"There's three things in this world that you need: Respect for all kinds of life, a nice bowel movement on a regular basis, and a navy blazer."
-Robin Williams in The Fisher King (1991)
I honestly don't know of a delicate way to share this information, and I really feel like I need to share it, so I'm just going to lay it out there.
So for the last few months before my diagnoses my bowel movements had become irregular, multiple, and varied. I've pretty much felt like I needed to poop constantly. It eased a little with the removal of the polyps during colonoscopy but I've still had to poop a little every time I pee (which is a lot). I haven't wanted to strain so have just been going with the nugget of poop each time method. I wouldn't say I've been constipated per se because I think the texture is fine, I just have a hard time being productive.
I'm 4 treatments into radiation and it seems to be getting a little worse, though luckily I haven't had diarrhea from the chemo. I really have felt like it's a mechanical issue since the tumor is circumferential and constricting my rectum.
So the reason I feel the need to share is that I ordered a squatty potty knock off on amazon for $12 thinking it was worth a shot and holy CRAP. I mean like angels shone down. As soon as I put my feet up on it the express way opened up. No straining, no discomfort, the MOST satisfying bowel movement I have had in like 6 months. Maybe it's just my conformation and tumor but it made things so much more comfortable and productive. It's the first time I have felt like I was able to fully evacuate my bowels in ages. I think that's the happiest poop I've ever had.