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Monday, October 10, 2011

DH's health issues

I mentioned that DH had a cyst and had been warned that the infection from the cyst could spread and if it did, it might necessitate removal of his manly parts.  This was a huge motivator for him to start paying attention to his diabetes (at least until we ran out of Abilify).

After that, though, it's been one thing after another with DH's health (or lack thereof), and I don't know what to think at all.  He's got so many weird health problems it's unbelievable.

After that first cyst, he got one on his tailbone.  Then one under his arm.  Then under his other arm.  Each time required a trip to the E.R. to have the cyst drained and a prescription for Percocet (please do a search on Percocet in this blog to learn about DH's relationship with that drug).  The doctors were baffled and have instructed DH to make an appointment with an infectious disease specialist to find out why all of these cysts.  The doctors keep handing out Percocet like it was candy.

Then of course the back pain is back with a vengeance, probably due to the state of the medications he was and wasn't on.....more trips to the E.R., more Percocet.

Luckily (or not), for quite some time now, DH has recognized on some weird level that he has a problem with Percocet.  So he gives the prescription to me and I keep the pills in my safe and dole them out one at a time. (The safe is now an integral part of my life, it's where I keep everything that DH might be tempted to steal from me--I know that's sad, but at least things don't get stolen any more....) but it kind of sets us up for a power struggle because he ALWAYS wants Percocet, and even though it was prescribed for cysts or back pain, he wants one because he stubbed his toe or whatever.  So it's stressful and I hate it.  But with the doctors pushing this drug at him every time he goes, I haven't come up with a better solution at this moment.

Then last weekend, DH went to work and was sent from work to the E.R. for severe abdominal pain.  Now he has diverticulitis, a painful infection of pouches in his intestine(s).  He didn't go to work all last weekend after that.  He didn't go to work yesterday or today either.  But he is under the belief that if he has a doctor's note, he won't get in trouble.  I hope he's right.  And....you guessed it....even more Percocet.

And the bills.  I cannot believe the hospital bills.  Things are never going to be ok financially for us, we are always going to have a bazillion hospital bills like this, unless DH loses weight, and that isn't going to happen unless I am there to cook every meal and force him to exercise.

I have never known anyone to have this many health issues consecutively like this.  It's crossed my mind that he might be faking it to get the Percocet, but how do you fake a cyst?  And the way he was breathing with the diverticulitis, I don't think you can fake being in pain like that....at least I don't think DH can......

So it's been a frustrating couple of weeks.

4 comments:

Robin said...

It sounds like DH has a dependency on Percocet...can you go to the ER with him and tell the doctor that he is addicted and needs something else for the pain, something that won't cause dependency?

Reighnie said...

Diverticulitis is very painful. From what I understand hard feces get stuck in those pouches and cause the infection.

I'm not a doctor, but isn't one of the side effects of Percocet constipation? Because that could be contributing to his diverticulitis problem. I don't think diverticulitis goes away either, it flares. My hubby's grandma had it and she used to have to watch what she ate and soak in the bathtub when it flared.

The drugs he's taking can be causing all these health problems, they might be side effects...

Miss Kitty said...

Oh my. This is awful. Bless your heart, Carol.

One of my friends recently separated from her husband after years of his Oxycontin addiction. He had legit major surgery many moons ago that required the Oxy, but got addicted to it. He too had all kinds of weird cysts on his body, a huge pouch of fluid near his lung that nearly killed him...and terrible constipation. He refused to do anything different, though, and ended up threatening her life. :-( It was a bad scene.

But prescription painkillers do weird things to the body. And I too don't think diverticulities goes away; it can only be managed. Lots of fiber helps (even from fiber tablets). Even light exercise such as yoga helps with peristalsis; twisty, bendy motions get everything in the gut used to moving again.

Best of luck to you, DH, and the critters. And yes, perhaps you should clue the doctors in on the Percocet problem.

(((HUGS)))

Anonymous said...

Poorly (more like unmanaged, right?) managed diabetes is probably contributing to these problems, too.