(Part 1 of 3
Nothing in our lives can be taken for granted. Not even the ability to take a shit.
Nice shit. Rarely is this expression more apt than in this context. Because today I want to serve you some shit. To be precise, I want to tell you about this very thing. I've neglected writing for the last two days for some reason. So here's the full package... shit.
How did I come up with that? Well, it's quite simple. Nobody else does it. I guess it's somehow stored in people's subconscious as a taboo subject. And so you don't feel good talking about it. To be honest, I can't claim to know very many textbooks about ALS. I have read a lot of „real“ specialised literature. pubmed is a good source for this. However, you shouldn't have a problem with the English language. At least I, as a non-medical person, have to look up a lot of technical terms despite being an English native speaker. Latin would probably have been more useful than French at school.
Back to guidebooks and textbooks, no way. If there is such a thing at all, it's certainly not exactly entertaining evening reading. Everything I've seen so far also lacks the inclusion that is advertised so well. I'm not (only) writing these lines for other ALSers. And certainly not (only) for relatives who want to learn something about a case in their own family in order to understand it better. Even if the original intention was not to have to copy and paste the same text every morning via WhatsApp, I'm well past that stage. I would rather say that I write for the masses. Interested parties, those affected, relatives. And - extremely important to me - I write for doctors, therapists, pharmacists and carers. Because in my personal experience, there is an incredible amount of ignorance. So much that it can be dangerous. I only need to think about how many additional - completely superfluous - medications I have saved myself since I have actively interfered with my own medical prescription forms. And let's face it, how an ALS sufferer with tetraparesis takes a dump is certainly not written in any textbook. Certainly not as a picture book with my bum, which was really nice back in the day. Like this.
First, we have to work out the individual causes and their effects on shitting. Then we know all the individual problem areas that need to be addressed. This should be largely unknown. You only deal with such things when you are confronted with them.
And then I can give tips on how I have solved this in a practical way for me.
Tips, good keyword. Something tells me that this contribution will bring light into the darkness of the toilet bowl of many. And that is important. Seriously. A healthy digestion makes so many other things easier. The reverse is equally true. Disorders of the gastrointestinal tract have negative consequences that cannot be dismissed out of hand. Scientists speak here of a compelling relationship (as opposed to a sufficient one). Just a few simple examples of the effects that irregular digestion has on me in a fairly timely and reproducible manner:
- lebrigen secretion is formed instead of liquid saliva.
- Heavy, irregular, simply bad breathing.
- Mucus in the respiratory tract.
- Inner restlessness, sleep disorders.
- Headache.
- Nausea and malaise.
- acute asthmatic breathing problems.
And I'm sure there's a whole lot more, but I'll write about that in a separate post. It's a powerful topic that I never thought about myself until a few years ago. Until I had to experience on my own body several times what is connected. The human body is and remains fascinating, although I have to say that the more complicated something is, the more potential problems there are.
Problems, good keyword. I'll continue with that in the second part. Man/woman, why is it always so much and so long when I write something. Nobody could have guessed how extensive the topic is. As always, you'll find the next part linked below under „Never post“ as soon as it's online.
