To go or not to go? That is the question.. errr.. problem.

Today I am going to tackle a serious subject. One I had NO IDEA I would EVER even consider talking about.

If you know me, I typically do not discuss personal issues. When I say personal, I mean bodily functions and the like. Never once on this blog have I discussed sex or female issues or the bodily functions that people have to deal with when taking care of a child, senior citizen or someone who is terminally ill.

But this time... I will.

Soooooo....

I am a woman of a certain age. Oh.. okay.. I'm 39. 3-9. I don't feel 39, I don't think the way I thought someone on the verge of 40 should think.. I feel just as silly and irresponsible as I did when I was 25... but alas, I am 39.

At the age of 30 I had a hysterectomy. With that came the luxury of NEVER having to share cramping and other yucky symptoms with my friends (I cannot even bring myself to use the other c word that is associated with cramps..) I was singing from the rafters, "Free at last, free at last! Thank God almighty, I am free at last!"

Then something else happened. My body began to change a bit. My skin was drier, my throat was parched, my hair was dry.. it seemed I was constantly heading toward dehydration. (Who here can relate to what I am talking about?) Well.... guess what else happens with that?

You.Just.Can't.Seem.To.Go.

You know...

Right?

Sooo.. I tried including more vitamins and drinking water. Helped a little, but not enough. I always felt (God, I HATE saying this word too..) BLOATED.

I thought okay... time to add fiber. I did. Only made me more bloated and still no relief.

Then I went for the good old fashioned laxative. Which would do one of two things:
- Cause massive diarrhea
- Give me massive stomach pain with no relief.

And guess what else? The scale was tipping in the other direction.

Earlier this year I woke up one morning and could barely walk. I totally thought it was my lower back. I could not figure out WHY the pain was moving from one side of my back to the other. I went to a Chiropractor, who then gave me an adjustment. Nothing changed.

Then I decided to try something else... just to see if the bloating problem would go away.

Prunes.

So I did and lo and behold.. the back pain went away.

This two week pain just disappeared.. as well as the other issues.

THEN, I recently saw a commercial for the probiotics. I have watched the commercials for Activa and yogurts products like that, but did not necessarily want to consume yogurt everyday. Plus, I like my yogurt plain and Greek. Sooo.. I did some research into the whole probiotic thing.



I was trying to figure out what causes this whole condition. Here is what I found: The condition can be caused by a variety of factors such as not drinking enough fluids, a lack of sufficient fiber in the diet, illness, pregnancy, or just lack of physical activity. Many people experience constipation due to change in diet or dehydration. Medications such as cough syrups, sedatives, and antacids as well as many commonly prescribed medications for cholesterol, depression, and cancer can also cause constipation. Even people who have a diet rich in fiber can occasionally become constipated.

Now.. I am taking Phillips' Colon Health Probiotic Caps. This is a probiotic supplement that helps replenish the good bacteria in your colon. When taken daily, it helps support a healthy immune system and it supports your overall digestive health and helps defend against occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas and bloating.

The product naturally rebalances your digestive system and promote regularity, with a proprietary blend of 3 of the most beneficial strains of good bacteria:

Lactobacillus gasseri - To support nutrient absorption and lactose digestion

Bifidobacterium bifidum - To help guard against occasional intestinal disturbances

Bifidobacterium longum

What I can say is - It's working. By the second day taking this product I was 3 pounds lighter. Seriously. This explains soooo much.

Again - I HATE HATE HATE talking about this. But it's important. Apparently most women have the same problem. I thought I should share this with my largely female audience.