So, as I’m sure many of you are already aware I had a setback last Friday and had to be hospitalized for a few days. I first want to thank each and every one of you for your thoughts, prayers, phone calls, texts, and visits. At one time we had a full room of people that stopped by to check on me and while I might not have shown it at the time it really meant a lot to me, so know that.
Now… what happened? I wish I could answer this. The ER doctor first thought that I had some sort of Diverticulitis, but that was debunked some time or another when they did a series of x-rays and cat-scans. The official ruling was that I had a lower-bowel obstruction or a small-intestine blockage. At any rate it didn’t pop up overnight, even though my symptoms did.
Now, here’s the crazy part. I dreamed or something that my wife and I were in Hot Springs at a bath house or something, because I woke up Friday morning and in my mind we were in Hot Springs (I didn’t know why, and that bothered me) and I couldn’t figure out why I had meetings on my calendar in Conway (even though I was really in Conway) and this all troubled me more and I was agitated. Finally, I got my wits about me and figured out that I had just woken up in a lot of pain. I tried to do meetings Friday w/ clients, but that didn’t work out, fortunately I have some awesome, understanding clients, that worked w/ me and rescheduled. Being hard-headed, and not feeling good at the same time, it took until 4pm that afternoon before I allowed my wife to drive me to the ER at Conway Regional, and from there it’s sort of a blur. I do have it on good authority that I was unruly (which if you know me, you know that’s not me) and I threatened one of the ER doctors because he took liberties (checked my prostate) –he turned out to be a nice guy (after I apologized).
Once in the ER they did a series of x-rays that showed extensive blockage and I was admitted to a room where I stayed for 4 days and got a high dosage of morphine every 4 hours and became fixated on CNN coverage of the missing Malaysian airplane. At one point during my stupor it was clear to me that Wolf Blitzer and I were the only hope those passengers on that airplane had (yeah, I don’t know). Finally after 4 days in the hospital, my doctor, Dr. Rook, woke me up around 5am and told me he was going to get me fixed and home in a few hours. That’s when they brought in this clear jug of liquid that I chugged down because I hadn’t been allowed to eat for 3 days prior. Within a few hours things started happening. I’ll spare you the details but suffice to say that I lost a tremendous amount of weight and came to the realization that.. yeah, I am full of crap. AND, true to his word, I was released from the hospital (feeling very weak and weird) that evening. It’s taken me two days to get back into the office and finally get some work done –but I think I’m back. I think…
We still don’t have a lot of answers, going to do a follow-up w/ my doctor this week (or first of next week, once I get some work caught up) and I’ll find out more, but the verdict from what I gathered from the nurses was that I had eaten some pecans a few days prior to being admitted in the hospital. Well, when the dam broke, they found pecans at the front of the line. I haven’t had a pecan in 5 days (as a diabetic I love and rely on pecans and nuts in general), so we’ll take things one day at a time.
Again, thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. They worked.
I’ve been dealing with bowel impactions for years. I literally have them monthly. They get so bad I bleed internally once it moves along. I’ve started using Metamucil (I use the generic, sugar-free brand or psyllium fiber), and it really makes a huge difference. The bane of my existence is cheese. I can usually eat nuts and seeds, as long as I remember to take the psyllium fiber twice a day. Cheese? Forget about it! If I even smell cheese I know I’ll be planting the silver bullet!
Whenever I feel bulk starting, I take a shot of Milk or Magnesia (again, the generic brands work just fine). If that’s not enough, about 12 hours later, I’ll take one biscodyl tablet. If the problem persists, 12 hours later, I’ll take two biscodyls. Then, 12 hours later, if I’m rolling on the floor crying for mama, I’ll use the biscodyl silver bullet.
If all that doesn’t work things out (bad pun?), then I head for the ER to get the jug. No fun!
Small tip that might help you realize when you have the problem a little earlier. I get lower back pain along with the general feeling of bloating. The bloated feeling comes first, but that doesn’t necessarily mean there’s a bowel obstruction. The lower back pain almost always indicates the significant build-up of a blockage. That’s when I start my routine (above). Also, the lack of gas expulsion is a big indicator. Eat a burritto – if you aren’t clearing rooms within a couple hours, something could be wrong!