Okay. Now this may be a shock to some, but I’m just gonna come out and say it — not everything is an item that should play hockey with your organs. People apparently are forgetting that fact and instead are deciding that just about ANYTHING should see the inner workings of their body from an access point that’s usually off limits. I’m thinking maybe there should be some sort of campaign. Perhaps a slogan or something. Yes, something like “Your iPod is a listening device…for your ears. Your Lower Intestine Can’t Hear. End Musical Devices in Your Innards.”
And there’s a book about it.
Forensic psychiatrist Marty A. Sindhian, M.D., with the help of fellow psych doc Rich E. Dreben, and emergency room physician Murdoc Knight, have created a book titled “Stuck Up!: 125 Objects Inserted and Ingested in Places They Shouldn’t Be,” which takes a look at the oddest items that have found their way into the human body from a variety of orifices.
The book is filled with 100 x-rays of such discoveries. Now, stories of this ilk aren’t uncommon, after all, what would pop culture be without a Richard Gere reference every now and then, BUT taking a look at these pictures will probably blow your mind. You have just never fathomed the things people have decided should find their way into body parts. In addition, some of the psychology behind it is, well, actually fascinating. For instance, did you know the most typical item swallowed by adults is a wedding ring?
“A lot of time they’re swallowed because people want to hide them,” Sindhian said. “Luckily, they pass through fairly easily.”
And then there’s the other stuff. You know what stuff. I can remember taking an Anatomy Physics class and my professor, who was also a doctor, would tell us some of the explanations people have attempted after getting their sensitive bits caught in vacuum cleaner hoses and pool drains. The author of this book has heard similar excuses.
“Sometimes patients tell us that they were doing some type of household chore in the nude when they ‘fell’ or ‘tripped’ or ‘jumped into bed’ and ‘landed on the object,'” Dreben said. “Other times, patients are forthcoming in explaining that their predicaments resulted from sexual activity.”
The authors hope that sharing the book, which is meant to be funny, will ease the stigma that sometimes coincides with these particular incidents. Part of what they want patients to know is that they probably don’t have to go into a lengthy explanation about why that thing that happened…happened and what they were trying to accomplish with that soda can.
“We do not make fun of patients or probe them for more information; and it is not always important for us to know the entirety of the story,” said Dreben. “However, we do have to be certain that the patient is safe and that these incidents were not the result of abuse. Physicians are trained to be as non-judgmental as possible; we do not want patients to avoid seeking help because they believe they will be judged by their doctors.”
Yes, that makes perfect sense for you, doc. Absolutely! No question. Me? I’m gonna giggle and facepalm just a bit, okay? Yep.
Click here to see the entire slideshow and for more information about the book. You’ll find out some of the doctor’s thoughts about each item. You’ll be shocked. I guarantee it.
