If you’ve enjoyed the photographs thus far on ThrowBack Thursdays (TBT), then you’re gonna love what I’ve got in store for you now! So far, all my TBT posts have featured photos taken with my Old Cheap-n-Crappy(TM) camera. But last week’s post finally got me … Continue reading Denver, Colorado (April 27, 2013)
WARNING: This post contains frank descriptions of poop. Do not read while eating chocolates.
Way back in November of last year, I wrote about mannitol, saying I recommend taking it “in small doses throughout the day rather than all at once.” This was because it had a strong laxative effect when I took a full day’s worth all at once, and at that time, I had no need for laxatives. But things change.
Several months ago, I rather suddenly started to experience constipation. I don’t remember exactly when, so I don’t know exactly why. It could be caused by my Parkinson’s Disease (PD) or it could be a side effect of either of the medications that I’ve started taking over the last several months. The first of these new medications is GoCovri, which has greatly reduced the fatigue and depression that my PD was causing. I also started taking Mirtazapine, which has helped to quash my insomnia. The fatigue and insomnia were my two least favorite symptoms of PD, so I’m not willing to stop taking GoCovri or Mirtazapine just to determine which (if either) of them is causing the constipation. It occurs to me now that I should be keeping a log of when I start or stop taking any medication, and when symptoms appear or disappear, or suddenly become worse.
Regardless of what’s causing it, this constipation thing is all new to me. I’ve always been at the other end of the spectrum – trending towards “soft stool” with relatively frequent diarrhea. I’ve never been one to flush more than once per “sitting”. But these constipation poops have been so huge and solid that they’ve actually clogged three different toilets (both of the toilets in my home, and one hotel room toilet). So now I flush after every second or third “plop” to make sure the crap doesn’t coagulate and leave me up Shit Creek (which would be a great name for a housing development).
For whatever reason, it wasn’t until just the last couple of weeks or so that I realized I could put mannitol to good use against my own constipation. So now I’m taking all my mannitol (one tablespoon) first thing in the morning. Most days, it seems to help. Other days, not so much. I’m thinking I’ll increase it to two tablespoons, and if that doesn’t do it, then I’ll ask my PD specialist about Over-The-Counter laxatives.
…and now…The Rest of Arkansas (continued from part one). I departed Hot Springs early one morn, and made my way through a massive road construction project to the city of Little Rock, which I must say had a much more impressive downtown than I expected … Continue reading Arkansas, part two (June 2021)
This post is dedicated to all the Parkinson’s Disease patients who have to deal with constipation. It is also EXTREMELY juvenile. You have been warned.
I’m going to start a band called The Shittles. Our most poopular songs will include:
Feces Can’t Buy Me Love
Sgt. Pooper’s Smelly Farts Club Band
Magical Mystery Turd
The Poo on the Hill
All You Need is Fiber
Revolution # 2
Blackbird (Stop Pooping on my Windshield, ya Flyin’ Asshole)
Stink for Yourself
The Long and Winding Stool Sample
I Dig a Privy
She Came in Through the Bathroom Window (While I was Trying to Poop)
Dear Poodence
Glass Onion
Happiness is an Empty Bowel
Wel, well, welll…ThrowBack Thursday, you say? All right. If that’s the way it’s gotta be. This week, the Wayback Machine doesn’t have to go way back – just over a year, to the last trip I took before I started blogging. (But this shan’t be … Continue reading Arkansas, part one (June 2021)
When I was a mere toddler (not to be mistaken with a mare toddler, which would be a horse), I lived in Japan for about a year and a half. Living there while I was at the age when children develop language / speaking skills, I basically learned Japanese at the same time I learned English. I was as bilingual as a toddler can be, and often served as a translator for my parents, who only speak English. Fast forward a few years…I’m in 1st Grade…in Hastings, Nebraska. My speech (of course) seems completely normal to me, like any other Nebraska kid my age, but my teacher and my classmates notice something a little…off. The only language I speak in school is English…but apparently I speak it with a Japanese accent. So a decision is made that I need to work with a speech therapist. So, once a week for I don’t remember how long, I got to leave class to go practice talkin’ right. And that thar speech therapist gots me to talkin’ real good.
Fast forward a helluva lotta years…to the present. Ever since I got back from my South Carolina trip a little over a month ago, I’ve been experiencing voice problems. I’ll open my mouth and start articulating the necessary moving parts, but no sound comes out. There is only wind; it seems like my vocal chords just don’t engage. So far all I have to do is try again with more force (i.e., speak at an inappropriately loud volume), and then the words come out fine. But each time it happens, I am reminded of an interview I saw many years ago on 60 Minutes. They were interviewing Mohammed Ali, and I couldn’t make out a word that he said. Then I’ll remember that I’ve known at least two Parkies who had severe vocal issues shortly before dying. So when I went in to see my Parkinson’s specialist last week, I told him about the voice problems I’ve been having. He recommended I work with a speech therapist. So, once a week for I don’t remember how long, I will drop what I’m doing and practice talkin’ right. I have come full circle.
There is no ThrowBack Thursday post this week, as my DSL modem has died. I’m connected right now, using my phone as a wi-fi hot spot, but the connection is so slow I can’t upload photos to the blog server. Besides, nobody wanted to see pictures of Arkansas.
It’s looking like my next trip will be a return to Colorado. I’m thinking late September / early October. At that time of year, Denver may be 80 degrees or there may be nine inches of fresh snow on the ground. Or both. My last couple of visits to the state have focused on specific geographic areas: Western Colorado and Southern Colorado. This time will likely be more of a “Leftover Colorado” – a state-wide scattering of places I just haven’t been yet. The two main places that come to mind are Dinosaur National Monument and Crested Butte, which are nowhere near one another. Other likely destinations include:
Mineral Loop Trail (Leadville, Colo.),
Gunnison Pioneer Museum,
The “back side” of Black Canyon of the Gunnison,
and I will likely start and/or finish this trip with Doors Open Denver.
I’ve also started reviewing maps to identify stretches of US or state highways that I’ve never driven. But I’m finding there aren’t many such stretches left in the mountains of Colorado.
Voyages with Parkinson's 