Hey all,
Thought I would update again. I've started back with my chiropractor, but he's only adjusted my tail bone once since I started going back. Needless to say, there haven't been too many changes, but I'll keep you updated if anything significant happens.
I've been trying something new for the last month or so to try to force my bowels into submission. I'm taking 1/2 of an Imodium (loperamide) tablet every evening after I eat dinner. My worst times are the mornings- I usually wake up with urgency and end up having diarrhea a time or three before work. I figured if I took the Imodium before bed, I might not have the diarrhea in the morning.
It kind of worked. I don't wake up with urgency usually, and even if I do, it's not very severe. I do still have diarrhea from time to time, but it's usually only once, and I feel like I'm done instead of finishing and then having to go back a few minutes later. One huge benefit is that I'm having formed stools more often. Before I started this regimen, I hadn't had a formed stool in probably 2 or 3 months.
Ok, now let's talk about the downsides. After I take it, I feel like I have rocks in my stomach. It feels very "full" and painful. This sometimes even makes it hard to breathe. I also get extremely, EXTREMELY bloated which also makes it hard to breathe and move. In the beginning, I'd had a hard time getting to sleep because it kind of made me woozy, and I felt a little jittery. That hardly ever happens now, and it seemed to ease up when I started taking it on a full stomach.
I usually have an "off" day at least once a week so I don't get constipated. I usually choose Thursday night as my off day because I usually will then have diarrhea on Saturday morning. Since it's the weekend, I'm totally ok with that.
I still have to watch what I eat because it's a small dose which means I can steal have diarrhea if I'm not careful with my diet. I also get tons of gas regardless of the meal I eat, so that's still a huge issue for me. I'm definitely understanding the pain I'd heard about from other people that I hadn't previously experienced. It's something else and often lands me in bed right after dinner for the rest of the night.
With all that said, I need to mention that this medication can cause you to become constipated which is not good either, so you really should talk to your Gastroenterologist before starting something like this. But if you have any questions about it, feel free to ask!
