Just Say No

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Several people have contacted me through backchannels to fill me in on a possible cause of yesterday's urination constipation. I didn't mention that I ran a bulk of the marathon with on-and-off chills and nausea and that by the end, taking even a few swallows of water was tough. As far as I know, though, I continued to sweat and I stayed well hydrated.

But it appears the culprit that set everything in motion might be my over-the-counter pain reliever. I'd been pounding back the pills in the weeks leading up to the race, even knocking three of 'em down an hour prior, to help heal my injury. I'd always heard NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, weren't good for running because it tore up the stomach. It turns out, it can do a number on your kidneys too and result in renal failure. I'm not saying I reached that point; I definitely didn't. But I'm starting to think that Med Tent nurse had me mispegged and that my problem wasn't as mental as she insinuated.

My husband's been getting on me for months to lay off the Tylenol and Motrin. He's right. It's time to move up to morphine. :-)

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