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Surprise Healing

Hi. I am posting this here because I not sure where else to post it. I posted my story when I joined in September, 2011 but a current experience prompts me to add to my original posts. This detail is not very pleasant, so please forgive... but hopefully it will help someone.

After I had my surgery almost 50 years ago, I continued to have to go the bathroom 6 or 7 times a day, with very loose stool. In addition, I had a rectal abcess, which I had to cover with gauze to stop it staining my underclothes. The doctors tried all sorts of things to get rid of the abcess, including drugs and surgery, but it persisted. The problem was originally caused by a small hole in my intestine where it had been rejoined during the surgery. My very watery stool leaked through it and caused a track that had its outlet as the rectal abcess. Surgery to fix the hole was suggested, but that was fairly major and I did not want to mess with something I had learned to live with.

Then in 1998, while living in Florida, I secured a contract in New York - I was a freelance computer consultant - which meant me living away from home in a hotel for several months. I decided to take matters into my own hands and started to take 4 Immodium a day, 2 in the morning and 2 at night, even though my doctor advised me against it. The result was twofold - my bathroom visits were reduced to 3-4 visits a day and my stool, though still watery, was a little firmer. After about 4 weeks, the abcess DRIED UP - presumably because my stool was firmer and could not leak through the hole in my intestine and the track closed up. It has never reappeared. It was a very pleasant surprise, because neither I nor my doctor had thought of this. My body had adjusted and healed itself.

I am reminded of this because of something that is currently happening to me. I cut down on the Immodium over a period of time to 2 a day (Yes, I have been taking Immodium or generics for 12 years with no ill effects to date). After discovering and joining this forum last year, I was told about Psyllium - a fiber powder and decided to try it. I am now living in the Philippine Islands, where it is readilly available at pharmacies for about the equivalent of 20 cents U.S., per sachet of 5 gms. I take one sachet first thing in the morning - in a cup of warm water and a bit of cranberry juice to hide the taste (nothing can hide the yucky texture). Within a week, my bathroom visits were cut to 1 a day and my stool is 'soft' rather than 'loose'. I totally recommend Psyllium even if I have to take it for the rest of my life, as it has greatly improved my daily routine - I dont have to stay within 2 minutes of a bathroom all the time, for a start. After taking this every day for 3 months, I 'enjoyed' a new experience for me - constipation. Seven days ago, I decided to experiment and stop taking the Psyllium for a few days. Seven days later, I am still only going to the bathroom once a day and having soft stool. I know it is still early, but I am wondering if this is another case of my body adjusting and healing itself.

Sorry this was a bit explicit, but I hope it helps someone and encourages sufferers to try something new, where that is feasible, particularly to stop bad side-effects or after-effects.

Good luck,

Philfun
 
How long did it take for you to notice the effects once you started Psyllium powder? Do you mix it in the water after you heat the water up?
 
I recently started taking psyllium husk in pill form. I started with 1/day and within a day or two, I went from 7 bathroom trips/day down to 3. After a week, I decided to add a second pill (instructions said take 1-3/day). Within a day or two, my trips increased to 8-10/day and I started bleeding. It took me 5-6 days to connect it to the psyllium (if that's what it was), then I quit taking it completely last week. The blood has been gone 4 days and I'm back to 6-7 trips/day. I'm adding back one pill starting today.
 
Mhiler: Took 2 days before I noticed an improvement. I just put 1 sachet (5gms) of Psyllium in a medium cup add the warm water, mix a little cranberry juice for taste and stir vigorously. I take it first thing in the morning, before coffee.

Chrisnsteph: Try the powder/flakes rather than the tablets. It may digest easier and give less irritation to the bowel, which may be causing the bleeding.

Good luck.
 
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