Another Bad Case of Flush-a-Phobia!

Hi Ya! I'm delighted that you clicked by the blog today. You must have some insider secrets, eh? You seem to know when the coffee's perked and a fresh assortment of piping hot muffins, pastries and doughnuts has just come out of the oven. Help yourself.  Say...do you remember me talking a while back about having a case of flush-o-phobia? That's where you're flying at 39,000 feet and nature calls so you trot to the back of the plane and wait your turn to nip into one of those less than closet sized loos. Then the fear takes over that you might accidentally hit the 'WOOSH!' button with your elbow and be sucked ass-first out of the plane. Well, here's a lady who has a different version of flush-o-phobia.

Can you imagine having to ask someone else to flush the toilet for you because you’re too terrified it will swallow you up? That’s exactly what 20-year-old Ney Decino, from Church Village, Wales, has to go through every day.

“The sound of the water sends shivers down my spine. It’s awful. I swear it will swallow me up. Once I’ve flushed, the sound of it and the look of the water going down, it freaks me out,” Ney says.

She has had an irrational fear of toilets ever since watching a scene in the 1990 film Look Who’s Talking Too, starring John Travolta and Kirsty Alley. It showed an imaginary big-eyed, sharp-toothed character called Mr. Toilet Man, who screams it wants the child’s pee.

Ney, on the other hand, hasn’t, and she has had to deal with her phobia for most of her life. The young mother says she only goes to the toilet in public if it’s an absolute emergency, and always tries to find work close to home, so she can use the only toilet she feels safe on. And even there, she has problems flushing if she’s by herself. She will use a friend’s toilet if she has to, but only if they or a family member flush for her. Now, she’s trying to face her fear by setting up a Facebook group and getting in touch with other phobia-sufferers.

I understand your fear, Ney, and I think I have a simple answer for you. Put the toilet lid down before you flush. The toilet can't get you then, can it?  Sit on it even. Not only should it cure your flush-a-phobia, but it is more sanitary, too. Did you know that when you flush your toilet, it sprays a fine mist of feces and urine bacteria out about four feet in all directions? Well, see, you've learned something new. That's a good reason never to touch the walls of toilet stalls in public washrooms. By the time you get there, who knows how many people have flushed before you since the walls were last cleaned? Another good reason to wash your hands well after using the facilities.

See ya, eh!

Bob