TMI Friday: Oh, How long has that been there ?

I remember searching through an old jacket, and finding a torchlight within it. It had been in that jacket so long that I forgot that I had even lost it. I'm sure we've all been in that situation of finding something long after it had been lost, that combination of surprise and relief when it is found.

So let us put ourselves in the shoes of the 62 year old widow who wondered into an Accident and Emergency unit in Stockport. She had been experiencing horrible smelling bloody discharge from her "Intimate area". But after a bit of questioning, it turned out that there were some complications. It was a long term issue, and she had been too embarrassed to seek medical help.

It was her new boyfriend who had convinced her to go to hospital and finally see a Doctor about it. 

Three years before, she was using a vibrator when the device got lodged up her vagina. She was completely unable to extract it. 

I was told of a similar situation, of a gentleman who had come into A & E with a similar problem. The gentleman was in intense pain, and after the surgeons had worked out the cause, they tired removing it. They soon realised that this would be impossible. Because the Vibrator he had inserted into his body was still fully activated. It was too far inside the man for anyone to reach the switch and turn it off. So they had to keep this gentleman waiting in the emergency room until the damned things batteries ran out.

So this ladies decision to wait may not have been a completely silly decision. However, leaving a vibrator  marinating in her vagina for three years before seeking medical attention was a little bit extreme. 

In fact, it was incredibly dangerous. It had worked its way through the vaginal wall and into the rectum, causing a horrible condition known as a rectal fistula. The damage the vibrator had caused to her digestive system was so severe that she had to undergo a colostomy.  This is usually done when a large part of the intestine is no longer able function, and a new opening needs to be made to allow faeces to leave the digestive system. Although drastic, this was enough to stop her condition get any worse.

And so ends Girls month. I hope you've enjoyed reading about all of the embarrassing things that the "fairer" sex get up to. Next week we'll be returning to the embarrassing world of men. But make no mistake, if I hear an embarrassing story involving a woman, I will not wait to have another girls month to tell you about it.

Ahmad M. Intravaginal vibrator of long duration., European journal of emergency medicine : official journal of the European Society for Emergency Medicine, PMID: 11989500