I am 6 years into TM. [possible grossness alert] My bowels were very
reluctant, and I left the hospital doing suppositories, softeners, and
laxatives with mediocre results. They expected better return, but decided
it was the prednisone, which otherwise didn't seem to me to affect the TM
symptoms. After a year and a half of working with my acupuncturist and
taking awful tasting herbal teas, my bowels could make people-sized rabbit
pellets almost every day, with something that occasionally looked "normal",
without the softeners, etc. Since then, the pellets have gradually gotten
slightly larger, with more occasional tubiness. Before TM, I was easy tubes
once or twice a day. I sometimes now get cramps that double me over as a
"it's time" message. I miss about one day a week usually. I also eat major
amounts of vegetables and mostly whole grains.
The bladder has been trickier, especially with the potential for
embarrassment. I cathed for 6 months, I think, after leaving the hospital.
When the numbers were low, they said I could stop. But since then, I've had
urgency, sometimes leaking a little before I get there, retention, and
frequency. If the frequency increased, I would tell my acupuncturist, and
he would stick in a needle, and I would concurrently drink cranberry juice,
so I haven't had infections from the retention. If I take the time to
relax, I almost always have two or more urinations per trip, with it just
seeming to stop naturally (but too soon). Sometimes I can tell I'm not
finished, but not always. When I was working and always rushing around, it
was harder to take the time to relax. I would have a small leak about once
a month, maybe more often at the beginning. Since last summer, I have
discovered that if I tell my acupuncturist every time I have a leak and
urgency to get there, he fixes the problem. So lately, my leak rate has
just about disappeared, and now I rarely have to get up during the night or
even until I finished about 40 minutes of meditation (never could do that
before, I was always desperate in the morning). The retention is still an
all the time problem I try to pay attention to. My psychotherapist says
people go into a state of self-induced hypnosis when they urinate, so I
wonder if there's a way hynosis could intervene. I'm going to ask her next
time.
I highly recommend a well-skilled acupuncturist for bladder and bowel
problems. The bowel needs the Chinese herbs, too, but the Chinese have
well-developed remedies for bowel health, because they consider it very
important. My acupuncturist occasionally asks to make sure my intestines
are regular.
Sorry this is graphic, but I figure there's nowhere else we can talk this,
and we really need to, I think.
Aurore
>This may sound like a silly question to some, but since Im a quad with tm,
>it doesnt concern me, but I am still curious. My question is this: to those
>of you with tm that have had considerable return or recovery, and are able
>to walk again have you had return of your bowel/bladder? I would also
>appreciate responses from those who have had considerable return, but
aren't
>ready for a "walk-a-thon". Thank you.
>
>Jeff
>
>Ryno
>jfarney(AT)nckcn.com
>
>