Fasting Journal, Day Two - Flushing Out Your Body

Once you are past the first day, the feeling of hunger should have stopped. Don't get me wrong, the persistent desire for food is never going away. If anything, it'll only get stronger during the fast. But the grumbling stomach, and the feeling of emptiness in that region of the body will have vanished. Congrats, you made it through the toughest part! From now on your body will be okay with eating parts of itself for nourishment, until you start feeding it again.

However, now that the hardest part of the fast is over, it's time for the most disgusting part: flushing out the digestive tract of anything that's caught in it. Yuck! And that's no understatement by any means.

Inducing Diarrhea

There are two kinds of salts recommended for a flush: magnesium sulfate (MgSO4) or sodium sulfate (Na2SO4). If you have any way to get your hands on the latter, that's what I would go with. They are incomparable, and after yesterday's experience I'd even say that I will only do a fast with sodium sulfate, or not at all! Though they do have a few things in common: both have a nasty taste when you take it, and both keep you on the toilet for quite a while. But hey, that's the idea here, right?

The exact dose varies depending on the bodily constitution of the person doing the fast, whether they are susceptible to constipation or diarrhea, and which salt you end up taking. Unfortunately the last two times I was fasting, the good pharmacist had either no idea, or rather no sodium sulfate for sale, so I ended up with magnesium sulfate, a.k.a. Epsom salt. The previous time it didn't even come from a pharmacy, but a gardening store, as apparently it's good for fertilizer. This time I could get my hands on a small dose of 26 gramms, sold as a purgative / laxative. Perfect!

Means of Administration

The means of taking it very simple: you have to dilute it in a liter of water... or if you still can't stand the taste, with some more. Then you need some pure water as chaser, because believe me, the taste is extremely unpleasant. And then you start drinking it, little by little, throwing your most steadfast persistence into the ring.

You have to be careful not to do it to fast, because the body may just pull the emergency brake and throw up everything that you managed to swallow so determinedly. What's worse still, you'll have start the whole ordeal again! On the other hand, don't take too long drinking it up, or you may have to run to the toilet before you finished taking everything. I know, I know... It sounds nasty. But the actual experience is a whole lot worse!

What Results to Expect

Soon after you have swallowed all the salty water, you are going to feel the urge to go to the bathroom. This may be a quick, intensive flush of half an hour max in case of the sodium sulfate, or it could last all day long, as the typical diarrhea we know from catching a stomach bug: every ten to fifteen minutes a pressing urge to relieve oneself, but instead of a heavy waterfall all you get is a little bit of flow. You can be sure, though, the next one won't be long.

This is exactly how I felt this time. After taking the magnesium sulfate around 9 a.m. I kept running to the john till 5 p.m. And even once it stopped, my guts kept making upset noises. Fortunately, once I went to bed, I was granted a long, deep, and super relaxing sleep, which I enjoyed for at least ten hours. And once I woke up, well rested, feeling happy and healthy, I knew that NOW I was really past the worst part. That alone is worth the experience.

Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

I should not have to mention, drinking large amounts of water is really the name of the fasting game, as you want to flush out all the nasty things that get liberated in your body. During this gut-flush it is particularly important to replenish the water you've lost, even though it was a large quantity you had to consume for it in the first place.