good question chris. for me, crewing on a yacht is a dream come true. i´ve wanted to do it for over a decade but always felt too fearful of how i would cope (having, as you point out, shy bladder, shy bowel, and ibs). i´ve done a lot of work on the shy bladder over the last several years, experimented a lot with ways of improving my ibs, and done a fair amount of work on the shy bowel. it seems to have paid off. i seem to have got to a point where i can manage pretty well. i still have good days and bad days, i still find some situations more difficult than others. however, i can honestly say that during this whole trip (six weeks in total including several consecutive days at sea) i have not spent much energy at all in terms of worrying about any of my health conditions. it should also be noted however, that i am taking 20mg of seroxat (paxil in the states) each day, and this particular antidepressant is indicated for those with social phobias. i was on 30mg after a difficult winter (depression) but am now in the process of gradually reducing my dosage, and intend to keep on doing so. will write more once i return from my trip.
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