Re-pooping (Graphic)

Hi ya-

Here comes the part about bodily functions that is necessary to talk about and sensitive to some people. If you don't want to hear the graphic details, don't read them. Along with all the other digestive processes, moving the bowels has been completely shut down for almost a month. The morning of the fourth day of refeeding this all changed.

Toward the end of the first fasting week I felt I had residual material sitting at the end of my digestive tract waiting for elimination and unable to move without a force behind it. I considered an enema, to relieve the distraction and to prevent old material from sitting there perhaps with toxins to be reabsorbed by my body. It was among the questions I had at this particular juncture, but one not answered by Elchanan. Sometimes he just ignores to elaborate on points and I interpret those avoidances as invitations to figure it out by myself (or as personal points that are none of my business). So I thought about nature's design and came to the conclusion that enemas are a man made invention and that my body would take care of its needs on its own. Soon after the sensation of an awaiting bowel movement left. At about this time I stopped looking for or expecting a bowel movement.

I had read many accounts of people clearing their rectums before refeeding so that this old residual that had accumulated could be eliminated with ease. The one 7 day cleanse I had experienced included two home colonics a day. Most of the literature had positive responses to questions of colonics used to some degree while fasting. Dr. Doug Graham was one of the people opposed to the practice, and I have come to admire and respect his opinion. Elchanan said I would get rid of the old stuff (and it would be stinky and unpleasant as poop goes) and that would be followed by more familiar good eating movements. I had tired of watermelon and started my figs and lettuce so by the morning of day four, after growlings and grumblings, the old stuff made its move.

Now keep in mind that my previous two years of progressively better eating had blessed me with frequent and easy bowel movements, and that for almost the last month I had not even stretched my anal sphincter once. I was not prepared for passing that first "plug" of God knows what it was. The first attempts to pass this accumulation yielded small little pieces of mucus encrusted stuff. I realized what was coming would need all the help I could give it and used some lubricant on toilet tissue to help ease the friction and got up on the toilet- with the seat up you can use a "poor man's" squat position without buying any equipment. And then it was like birthing a whale- I just took my time and worked until I delivered this presto log cylinder that looked like marbled beef but with a green-brown color instead of red. I don't know what it was but it was ugly- and I was free at last!

Oh- great day in the morning- I felt so much better. I instantly understood what my dog is happy about after he comes running back in from a morning potty break all happy to be alive. I had stretched myself to the limit but did not bleed so my body did know what it was doing. I felt light and relieved and exhausted. My butt was sore for almost a week, but the next bowel movement came later that night and was obviously watermelon. Let the normal pooping begin.

I think the best refeeding advice is double the amount daily but slow down the intervals for the first three or four days and eat watermelon until you just can't anymore. Don't be concern with having a bowel movement, it will come when it is supposed to. After getting enough to eat I started to limit my meals to four, then finally three. I added a variety of food as I felt was appropriate and now eat three full meals a day, and having bowel movements on the same schedule I was before fasting. Life is good and I feel great.

More later- odds and ends to tie up.

Seena