Friday 17 April 2015

O is for OBSTRUCTION

Yesterday, was a terrible online day for me, could barely send out my post for “N”, not to talk of visiting other sites, commenting on their posts or even replying comments dropped on my blog. It was soooo frustrating, aarrrggghhh!!! Anyway, I hope today is much better. Today, let’s take a look at the word “Obstruction” and what it could actually mean in medicine.

Say the words “obstruction to many doctors (especially the surgeons), and I can almost bet you that the first type they think about is intestinal obstruction. They are however, not wrong in coming to such a conclusion. There are many forms of obstructions in medicine; many involve the intestines one way or another. The many types include;

  • Intestinal Obstruction
  • Airway obstruction
  • Anal obstruction (constipation)
  • Urinary obstruction (or retention as it is called) – urethral stones, posterior urethral valve, enlarged prostate)
  • Hernia obstruction (actually called obstructed hernia, but I had to make it rhyme. Lol)
  • Lymphatic obstruction (as seen in elephantiasis)

Okay, okay so you get the gist. Almost anything part of the body can be obstructed and many diseases are caused by obstruction. I’d love to share a story with you (you know I love to tell hospital stories, that’s why my theme is medical drama). It was a battle choosing between which tale to tell.

So this teenager was brought in by her dad with a vague complain, she didn’t want to say it in front of her dad. (You know how female teenagers can be – rolling my eyes). Anyway, sent the dad out and found out that she hadn’t been able to pass stool for a few days now, and urine since that morning. Ordinarily, I would have been worried, but the person in front of me looked okay. So, I dug a little deeper, and did some examinations and realized that she was just severely constipated and that indeed, somehow, it compressed a part of her urinary tract making it impossible for her to urinate as well.

Soap and water enema solved the problem. The girl was smiling within minutes. That was the first time I’d seen anything like that. Guess what though, another patient came in with the same problem a few months later in worse pain, but I already had an advantage right? – Experience. Like they say experience is the best teacher. You mustn’t be the one have the experience all the time though, (it might just kill you). You also learn from other people’s experiences.

Do you know of any other types of obstructions? What experiences have you learned something new from? Leave your thoughts in the comment box.

Cheers....

8 comments:

  1. The only obstruction I am familiar with is the obstruction of justice. Blame it on all those police procedurals and courtroom dramas I used to watch on TV back then. :D

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    1. That's another type of obstruction, interesting. Would never have thought of that. That's why I love blogging, great minds coming together.

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  2. Sorry yesterday was a lousy day. I've had a rough week in terms of getting around so am trying to make up for it today--getting back to all my visitors (thank you!). As for obstructions... while the airway seems most critical, I had an aunt die from an intestinal one--endometrial growth blocked it and she was in a tiny town with stupid doctors who didn't figure it out on time.

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    1. Thank you Hart and sorry about your aunt. It just pisses me off when such misdiagnosis are made. Terrible thing about medicine. You might be so sure that you are on the right track, then realize you got it all wrong. And we are talking lives here. *phew*

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  3. I first learned about obstructions from having to take my dog to the vet! He was eating his blanket :( They said he had an intestinal obstruction that was making him bloated and uncomfortable. I just thought that if it made it past your throat it would slide straight through. Thankfully he passed it or it would have been a $2K surgery.

    You can find me here:
    ClarabelleRant

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    1. I'm glad your dog got better without the surgery and saved you all that money too. Making it down the throat is just the first hurdle, there are many more curves and bends in the GIT where things can get stuck and cause an obstruction.

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  4. This month I'm blogging about the A to Z of IVF treatment, which I'm having due to obstructions in my fallopian tubes. It's amazing how many different bits of the human body can get blocked up!

    Cait @ Click's Clan

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    1. Truly amazing, Cait. Just about anything,

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