My Bowel Movement Issue Is Ruining My Education
I am a college student who wakes up around 5 a.m. and needs to be in college by about 6:30 a.m. I do not feel comfortable using the toilet during college, so I want to poop either before 6:30 a.m. or after 1:30 p.m.
I poop every day and usually pass normal stool. I do not consider myself constipated. On weekends and holidays, when I am relaxed and have unrestricted bathroom access, I can poop normally whenever I feel the urge.
My main problem happens on college days. I get the urge to poop during college hours, but I cannot go because I am in class and feel embarrassed. When I hold it, my stomach or colon makes loud rumbling, bubbling, or “fart-like” noises. I also feel bloated and uneasy. The noises are worse when I sit and tend to reduce when I stand. Sometimes the noises happen even after I have already pooped.
When I try to use the toilet during one of these episodes, gas usually comes out first. If I push harder, normal stool may come out, but I avoid doing that because I am afraid of making embarrassing noises. I do not necessarily feel that stool is stuck or ready to come out; the main issue is that the urge appears at the wrong time, and holding it causes more gas and noise.
I also fart frequently compared with my family. The gas is often not smelly. I do not drink fizzy drinks, but I sometimes chew gum for about five minutes to help with mouth odor. I am not sure whether milk or cereal makes the gas, bloating, or noises worse.
My usual breakfast is cornflakes with toned milk at around 5 a.m. My medium bowl probably contains about 200–250 mL of milk, or roughly 9–12 g of lactose. Breakfast has reduced my previous hunger-related stomach noises, but it has not reliably made me poop before college. At home, the foods usually available are eggs, milk, cornflakes, bread sometimes, carrots, potatoes, onions, and bananas. I do not like eggs and do not want to add extra calories.
I have not experienced abdominal pain, mucus, blood in my stool, unexplained weight loss, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or nighttime bowel symptoms. I have not described being unable to pass gas or having severe abdominal swelling.
Recently, I ate dinner at 7:30 p.m. The next morning, around 8:30 a.m., while I was supposed to be in college, I felt the urge to poop. I tried to poop before college but couldn’t. Because I was worried about having the urge, loud stomach noises, and bloating during college, I ended up skipping college so I could stay home and poop.
The main issue is recurrent college-time bowel urgency, loud internal bowel sounds, bloating, and frequent mostly odorless flatulence despite daily normal bowel movements and normal bowel function at home. I want to reduce or prevent these symptoms during college rather than simply being told to use the college bathroom.
My only issue is the loud noises my stomach makes when I hold in the urge to poop during college. It is embarrassing, and I want to know what I can do about it. I also want to know what diet and meal timings I should follow to increase the chance of pooping before 6:30 a.m. or after 1:30 p.m., so I can avoid the urge, bloating, and loud stomach noises during college.
