Timing and Predictability
Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 9:54 pm
Hey folks,
For the past few months, my bowels have been doing increasingly poorly: where they used to move once a day every morning, they're now sluggish, unpredictable, increasingly firm, and difficult to hold in for more than a few moments when the need arises. The neurologist I've been seeing about my tethered spinal cord suggested that I use regular fiber supplementation and, when necessary, stimulant laxatives to make sure I'm not going more than 48 hours between BMs.
For the past two weeks or so, it's been working fine; 2 fiber caplets twice a day, and a couple bisacodyl at bedtime every other day. The next morning, it works its magic right as I stand up and get out of bed. Since I'm already changing and hopping in the shower immediately after, not being able to hold it in hasn't inconvenienced me terribly yet.
Two days ago, though, the bisacodyl kicked in while I was still sleeping, and I woke up to a ripe-smelling (though thankfully contained) crime scene that took at least 20 wipes to clean up. Despite my eating and sleeping schedule not changing prior, I figured it was a fluke, and continued the same regime. Today, the normal BM came upon first standing up, and I assumed everything would be fine. But in the evening, an unexpected accident of equal size happened while I was bending over to pull laundry out of the dryer.
Needless to say, I'm concerned about going to work tomorrow if a BM could happen while I'm there. Does anyone have any tips on how to keep regular in the face of a stubborn bowel?
For the past few months, my bowels have been doing increasingly poorly: where they used to move once a day every morning, they're now sluggish, unpredictable, increasingly firm, and difficult to hold in for more than a few moments when the need arises. The neurologist I've been seeing about my tethered spinal cord suggested that I use regular fiber supplementation and, when necessary, stimulant laxatives to make sure I'm not going more than 48 hours between BMs.
For the past two weeks or so, it's been working fine; 2 fiber caplets twice a day, and a couple bisacodyl at bedtime every other day. The next morning, it works its magic right as I stand up and get out of bed. Since I'm already changing and hopping in the shower immediately after, not being able to hold it in hasn't inconvenienced me terribly yet.
Two days ago, though, the bisacodyl kicked in while I was still sleeping, and I woke up to a ripe-smelling (though thankfully contained) crime scene that took at least 20 wipes to clean up. Despite my eating and sleeping schedule not changing prior, I figured it was a fluke, and continued the same regime. Today, the normal BM came upon first standing up, and I assumed everything would be fine. But in the evening, an unexpected accident of equal size happened while I was bending over to pull laundry out of the dryer.
Needless to say, I'm concerned about going to work tomorrow if a BM could happen while I'm there. Does anyone have any tips on how to keep regular in the face of a stubborn bowel?