Attention

The opinions expressed by columnists are their own and do not represent our advertisers

Friday, December 21, 2012

The Grassroots Movement to Change the Nation's Public Restroom Laws

With the rise of inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's and ulcerative colitis, some are rethinking how we approach restroom access

When Lisa Bain first noticed the look of pain and horror on her daughter Ally's face, she didn't need to ask her what was the matter. The two were shopping in an Old Navy outside of Chicago, and Ally, then 14, had suffered from Crohn's disease for nearly three years.

Few people will ever understand the fear and anxiety someone with Crohn's feels at the thought of appearing in a public place while in the throes of a flare up. An immune disorder, Crohn's (and similar diseases like ulcerative colitis) is characterized by inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract, resulting in diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bleeding.

While in the midst of a flare up, a person with IBD may have to use the bathroom upwards of 30 times a day. As the gastrointestinal tract becomes more inflamed, he or she is unable to control the bowels for more than a few minutes at most. In some cases, it can be less than 60 seconds.

More 

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Another stupid idea to reduce this country into groups.
As soon as this is passed, everyone will suddenly be afflicted with Crohn's.
It will be just like the stupid handicapped parking spaces, widely abused.

Anonymous said...

It will be just like the stupid handicapped parking spaces, widely abused.

December 22, 2012 6:00 AM

why are they stupid and how are they abused?