My opioid crisis
A little update since it feels like a lifetime since I last wrote! After my last posting I had office visits with my surgeon and GI doctor. I shared my many symptoms and I got validation that what I had been experiencing was not normal. The next step was to do a pouchoscopy (similar to a colonoscopy) to see what was going on inside. If any of you are ever in a similar position (and I hope you will never be!), I would recommend asking for an alternative to the saline enema...talk about rubbing salt in the wound. Youch!! Anyway, the pouchoscopy revealed interesting and reassuring results: there was no inflammation in the pouch (meaning, no infections) and no inflammation higher up in the small intestine (so, no Crohn's Disease). It was exciting! Woohoo! But, then what was wrong with me??? The findings from the pouchoscopy narrowed down the problem to "pouch management." When the j-pouch is created from your small intestine it starts out with a small capacity and over time, as your rectal muscles strengthen, you can train your small intestine to expand and be your colon. To "manage" my pouch, I was given a stronger medicine to slow things down/thicken things up and also recommended to start pelvic floor physical therapy.
The stronger medicine was tincture of opium- it's an anti-diarrheal medicine. The name freaked me out from the start, but apparently it's the next tier of medication used for my problem. Tincture of opium is basically liquid morphine and is in the narcotic family. The idea was to stay on it for a little while to slow me down and let me get some sleep/improve quality of life while giving the pouch time to expand. It's funny how things work. I had been praying for fewer BMs and a few days later, my wish was granted, but in a really evil way.
I don't feel like re-living the trauma of my Saturday night experience by writing about it a lot of detail, but let's just say it was one of the most frightening events of my life. In essence, the medicine was too strong and I had a very bad reaction. I had the reaction that I always avert my eyes from when I pick up a prescription at the pharmacy, not the common side effects, but the stuff below that. I always think, oh that's .1% of the population, that won't happen to me! Well, this time it was me. On Drugs.com, under Adverse Reactions to tincture of opium it says, "Constipation, nausea, and vomiting may occur in some patients." Yup. I also passed out, but luckily I didn't injure myself badly and I called my parents for help. [Major shoutout to my parents for helping me through <3 <3 <3 ]
We went to the ER and eventually I got hydrated and the belly ache went away as my body worked through the blockage. Long story short, I have refused to take the medicine again, even a smaller dose. Instead, I am continuing a less extreme medication and I've started going to an amazing alternative practitioner (acupuncture, bioenergy techniques) and pelvic PT. Interestingly, since my hospital visit I have been feeling the best I've felt since the surgery in March. It's not perfect at all yet, but after having the tables turned, I would rather go to the bathroom frequently than not be able to go at all. So, how was your weekend? :)
Plus, life isn't all that bad. I'm going to the Cape on Saturday for a week. I feel calm just thinking about the salty air.
The stronger medicine was tincture of opium- it's an anti-diarrheal medicine. The name freaked me out from the start, but apparently it's the next tier of medication used for my problem. Tincture of opium is basically liquid morphine and is in the narcotic family. The idea was to stay on it for a little while to slow me down and let me get some sleep/improve quality of life while giving the pouch time to expand. It's funny how things work. I had been praying for fewer BMs and a few days later, my wish was granted, but in a really evil way.
I don't feel like re-living the trauma of my Saturday night experience by writing about it a lot of detail, but let's just say it was one of the most frightening events of my life. In essence, the medicine was too strong and I had a very bad reaction. I had the reaction that I always avert my eyes from when I pick up a prescription at the pharmacy, not the common side effects, but the stuff below that. I always think, oh that's .1% of the population, that won't happen to me! Well, this time it was me. On Drugs.com, under Adverse Reactions to tincture of opium it says, "Constipation, nausea, and vomiting may occur in some patients." Yup. I also passed out, but luckily I didn't injure myself badly and I called my parents for help. [Major shoutout to my parents for helping me through <3 <3 <3 ]
We went to the ER and eventually I got hydrated and the belly ache went away as my body worked through the blockage. Long story short, I have refused to take the medicine again, even a smaller dose. Instead, I am continuing a less extreme medication and I've started going to an amazing alternative practitioner (acupuncture, bioenergy techniques) and pelvic PT. Interestingly, since my hospital visit I have been feeling the best I've felt since the surgery in March. It's not perfect at all yet, but after having the tables turned, I would rather go to the bathroom frequently than not be able to go at all. So, how was your weekend? :)
Plus, life isn't all that bad. I'm going to the Cape on Saturday for a week. I feel calm just thinking about the salty air.
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