A heightened gastrocolic reflex can cause urgent bathroom needs immediately after meals, significantly affecting quality of life—but simple solutions exist.

Written by Anirudh Vashisht, PhD

With quotes from Dr Vijay Kumar HJ (Gastroenterologist); Dr Aasima Boxwalla (Surgical Gastroenterologist)

Office lunches became dreaded ordeals for Rakesh Pathak. While colleagues chatted over their meals, the 36-year-old software engineer from Gurugram was mentally counting down minutes, knowing that within half an hour, he would need to excuse himself abruptly. Birthday celebrations, team dinners, and even family gatherings at restaurants all followed the same pattern—moments of connection interrupted by an urgent biological reality that had begun ruling his social life.

“Within half an hour of eating, I need to go to the washroom for pooping. The situation becomes more difficult for me while eating outside or at any social event as availability of washroom was not good everywhere,” recalls Pathak. At times, the situation became embarrassing when friends and colleagues made fun of his predictable dash to find a toilet after eating.

The impact on his social life was substantial. He avoided travelling with friends and skipped many social events. Restaurants without clean toilet facilities were automatically excluded from consideration. Tired of these persistent challenges, Pathak finally consulted a gastroenterologist on a friend’s advice. After thorough examination, the doctor identified the culprit—an overactive gastrocolic reflex.