Before diagnosing my husband, our new doctor after Kyle’s second admission to the hospital for his third bowel obstruction of this year quoted a famous philosopher and said, “When treating my patients I like to follow the phrase — DO NO HARM [to the patient]”. He later explained that he had no clue what was wrong with my husband, why he had a bowel obstruction resolve and then get another one worse than the first within 24 hours after his first discharge was a mystery to him.

This doctor had a foreign accent, maybe Eastern Europe? Very thoughtful, slow to speak, but very analytical when he did. He spoke with quotes and analogies. But I trusted him with my life, and more importantly, my husband’s life. He was brutally honest with his lack of knowledge on this complex issue. He is a hospitalist; a person kinda like a diagnostician or a Dr. House type, but way more endearing than Dr. House. I met him briefly in the ER after my husband proceeded to be so sick, he vomited over me, the nurse, and himself so bad we had to throw his shirt away when his condition forced him into receiving a NG tube without any type of sedation.

Some may have the luxury of not ever having an NG tube and maybe not know what this medical tube does. Well, it does this: put a plastic tube about a centimeter in diameter in through on nostril, down the back of your throat and into your stomach, intestines, and then bowels. This happens in less than a minute all while stone cold sober and when this happened to my husband, he was in agony. It’s very uncomfortable to say the least and the procedure causes most people who have bowel obstructions and GI issues to vomit a lot. And that Kyle did very well at. I told him today our marriage couldn’t be better since we got to trauma bond in that way; me holding his puke bag to his mouth and then proceeding to fill up five bags and vomit all over the nurse and myself. I spoke with the Dr. House doctor and he admitted him that night for a bowel obstruction,

The nurse got a lunch break when the doctor came in and I left to go vape outside in my car when I saw the same nurse with my husband’s vomit on her shoes and she was stuffing her face with food. I told her that we just trauma bonded and she said this was her typical Thursday and continued to munch on her kale salad. After all that, I was on the verge of puking and passing out myself. SO I took me a little break to de-escalate my trauma ridden nerves and ended up going home that night crying myself to sleep because Kyle was gone again and bound to have his second bowel obstruction surgery within six months.

We had many people praying for and with us. Kyle didn’t need surgery; we think he keeps getting obstructions because his bowel obstruction surgery in April plus prior hernia surgery caused a lot of scar tissue build up and so the scar tissue is literally blocking his stool form leaving his intestines. He basically has to take colonoscopy prep solution every day just to go normally.

I asked the doctor if he’ll need to go on disability because this can happen at any time, and in any place due to the nature of the surgery recovery. But if we elected to do surgery, sure they can take out the scar tissue, but as the area heals, more scar tissue can be created and block even more of his bowels. SO then it becomes this never ending cycle.

We got lucky this time. He’s been home about 36 hours and has been using the bathroom little bits here and there which means he’s not currently blocked up. I am so thankful he’s home and can go back to work as soon as Friday the 7th. His boss was more than understanding and he still has a job whenever he needs to go back; he just has to keep up the good work.

I’m thankful for what I do have.

Dani