David's Story Part 31: December 2004

12/14/04
Mary,

David's hemorrhoids and anal fissures are back and worse than ever...did I tell you? He is on pain meds all the time and missing school. I took him to Quik Care on Thursday last week. He was crampy and passing blood. The doctor gave him suppositories and we scheduled his flex scope for the 23rd. Sunday night he said the bleeding was getting worse and he wanted to see someone so Hubby to him to the emergency room. The doctor examined him and said the hemorrhoids look pretty bad and he cannot see how far up the fissures go. David came back from the exam in more pain than when he left. He was pale and nearly crying. He said that the doctor used some sort of lighted tube to exam him internally. He told the doctor that it hurt, but the doctor did the exam anyway. Hubby said he could hear David yelling from the waiting room.

He has an appointment with the surgeon tomorrow.

12/16/04
Mary,

I told the surgeon privately how David had once reported having been molested and later denied ever having said that. I also told him how traumatized he seemed to be by the emergency room visit. He told me at the before he went in that he probably would have to do an exam, but afterwards he said he decided it was not necessary. He said that he did not think that an internal scoping was necessary but if it was David could choose between Valium or even full sedation if he wanted. David was visibly relieved.

The surgeon thinks that the hemorrhoids are minor and that David's real problem is the fissures. So he told David that he really, really had to take the stool softeners and the fiber supplements every day. He also really has to use the suppositories. When David said that it hurt too much to use the suppositories he prescribed a cream to use to heal the external fissures first. He told him that if they did not heal they could do surgery but that a certain number of people loose bowel control with the surgery. When we got home David asked if I could get him a pill organizer box so that he could remember to take everything.

Now if we can just get him to go back to school. We have worked it out so that he does not have to attend all his classes. He can go straight to the study skills room and work on his make-up packet while sitting in the comfy chairs they have there. The nice special ed teachers will help him with all the work. He can go for just an hour or two if he wants.

I do understand that it is difficult. He is in pain or he is feeling a little loopy from the pain meds. Still he has now missed 13 days this semester and will have to petition for credit. He can only get that if he has at least C's in the classes, and he won't if he doesn't get the work done.

In the end David had I think as many as 15 absences in some classes. We collected letters from all the physicians who saw him and filled out the petition. He did manage to get C's and he got credit for all of his classes.

He was miserable, frightened, and losing a lot of weight. He told people later that he almost died that Christmas. That of course is not true, although I would not be surprised if David was afraid he might die. He began to feel a little better during Christmas break, but not much. He was not working while he was sick and he was not in school. He was tired and weak.

He started spending a lot of time with Robert in The City. I don't remember to how much we argued about whether that was appropriate. I do remember that I decided it was not worth arguing much about. School would start up soon; David was getting better and would go back to work; everything would go back to the way it was very soon.

David's Story Part 1: The Beginning
David's Story Part 32: The Troubles