There is a fine line when it comes to sharing information and OVERsharing information. Where is that line? What can/can’t you talk about? What’s “inappropriate” to say or to put on the blog??
I was farting while taking this picture. (No. Not really. …But probably.)
Unfortunately for my mother, I am the oversharing type. Whatever needs to be said, I just say it. And I hardly ever think before I speak. Oh, it can be bad sometimes, but typically, I’m just being honest and I don’t think there’s anything inappropriate in that. (EXCEPTION to that rule –> Just yesterday at the gym, Henry pointed at a rather large lady and told her that her belly was huge. Ouch. For her and for me. Running out that door as fast as our little legs could handle was a workout in itself. Henry has either inherited my oversharing superpowers or he is, in fact, an innocent four-year old with no filter.)
Today, staying true to my very nature, I am going to overshare with you.
Today, we talk about POOP and acupuncture.
See….Everybody poops.
Except for me.
My Poop History
My current predicament has been, well, a RECURRING problem for most of my adult life. I’m going to put on my doctor outfit for a sec and say that the reason that I can’t poop now is due to YEARS of laxative abuse in high school and college. Full disclosure here – During those years, I took about 3 laxative pills A DAY! Do that for three years and let me know how your colon likes it. Gosh – I was so incredibly stupid. And ADDICTED to that feeling of emptying my body.
Currently…
Ever since recovering from those abusive years, I poop every 4 to 5 days, maybe. It sucks! From everything I know about the human body (which is not much), I should be going to the bathroom once a day. I drink over 100 ounces of water a day. I eat healthy, fibrous foods. My stress level is pretty high, but I manage it. I exercise daily. I take a daily probiotic. But still nothing really works. I’ve even dabbled with enemas and colon hydrotherapy to help the situation, but I’m still not regular.
A Solution?
I don’t want to speak for others, but I’d dare to guess that some of you are with me. Constipated, bloated and uncomfortable. Looking for solutions. Well yesterday, I went in search of a solution and booked my very first acupuncture appointment.
On Pins and Needles
Walking in, I was EXCITED. I desperately need a solution to this problem, so anything that can possibly help and is natural (meaning no laxatives, aids), I’m willing to do! After reading about Janetha’s journey with her lazy colon and how acupuncture has helped, I wanted to give it a try.
My acupuncturist, Jann, immediately made me feel at ease. I filled out tons of patient history paperwork (like 4 pages!), and after looking over it, she thought that I could definitely benefit from this method. We talked for a good bit about my past history and she explained the reasoning behind acupuncture in general. I’m not going to go into the WHY’s of acupuncture – I’m sure you can google it and find all sorts of things about Traditional Chinese Medicine. To be perfectly honest, I don’t care about the philosophy behind it. I just wanted to find something that works. Is that bad? Probably.
Anyway, after we talked, I went into the room, undressed and we got started. She inserted 11 needles into various points on my body (two on my wrists, three on my belly, two on my calf, and four on my ankles). This process was PAIN FREE and I barely noticed what she was doing. She explained that every point was helpful in relieving constipation and motility problems. After the needles were inserted, Jann left the room and I was told to meditate or pray for the next 15 minutes. I nearly fell asleep – it was so relaxing to just be lying there, knowing I couldn’t get up, knowing a child wouldn’t come over and sit on my belly. I felt warm and safe.
Fire Starter
When the 15 minutes were up, Jann came back in and brought MUG WART with her. ??? I didn’t know what it was either. Apparently, when lit, mug wart herbs create a lot of heat and are used in acupuncture to add heat and energy to a specific point. Jann filled my belly button with salt (to act as a non-flammable base for the mug wart), sat the mug wart on top and lit it on fire. I looked down and there was a fire ON MY BELLY. There’s a first time for everything I suppose. It definitely made my belly warm – the theory being that when things are warmed, they move and we need to get my bowels moving.
Moving Forward
After my session, I got dressed and we talked again. Since Travis and I are trying to get pregnant again (!!!), Jann didn’t feel comfortable prescribing any traditional Chinese herbs. Instead, I’m to drink Rhubarb tea (which is very hard to find) or make fresh BEET juice daily. I’m planning to do both – I just need to borrow my sister’s juicer and order the tea online (<-actually did this last night).
I go back for a follow-up session on the morrow and then twice again next week. I have confidence that I’ll find a solution – I’m really hoping that this is it! I promise to keep you all updated on my progress.
Full disclosure and all.
QUESTION: Ever tried acupuncture before? What’d you think/did it work for whatever you were hoping to fix? Are you an “oversharer”?
splendid…lindsay
I’m doing accupuncture and a happy accident is that it’s helped clean me out and my pooping is better than ever.
However, I would say…have you tried SMOOTH MOVE TEA? It’s amazing and I highly recommend it.
Thanks for posting this. I was just having an internal debate about keeping my promise to myself about working out tonight ’cause of some poop issues. Off to the gym I go!
WHOOP! POOP!
I am not sure what I loved more, reading this post or all of the comments! I think it is far more of a common er, problem, than some think! I have recently had similar troubles, but not 4-5 days, wow, I would feel AWFUL! When I can’t go for a few days, I lovingly refer to it as feeling like I’m walking around with a backpack on. If that makes sense. Or a fanny pack – LOL. I’ve started using citrucel caplets on and off when I am having that problem and so far, it helps, but again, my lack thereof poopage wise, is far less than yours! I do have a friend that only goes literally once a week. And that is normal for her. Cannot imagine! Glad this is helping!!!
LOVE that you overshared this! I had tons of problems with this and I thought it was due to my history of anorexia. But after some crazy stomach pains and severe constipation, I went to a naturopath and found out that I have Celiac and a dairy allergy. Cutting gluten and dairy out of my diet has made a huge difference. Now, if I have some inadvertently, I’ll know in a day or two when I get backed up.
I hope your acupuncture helps! You’ll feel a million times better once you get it worked out.
haha I’m glad I clicked on this post because I saw something about “overshare.” I’m pretty sure the reason people follow blogs is because they want to know about the blogger’s life…at least a little. And it’s always entertaining to hear bathroom talk. This was actually the beneficial kind…like don’t abuse laxatives otherwise you will have problems and have to have your belly lit on fire kind of oversharing.
Hope this works for ya! I love being regular!
And I will be praying for you and your hubby this week about trying to get pregnant again! <3
LOOOOOVE acupuncture! I’ve been going regularly for about a year, and I love my acupuncturist. he’s so knowledgeable in everything that I need help with. You’re going to love it even more the more you keep going!
I really hope this works for you!
Never tried it, but glad you did and I hope that you get the results you are looking for! I tend to be a oversharer, but not all the time. Sometimes it just slips out, but hey it was what I was feeling…right? HA! Thanks for this post and making me smile on this Wednesday night and good luck with the poop! XOXO
omg, i lol’ed at the story about henry!
my frd told me a perhaps similar story. they live in palo alto/stanford area which is ALL white, including my frd’s fam. the first time his 1 yr old ever saw a black person, HE WOULD NOT STOP STARING. and he kept trying to reach over and touch the black person’s hair!
LOL. the black person was actually very cool about it and was like, i understand, go ahead, he can feel my hair all he wants.
That is hilarious! I’m glad that the man was really nice about it and didn’t get offended.
I have a really similar story… I went to Africa my freshman year of high school and we met these black kids who had NEVER seen a white person before. They followed me around and kept petting me (trying to rub the white off, because they thought I was dirty!!). It was the strangest and one of the eye-opening experiences I’ve ever had.
I’m currently having acupuncture for my depression/anxiety/eating disorder issues, I am 100% confident it is helping. Good luck with yours, hope it helps you poop :)
Lindz, fresh beet juice will keep you ultra-supremely regular. Take my word for it.
I can vouch for laxative abuse. I’ve finally, finally, FINALLY become regular again. I don’t even have to take my miralax travel buddy with me when i’m traveling. I attribute it to my juicing combined with magnesium / calcium, and a great diet + exercise (the latter you are obviously a rockstar). I wasn’t really that regular until I started juicing regularly.
cheers to acupuncture. I’m down.
and pooping too. I’m down for that. I hate not pooping. and I will share that from the rooftops. Similarly, I hate pooping too much, which was my previous problem (one way or the other … and that’s no fun). oh, and i also hate having to poop while i’m trying to run. no cool.
AND
cheers to making babies!!! have fun. and I hope you have success. at least you can have fun trying (though, I’d imagine at some point it becomes a little less fun).
yay for poop talk haha
girl you know we are not afraid to talk about poop since that is one of our main health issues we are trying to fix. Michelle tried acupuncture a few years and loved it, I believe she had good results, but could not keep up with it for cost reason. Maybe one day when we have extra cash we both can start it.
Good luck with your poop troubles! Wishing you all the best!!!
xoxo
Lori
Ive never tried this even though I have heard a lot about it…I dont think I share enough sometimes!
Some might consider this an overshare, but I definitely don’t! Figuring out that I was allergic to gluten was a painful, poop-filled bloated process that made me totally immune to any discussion of this kind! haha. I really hope this works for you and you find a solution!
I am definitely an oversharer, or I’m sure my momma and hubby would say :P Like you, I say what’s on my mind… I have had digestive issues for years and have tried tons of different things but have had no such luck finding that exact thing to cure it all. A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with Lupus and iron-deficiency anemia and this past fall I was diagnosed with IBS so I’ll probably never know which thing is acting up at the time, but I’m definitely looking for a remedy! I’ve tried everything from a GF diet, laxatives, and prescriptions, but not acupuncture- I’m looking forward to what your thoughts are! I just started taking probiotics and magnesium [day 3]- don’t wanna jinx it but the past 3 days I’ve been better than I have in a while…
I have always wanted to try acupuncture! I loved this whole post, poop and all.
Incredibly interesting, thanks for “oversharing”! I feel very lucky considering the amount of people I know with digestive problems (my husband being one of them) that things are on the regular for me. I am going to acupuncture as a additional treatment to my physical therapy. I have some crazy muscle things going on that we’re trying to release and heal via acupuncture, I try to go about once a week and I think it’s helping!
I tried acupuncture for my back before (my job + long bikes are not the most back friendly combination) – actually it was on a cruise. I liked it and it helped, but for me I found the ART Chiro was the most effective. I love that you shared this experience though – very cool and it could help someone else in the same situation!
I hope this works! I’ve never gotten acupuncture but if I could afford it, it’s definitely something I would try!
Fingers crossed this works for ya (I’ve never had issues going poop….TMI?) So I bet this super sucks! p.s. acupuncture sounds so neat, I’ve never had to do it though. I really love massage….
Probably more of an undersharer or par for the course type. Not normally going to overshare. My sister is a non filtered person though and it lends to a good laugh for sure!
Hope the needles make for some regular BM action for you!
I love that you shared this!! I can’t wait to find out how this works for you. I’ve been experiencing some bloating for the last few months that I think can be attributed to changing birth control pills. It’s so frustrating and I’m desperately looking for a solution!
I just have to say I’m so glad you talk about your poop on here. Makes just one more thing I love about ya ;)
Share away, mama. I hope this helps your issues…I know how uncomfortable that is. Right after college (when I refused to eat for 2 years) I had the same problems. Luckily, mine fixed itself. I will pray for a complete healing for you!
I love pooping. If I don’t go first thing in the morning it totally throws my day off. Can’t imagine going 4-5 days! Actually, I can. I have a hard time going while traveling and once didn’t got for a week while in Denmark. TMI? ;)
Can’t wait to hear how this works for you!
I really love open and honest posts like this and from others like Purely Twins. It’s nice to know that we’re not alone with our problems when sometimes it feels like we are.
I have always thought about trying acupuncture because I have a similar problem! I was told I have IBS, but I am usually constipated. Although it has gotten a lot better, it’s still not perfect. I look forward to reading more about your journey with it!
I have tried acupuncture before for digestive problems also. Really stressed out at work resulting in fun fun fun IBS. Nothing else worked so I gave acupuncture a try (also for my asthma). Helped with both and found the experience really calming. I hope that it helps you. So a bit of oversharing – my oldest son poops about every 2-3 days and omg it’s an event in our house when he has to go!!
I am the Overlord of Overshare. [OK, Overlord sounds really scary but I couldn’t think of an alliterative title other than that.] I was battling with this same issue a LOT over the summer, but generally going back and forth between two extremes. I am happy to report that things have been fairly regular for me over the past few months, probably due to reduced stress, as well as occasional shots of apple cider vinegar.
I am pretty much an open book, once I am asked a question. I don’t go around spouting personal info, but if I am asked, I will open up for sure!
I am definitely an oversharer, and at the very least has served as a source of entertainment for most people :) Haha! EVERYBODY poops…. except for ourselves. Another baby!!! Best of luck, lady! It is always so exciting, and as usual, we will be greatly anticipating good news. Acupuncture, I’ve heard, is as great and strange (but interesting) as you describe it. Fire on the belly!! Makes me think of hibachi. HA. xo
I’ve always wanted to try acupuncture for stress management, but haven’t because it sounds like it’ll hurt! But I’m glad you said it doesn’t! Good luck with your poop, er, lack of poop…
I’ve been known to be an oversharer…definitely!
I used to suffer from really bad IBS…it changed as soon as I switched up my lifestyle with exercise and good food. That said, I still have my bouts from time to time.
I’ve never tried acupuncture for it. Very interesting!
Thanks :)
I am really glad that you posted about this….I, too, struggle with the same problem as you and feel I’ve done everything short of taking laxatives (which I do not want to do). As weird as it may be, I’m kinda excited to see how your acupuncture/poop issue works out!!
I’ve done acupuncture before for stress and it definitely helped. Unfortunately I had to stop due to budget reasons but if I have the opportunity to go back I definitely will. It was amazing to feel a shift in my body when I went and it started to happen after a couple appointments. I hope you see success with it too!
My friends and I talk about pooping all the time. Seriously, I went out to dinner with some girls on Friday and we talked about it for at least 10 minutes. Ha. I have the same problem you do – I only go every few days. I’m not sure why though, no laxative abuse in my past. I think I just have a slow digestive system.
I’ve never tried acupuncture, but I only ever hear positive things about it!
Oh man, I talk about poop anytime, anywhere! I have Crohn’s, so I poop 3 – 5x a day. Before I went to the doctor for medication, it was 8 – 10 times a day!! Oh, that was horrendous. I used to be so embarrassed by it, and try to hide it (the *fact* that I poop a lot, not the actual poop itself) but that just added to the anxiety. So, everyone who knows me, knows. I can only imagine how uncomfortable it feels to not go for 4 -5 days! My fingers are crossed that this works for you! Over-share away. I love it.
Isn’t it funny how easy over sharing on the internet can be? I tend to lean that direction, too- haha!
I’ve only tried acupuncture once and it was when I was 9 days overdue with Hailey. The doc said he could put me into labor. Unfortunately it didn’t work, but he did give me some mug wart to use towards my goal of a natural birth (which funny enough didn’t work either ;))
But I’ve heard so many people swear by the wonderful things acupuncture can do, so I can’t wait to hear how it works for you! :)
I overshare, sometimes I know the limit! I think the fake boob reveal on my blog was a share, but hey it was a very important detail as to how I knew I was pregnant. Oh well!
Love you and glad to hear the appt went well! I never tried, but maybe one day!
Oh, I am such an oversharer so none of this seems to much in the least. Share away! I think its always good to speak out because you never know who else can relate and use what you share. I used to have the same issues. I don’t know how or why but after pregnancy with B I have always been regular again. Maybe because my body finally got to a healthier place? Who knows? Just take care of you and poop talk all you want along the way!
ahh yes, well you know my poop history. I had to go to acupuncture to make me stop going 4x a day. I think it helped ease the muscles from over spazzing.
Go for it linz, also email me because i have a whole list of things that help. Magnesium supplements, etc.
Please do continue to share… I have low motility in my colon.. and that combined with years of ugly things I did to my body have caused me difficulties in the bathroom department, as well!
I’ve never tried acupuncture but I started seeing a chiropractor recently and they have absolutely blown my mind to the link between our GUT, our spine and the rest of our body. (If you stop and think about it everything IS connected). But if the acupuncture doesn’t work or you find yourself looking for something else, it might be worth it to see if you have a wellness chiro in your area. I’m about 2 1/2 or weeks in and LOVING it!
I have tried acupuncture–it was a few years ago, and at the time, it didn’t seem to help the situation (different than yours though). I have heard of it helping many people, so I’ll be curious what you think of it, and if it works for you! Good luck!!
I’d definitely say I’m an oversharer at times, sometimes it’s hard to see the line between too much and acceptable haha! Ooo acupuncture looks fun, especially since it doesn’t hurt. Goodluck with the pooping! Hope it starts happening for you..just don’t post any photos- that’d probably be wayyyyyy over stepping the mark ;)