SurvivingInfidelity.com^®

Well it can be for a number of different reasons, but yes attention is one.

All I'm saying is you didn't put it there, and the staff at the hospital didn't put it there, and it's a new issue..... so it's something to consider.

Good luck w/ the scope today.

I'm going to be starting my prep in a couple hours, as I am having my first (because of age, turned 50 in Sept) scope tomorrow.

Oh God!

Doc just said if it’s embedded he might leave it there.

If it has to come out, that means surgery to remove the whole colon...something about blood flow.

OMG

If it has to come out, that means surgery to remove the whole colon...something about blood flow.

WRONG... A whole section of colon yes, the whole colon - NO. That's not how this works.

IF it comes to that, you demand a consult w/ a ColoRectal surgeon, not a general surgeon. Most of those surgeries can be done laproscopically now, but a general isn't trained in it like a colorectal guy is.

Thank God for you and your body of knowledge!

Does an ostomy bag come with removing a whole section???

What would it mean for everyday life?

WR - whatever you do, if those JERKS say the 's' word (surgery, not that other 's' word!!), make sure you get an opinion from an EXPERT, like tn says.

These docs have given you nothing but grief from the word go!

((((WR))))

Does an ostomy bag come with removing a whole section???

Absolutely NOT. The side effect would be that he would have less colon to pass that slow stool through. That is it.

WhatsRight- I just adore you. I feel a littlr protective of you. I also make a lot of jokes when I'm worried lol

So about the eating strange objects... It's called Pica & there are a variety of reasons why people do it. Sometimes pregnant women who are lacking some nutrient will start eating non food items in some misguided mental health attempt at getting what they're missing.

Sometimes it's mental illness or dual diagnosis with MR/DD. I took care of a woman who swallowed a belt with the buckle, a towel, and a large sheet. She had to have them all surgically removed.

It's an underlying mental health condition that can be due to a variety of reasons.

Gotta run but will check in later!

Whatsright you are an amazing, strong woman. I hope you are taking care of yourself as you navigate all this stuff with your husband. Please take care of you too! Hugs.

Sometimes pregnant women who are lacking some nutrient will start eating non food items in some misguided mental health attempt at getting what they're missing.

I don't think it's necessarily always a mental health attempt at getting what you're missing. I had pica almost ten years ago when I was entering perimenopause and having really heavy bleeding, leading me to anemia. My pica manifest itself by eating ice... all the time. I craved ice and had to be chewing it; I preferred the taste of the ice from my own freezer/made with my water tap, as opposed to what I would buy from a grocery store; I would go though more ice in a day than my ice maker could keep up with. I'm lucky I didn't lose any teeth over it. It drove my family crazy. But I was also having restless legs syndrome, and would get winded walking upstairs. Had my iron checked, and yup, was anemic. Within a week of starting an iron supplement, the months and months of restless legs went away, as did my being winded going upstairs. And I immediately stopped craving ice. So there was nothing mentally wrong with me. Some people with pica crave things like dirt and chalk because it's the mind's way of telling the body it is deficient in some nutrient. Once that nutrient is re-established through supplements or food, the pica can go away.

I think this is different than some people who eat things for attention only. That's beyond my experience, and I don't pretend to know what their motivations are, as they are probably different for each person. But those people definitely need psychiatric help. WR - given your H's complex medical trauma, there's no telling what's going on with his mind. Hopefully his medical team can take all of this into consideration.

Number4- yes, it's a complicated diagnosis.

There are so many different underlying reasons & conditions that it is impossible to list them all. I have known pregnant women who ate dirt. Some of the cravings make sense, some don't.

I can't even begin to understand the really bizarre stuff, like a towel or a leather belt with a buckle.

Funny side note about it. Is chewing gum considered Pica? We spent a long time discussing that in a training & never did come to a conclusion!

Anyways, WhatsRight, it's definitely worth asking if your husband is starting to do that. I hesitate to call it attention-seeking because even if it is, that would still be a serious mental health issue that would need addressed.

But as Number4 points out, it can also be due to lacking in something, so ask about any lab results that aren't within normal limits.

I am anxiously awaiting to hear how the scope went.

Well, they finished the colonoscopy about 1 o’clock. The doctor came out and spoke with me. He said they found two medium sized pre-cancerous polyps and removed them. Nothing to worry about.

He said there was no celiac disease… Results from the endoscopy a few days earlier.

Found three… Yes THREE rings. They were my TOE

RINGS! Yes, I have heard all the “toe sucking” jokes I need, thank you!

In actuality, I remember a couple of weeks ago taking the toe rings off to put lotion on my feet. I have been wearing these toe rings… The same ones… For over 20 years. Thank heavens they are 14 karat gold or else I’m concerned about what toxic affect another metal might’ve had inside him.

Evidently, I got distracted and left them in a glass or a bottle or whatever I left them in for safekeeping. Then, I guess I forgot - doesn’t take much these days - and served H food from that container.

TOTALLY all my fault. I feel horrible! I wear lots of rings on my hands, too. They don’t fall off of my hands… In fact they are a bit tight. But this has scared me, and so I am going to start using gloves to prepare his food from now on. Thank God they did not cause any harm. I guess because they are so tiny.

(I did get a little bit of a weird look from the doctor when he handed them to me and I told him they were my toe rings.)

There were no impactions or blockages or any other concerns. He will just need to have another colonoscopy in three years.

So that is all good news!

We got back to his hospital room at about two. The doctor said to stay overnight one more night so they could be certain there was no bleeding from where he removed the polyps. So my husband is so excited that he can have food now. So we ask for food. And waited and waited and waited. At some point, I fell asleep. When I woke up, he still had not been fed.

I went to the nurse to raise a little bit of “Southern charm” hell. They said they were so sorry and they would get him something. Something like what would be in a box lunch. When she saw my face reaction to that suggestion, she said she would get him something else. Oops! The kitchen is closed. But she will come up with something. When the food came up, it was mashed carrots, and a shredded beef concoction with a thick strong gravy/sauce. I saw the look on my husband‘s face. He said, “I’ll just eat it.“

Now, I used to do a 10 day fast every six months to a year. It was super great for detoxing and boosting energy. But, no matter how careful you are, the first couple of meals must be as gentle on the stomach as you can make them. So there was no way I was giving him that meat.

I asked what kind of diet he was on now...”soft mechanical”. ??? So I ask what that means. She just names a few foods. So I just decided I knew what soft meant, I assumed mechanical in this instance referred to chewing, and I KNEW from experience, and...well...from having a brain, that spicy would not be good. I had barely enough time to rush home and warm up some chicken noodle soup, grab a banana, and go to Kentucky fried chicken for some plain mashed potatoes before they closed the doors to visitors. And that’s what he had for supper.

He got his pain pill at about 715, and it is now 10 o’clock here. He is writhing in pain. He’s crying. He’s saying that the tramadol doesn’t work anymore. He’s worried that when we get home I will not give him any pain medicine because of the recent taper from opioids. He says he knows that when we go to get the second nerve block next week that it will not work. He is an emotional mess.

So, now to get through the night, and then tomorrow go home. I dread it so badly. I hope when he gets in his own bed and gets to see the kids and our granddaughter, that will perk him up some.

I am running out of ideas for helping him regarding the pain. My niece is a hospice nurse and she can’t imagine why I won’t give him whatever pain meds he needs to stop hurting. But he is not in hospice and he does want to continue living.

And regarding addiction, he tells me he does not want the pain medicine. That he wants to find some thing different. That’s when the pain isn’t so bad. Then when it really kicks in, he says he just doesn’t think anything is going to work. It is freaking cruel how bad he is hurting and how bad he has hurt for so long. The pain is the nerve pain related to his disability...not so much the gastric issues, although I’m sure they exacerbate it.

I’m trying so hard to believe we can find something: nerve blocks, spinal morphine drips, or something. We have even spoken about clipping the nerves in his spine. But that will greatly affect other things such as bowel and bladder function and more.

I need to thank all of you wonderful people… For your information and advice, your love and support, and for just being there for me through this. It has been a hard experience for my husband, and for me. I know you have made it much easier for me.

Y’all are simply the best!!! ❤️❤️❤️

Oh, and as far as the “eating weird things” goes, I know now that he did not intentionally swallow my toe rings. And as far as the plastic IV clamp goes, it turns out it is a urine collection bag clamp. And my husband has one of those on his bed. I am assuming that the clamp came off of the collection bag and as flat as it was, was not noticed when we were putting layers of pads under him during his prep for the colonoscopy. (At times there were three and four people in there trying to deal with the situation.) Then, at one of the times that he was expelling fluids, I think it must’ve popped out from underneath his rear end.

At least, that’s my story… And I’m sticking to it.

[This message edited by WhatsRight at 10:34 PM, October 19th (Monday)]

Well that's all great news!

Ok, next question- have you ever tried acupuncture? It really helps my nerve pain. It doesn't take it completely away, but it reduces it quite a lot.

Also, my weighted blanket is my new best friend. I have RLS so bad that I'm in tears some nights. My PT recommended it and wow! I can sleep for 4 or 5 hours straight now, and the RLS is barely noticeable.

I know there's huge differences between your husband and I. His nerve issues are a lot more serious. But those have both helped me a lot and both are non drug options.

Damn, I wish you lived near me. My acupuncturist makes house calls.

Much love to you and I am very glad to hear how things worked out.

(And look, I even resisted making jokes lol)

We tried acupuncture for a while, and I think H felt a little bit of a difference, but we couldn’t keep it up due to $$$

But the weighted blanket sounds good. For him and for me. I’ve heard it is really helpful for fibromyalgia. The only thing is we don’t sleep together, but that’s a topic for another forum 😏

Thanks for that.

I did get a little bit of a weird look from the doctor when he handed them to me and I told him they were my toe rings.

Wow! I'm glad you clarified the how... I will not mention the mental image that formed in my head immediately upon reading that. Sorry... I couldn't resist.

We have even spoken about clipping the nerves in his spine. But that will greatly affect other things such as bowel and bladder function and more.

As for the pain... has your husband ever tried a good chiropractor? I know it wouldn't be easiest process... but if he can feel pain... my line of thinking is there has got to be nerves working somewhere that could be pinched off in the spine.

I could be totally off base...just thinking out loud.

No we have not. I have used one for my neck once.

A couple of drs have suggested it is peripheral neuropathy due to spinal cord injury.

But that’s a great thought. I’m going to read up on it.

Thx!

I have a great chiropractor. Very, very gentle.

Of course, now that my entire lumbar spine is fused, he is not super keen on treating me anymore, which is both ethical & understandable.

Which is my long winded way of saying be careful if your husband has hardware. I can't recall if he does or not.

The weighted blanket is amazing. I can't tell you how thankful I am for it every single night! Wal-Mart has a 12-pound blanket that is not cost-prohibitive. It was inexpensive enough that it was worth trying and I am so glad I did.

I hear you about the cost of acupuncture. We work with all the insurance companies that we can, including VA & Medicaid, but we are a rarity in my state.

So I don't know if your husband is on Medicare but they came out with a new rule earlier this year that they will cover acupuncture for back pain only but it has to be done by an MD or by an acupuncturist who has in-office MD oversight.

Don't take my word as gospel on that, though. I would encourage you to double check but it might be an option if you can find one who meets their criteria.

Hope that all helps.

Yes...everything helps! Thx.

I’m definitely going to give the weighted blanket a try.

It might not work for him because any touch on his abdomen is very painful. I know...weird if he is paralyzed.

But if it doesn’t help him, maybe it will help my fibromyalgia!

He is already hills ring with pain. They are sending us home with Tramadol. I refuse to give it to him long. I hear it is highly addictive.

I don’t know what to do about this. His quality of life is horrible, and his disposition is equally offensive. Always crying, moaning.

He has always had such a strong mental toughness as do most elite athletes- but now he is as mentally weak as he was once mentally strong.

Sometimes he will be screaming for pain meds, and 10 minutes after he gets it he will settle down. That is 100% in his mind because pain meds (pills) just don’t work anywhere that fast.

I really don’t know what to do.

We have a follow up nerve block next week. The last one gave him 80% relief but didn’t last. So we try again.

Strangely, when they called me back there and told me he said it was 80% better...he wasn’t happy about it. No affect whatsoever.

😞

Well I'm glad that you got good news.

The toe rings are actually pretty funny. I'm sure the GI Dr and Endo Nurses were confounded. I totally get how it happened too.

I would talk to the new pain Dr with him present about his pain and mental state. He may be able to add another type of to help him.

So, I understand that y’all are going to think I’m making this up, but we have waited all day to go home, and then she comes in about 5:30 pm.

Some test results show pretty low sodium levels. So...sodium IV all night, retest in the AM, wait for results —- then MAYBE go home tomorrow.

Ahhhhh...yet one more night on the “couch” in the room.

Sometimes he will be screaming for pain meds, and 10 minutes after he gets it he will settle down. That is 100% in his mind because pain meds (pills) just don’t work anywhere that fast.

Of you think this could be in his mind could you try a placebo? Give him something other than a pain med but tell him it's for pain? Just curious if it would work.