Corsica, island in Europe, in the Mediterranean.
Problems
1 On a press trip in Corsica, after being hit by a car, I had multiple injuries and in hospital I was constipated a whole week away.
2 The wife of a friend was so constipated on holiday that they shortened their trip and he cancelled attending a meeting.
3 A member of my family had hospital treatment and was told he would have a side effect of constipation.
4 A member of my family was on medication which had the side effects of being constipated.
Answers
1 I was quite happy not to have any bowel movements when in a hospital for multiple injuries including broken ribs. Apart from the embarrassment, I did not want to be lifted onto a bedpan, pulling on my painful ribs and a broken collarbone.
However, I was puzzled. I wondered whether my body had gone into lockdown and whether my internal organs were paralysed.
When I friend visited me in hospital in London, England, her husband, who was an ENT specialist, told me that what I experienced was a side effect of morphine. That explained why I was so happy, manic-depressive when the pills were taking effect and started wearing off, as well as constipation.
Now I knew that once I was off morphine and onto mere everyday painkillers such as paracetamol, I was getting better in every way.
2 Could she have cured herself with the traditional medicine from a pharmacist? Apparently, it was a recurring problem for her.
3 The cancer website gave advice and set us on a hunt all over the internet.
Water
The first thing I learned was something obvious but a fact which I had been ignorant of all my life. If you take in very little water or get dehydrated in a hot country, due to diet, exercise, or any other reason, your body has need of water for your brain and other functions and will cut down on the water used to pass excreted food out of the body.
If you have dry skin, dandruff, a dry mouth, dry eyes, dry hair, are thirsty, it could be the side effect of an illness, too much or too little salt and sugar and food, or just not enough water! Also consider whether coffee and alcohol are not adding liquid, but dehydrating you. If your urine is dark yellow, it contains less water.
So, your first effort could be taking water. However, that is also supposedly a cure for other problems, such as diarrhoea, to clear out. (Consult a doctor if your symptoms are making you feel ill or stopping you from attending business meetings or going on tours when on holiday.)
(Obviously, do not drink, or continue drinking contaminated water. Tap water? in many countries, they claim the water is ok, which it is for local people. So why are you upset? Maybe they are immune to local bugs. What else might upset you? It could be the ice or water or washed salad even in a three, four or five-star hotel restaurant at home or overseas. If you already have a problem and suspect the local water, consider changing the source, from tap water to bottled water, but the purest water you can get.)
Prunes in apple juice from Waitrose in England. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.
Prunes
Eventually, we settled on a fruit breakfast including two prunes. At first, we did not like the prunes. Now we love them.
Aloe vera growing in windowbox on a balcony in Singapore. Photo by Angela Lansbury.
Aloe Vera
4 By chance, I was wondering how to eat an outsize aloe vera plant growing on a balcony, a monster from a small baby aloe vera given to me by a friend. The website on how to scoop out the inner flesh warn that you should not eat aloe vera on a regular basis because of the side effects. So it might be a good cure or help if you have constipation. We have yet to try this out.
This is just my experience for your entertainment and information. To be sure that you are not experiencing or going to experience a serious condition, you should check the leaflets with any medication you are taking. If you have a problem, consult a pharmacy, and/or a medically qualified person.
Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker. Please share links to your favourite posts.
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