i did a 2 hr bike ride and 4 hour ATV ride (on different days)...i did take imodium and it helped as being out it took my mind off of not having a bathroom around...but i did bring tissues and a plastic bag with me just incase...which i definitely do recommend...cause like i said...its abundant with trees and bushes so worst case scenario...find a quiet spot and use your supplies...

 Reply posted for David D Jones.

I went to Sedona in 2002 but basically stayed in the area where the shops and restaurants were. There were bathrooms there, but I agree with the other post, I would take immodium or lomotil during the day to help. I also take Xanax to help with my anxiety when going to places that I am unsure about. I am sure there are maps or guides that show where restrooms are located. I usually scope them out in the beginning. Good Luck and enjoy. It is beautiful there!

 Reply posted for David D Jones.

all I can tell you is plenty of Immodium thats how I handle Mother Nature Trips.