Breaking A Habit

[anonymous]

This is a bit embarrassing so I'm posting anonymously. I was anally raped when I was a young child. Starting about three years ago, I would have panic attacks, often resulting in passing out, when I had a large bowel movement coming. It took quite a while to put the pieces together. These days I don't get the tunnel vision, nausea, dizziness, but I tend to go into freeze. I won't be able to do much of anything for hours. And once I have a large bowel movement a few hours after the fatigue hits, I'm pretty much fine. I am sure it is a direct link to the rape. Not sure what to do except continue to be conscious of what my body is doing. But it's impacting work and life. If I try to work through the freeze, all hell breaks out and the panic attack starts up or I go into collapse. So the best thing to do is be still and ride out the fatigue.

Just wondering if you guys have any coping techniques I might can try. I'd like to work through this quickly but things are going very slow. Sometimes I completely forget the reason I'm most likely being zapped of energy. Physically I'm good. No ailments. So this is a ptsd response.

 

[greycrayon]

I have the same, a freeze/fatigue response and an urge to push something into the toilet

 

[Powder]

How frustrating.

I would suggest trying to stick to a regular schedule and diet that results in not having large movements, but more frequent small. Better for you anyway.

You can use drinking a strong espresso and eating a homemade, healthy muffin with flax seeds in it in the morning and moving around, taking a quickpaced walk. If you train your bowel to go at the same time every AM, then you will feel more in control and you won't miss one and have a big one.

Take back the power and the control over your body. That is one way to short circuit this. Via the body.

 

[Friday]

What's the habit you're trying to break?

 

[EveHarrington]

What's the habit....

I'm confused about this, too. Can you please clarify? Thanks!

 

[joeylittle]

Odd idea, but two things: really get more water, because it will both keep things moving and keep them smoother, which translates to less effort to expel - and, try taking a stool softener, see if it helps.

Everybody poops, but some people can empty a full bowel in a few seconds, while for others it takes much more effort. I think if you could get your stools to be more hydrated/softer, your body would be able to do much less in order to expel them. You'll feel less of it.

Oh - also, look into the appliances that support squatting; apparently the squat position works with the alignment of the colon in such a way as to make defecation effortless.

It makes sense to me that this is a trigger, and I think working on resolving the trauma (natch) along with making pooping sensation-free, could do the trick.

 

[Friday]

Oh - also, look into the appliances that support squatting; apparently the squat position works with the alignment of the colon in such a way as to make defecation effortless.

Squatty-Pottys are the shit! :D

For real, @anonymous, the angle of exit sitting on a western toilet is the same as the angle of entrance for anal sex / anal rape. Squatting? The way well over a billion people in Asia (and toddlers worldwide) do it? Creates an entirely different angle of exit. So even for "shits to be proud of!" ((OMFG, that's huge!)) ... It doesn't feel like there's a cock up your ass.

It makes sense to me that this is a trigger, and I think working on resolving the trauma (natch) along with making pooping sensation-free, could do the trick.

Very much agreed.

***
@anonymous

If you're a once a week person, though? Just DONT increase your fiber!!! Rough (and overly simplified) estimate ... 80% of the pop are once a day poopers, and 20% once a week poopers. The poops? Exactly the same / normal kind of poop in both groups. The big difference is metabolism. Once a weekers have extremely efficient -aka slooooow- metabolisms and extract every possible nutrient possible. They're not once a week because constipated. ((Both groups tend to be freaked out by the other group... But I really do promise... The poops are the same. But once a day people think constipation -ouch- at a week, and once a week think diarrhea -ouch- at daily, but the other team isn't suffering from constipation or diarrhea. Their bodies leave in the right amount of water for both crowds.)) The problem with high fiber and a slooooow metabolism? Constipation. Big time. Because the fiber doesn't speed things along, it just piles up. Creating huge poops. The other tricks work the same on both daily and weekly crowds (hydration, exercise, etc.) but not the fiber. That's a painful mistake to make! Ugh. Been there & done that!

 

[Sideways]

This is one I can relate to, and yeah, setting new records on the "embarrassing topics" front. Fortunately with a dad who's a doc and a mum with a twisted bowel, free-flowing movements are totally acceptable dinner table conversation at their place.

Once you've figured out the diet that works for you, hydrate hydrate hydrate. 2 litres (8 glasses) every day. Keep track. Hydration is key.

Second, irritating but fact, exercise. Daily. You get moving, and things move better. People that are bed-bound have massive issues on this front. Exercise is under-rated, mostly because the average Joe wants a simpler fix than having to haul arse out of bed half an hour earlier every day. But it's really important for a healthy moving gut.

Traps for many players: opiate painkillers. Avoid these like the plague. Codeine will set me back days.

Also, easy on the prunes. Yes, 2 or 3 prunes on your brekky will help. But that's as much help as your body will get from prunes in a day. People make the mistake of thinking that if 2 prunes help, 8 prunes will do wonders. Not so. All those extra 5-6 prunes are doing is adding calories and your gut would get just as much benefit from you scooping a fistful of sugar onto your brekky each morning.

Sadly, it's one of those "lifestyle" fix situations that's really hard work to change. But diet, water and exercise are the best way to a free-flowing gut.

 

[anonymous]

Than you everyone. Sorry I haven't been online for a few days.

These tips are helpful. I stay very hydrated. And I'm rarely constipated. Something about the pressure on the lower colon sends my body into freeze. I eat clean except for one treat each day. No opiates or caffeine for years. And I do prebiotics. Just the normal, regular, bowel movement sends me off. I have one between 10-11:30 each morning. This morning I crashed at 9:15. The evening movements don't effect me the same unless I'm not managing my symptoms well.

Thanks again!

 

[anonymous]

Just occurred to me that maybe my level of consciousness is the difference between morning and evening. I may try to get up and get active earlier. Today I was up & working at 7 but maybe backing that up to 530 and getting out of the house moving may aide the vagus vagul response. It's worth a try.

 

[joeylittle]

And anon, given what you wrote - definitely try the squatty potty, if you can. You can do a pretty effective job of making some squat blocks just for yourself as well. Search around...

 

[anonymous]

Thasks @joeylittle . I got a squatty potty years ago. Used to have fissures and the sp helped immensely. The fissures disappeared when I started talking about the rape. Now the problem of crashing happens over an hour before I know I have to go so it must be pressure in the upper colon. Googling it, seems this isn't unusual. Pressure on a nerve in the lower back cause passing out.