Lita57

Be careful what you asked for, ladies. After doubling up on laxitive in a desperate effort to get the train running, I lost control of my bowels in a famous Japanese garden in Nara called Yoshikien Gardens. If you have been to japan, you can imagine what it is like to stream poop over the moss covered stones of carefully tended japanese garden (on Saturday, full of people) while you run for the bathroom, which is not close. The staff at the garden were kind beyond measure. As kind as I was humiliated and embarrassed.

If I hadn't just read other people's experience, I'd have spent the rest of the day rocking in a fetal position on the tatami mat in my hotel room. Instead, I scrubbed myself down, threw in a load of laundry at the hotel, and went off to Todai-Ji and asked the world's biggest buddha to purify me (I had to wash myself off with water from the toilet bowl of a public toilet. always carry a hand towel with you ladies.) I begged the Buddha to rain blessings on the kind staff of the lovely Yoshikien Gardens. I put in a good word with Buddha for y'all as well.

My daughter working hard to calm me down and put things into perspective, pointed out "it wasn't a _sacred_ garden."

Thank you all, as always, for sharing the journey

>Z<

Oh Z, I'm so sorry. Your daughter's comment is fantastic though. :-)

Z, gotta love our kids for bringing some laughter to an otherwise unfunny situation! I too laughed out loud at her quip. So sorry that happened to you, but I love that we can share these stories.

Oh girls. Holla! We're all in this mess together. LOL

{{{{{Z}}}}} Bless your heart. Japan, of all places.

I think I am almost done with wearing skirts. It's getting a little too scary. Black pants and long dark tunics and a steady supply of big pads... yep.

Okay, let's talk some real talk about having to push out the concrete balls (which I did daily for way over a year when I was on... what was it? Afinitor+Aromasin?). It's AWFUL, and yes, it can mess you up down there. As in, sometimes I bled after a bad one. SO let me suggest you keep glycerin suppositories nearby, and also a package or two of Fleet mineral oil enemas. I once wound up in so much terrifying pain that I was on the verge of going to ER (horrifying to imagine what THEY would have done...) but instead I first called a friend who is an ER nurse. The pressure was relentless, almost like being in labor, so of course I was terrified I had an impaction. She didn't think I did. She said to send my husband to Walgreens pronto to get a package of Fleets. Said NOT to use the Fleet water enemas, only the mineral oil. Sure enough, the oil softened the blockade, broke it up, and it passed without incident. I will never again be caught without a Fleet in the cabinet!

Lulubee,

Good info to have since now I haven’t pooped since Wed at 10:30 pm. But that's okay. It’s only been 3 days, and I'm not in any pain...yet. I think I thoroughly flished everything out on Wed, so it has to build up.

Haven't been very hungry because Taxol makes everything taste metallic. Have to force myself to eat. Slightly sweet things and chocolate taste the worst. I love yogurt, but I had to put the strawberry Yoplait back in the fridge. It tasted awful to me.

Blaaach!

L

Lita, Taxol does this to my taste buds sometimes, too. Oddly, it seems like it comes and goes. You're right, ordinary sweets often taste like they were made with saccharin or aspartame!

One thing that always helps me is lemons and limes. I really go through them. I squeeze lemons over just about everything I eat these days, and I absolutely crave limeade. So much so that I treat myself to a jumbo fizzy limeade on the way home from chemo every week-- it insures that I will actually force fluids after infusion, which is hard to do when even cold, filtered water tastes like metal!

Too bad we cannot just live on margaritas, amiright??

Speaking of... the other thing I have found reliable is Tex-Mex food. Somehow I can always eat nachos or fajitas, and with enough salsa (and limes, of course!), they always taste pretty close to the way they should.

Somewhere else I read to mix a pinch of baking soda and sea salt into a big glass of water and swish it around your mouth right before eating. (Spit it out, of course.) I haven't tried that but I probably will next time the metal mouth hits me.

Maybe some of this will help you, too. I sure hope so. If I weren't several states away from you, we could go tear up some tacos together! Now wouldn't that be a hoot.

What a group of stories and timely suggestions! Z you have a remarkable daughter. Who knew there was so much to discuss about pooping. I've been in a cement ball stage and started Senna S 2 days ago. Was supposed to work in 4-6 hours but not for me yet. Tomorrow I'll go get some oil fleet enemas. I've tried the water ones in the past with no result. Nice to have a group I can talk to about this. My husband and daughter never have this problem and totally don't relate. I did even before cancer treatment.

Lulubee,

Salty, sour, and spicy things help. Sweet things are the worst.

Margaritas would be great...maybe I can drink a virgin one.

I've heard about the baking soda/salt rinse. I have to take BP meds, but maybe if I swish with the salt mixture than follow it up with a plain water rinse/flush, it might help.

I got some of that Biotene mouth rinse, but it tastes really nasty. Toothpaste tastes bad to me, too.

L

Our beautiful ebmud water tasted bad to me on taxol, the filtered water tasted bad. I lived on sparkling water from my soda stream machine. You can squeeze lemon or lime to it. Some people hook theirs up to a paint ball co2 cartridge which makes it very inexpensive, I get my cartridges at bed, bath and beyond. So much better than lugging in 2 liter bottles.

Thanks MinusTwo - I will move discussion of my bowels to that informative thread. First time dealing with this insanity but it looks like it will go on for a while.

>Z<

So, three and a half days of no pooping at all, I went out and got some suppositories and a mineral oil Fleet enema, thinking I might need them. One of my friends came over for moral support, bringing rotisserie chicken, tostada shells and tomatillo salsa (Mexican food...one of the few things that does not taste metallic to me while on Taxol). She said she'd help me because her late mother had a LOT of issues with major constipation, etc.

Turns out, shortly after lunch the damn burst....so I'm okay for now, and I've got all my "supplies" on hand in case I need them later on.

Houses are still burning to the ground as the fires are burning near Kenwood. It is so depressing. I feel so bad for these thousands of families who have lost EVERYTHING.

We had planned a trip to Mendocino in the coming days during my "off cycle" week...still have to stay tuned. We may or may not be able to go. The little town of Mendocino (not the inland county area) is safe for now...they're on the ocean, but the last thing we want is to travel up there and get STRANDED because all the exit routes are closed because of the fires.

L

Hi lulubee -- Enjoying your return to the forum thoroughly.

>Z<

Yep, Lulubee, that's indeed what I think it was, ha ha.

L