Uh oh... will it pass?

Last Thursday I started to have some "tummy trouble" - without giving away TMI, lets just say crampy and uncomfortable in the lower abdominal area. Yeah, I was thinking TOM too. I swam anyway, even though I didn't really feel like it, & felt a little better. I woke up in the middle of the night with stabbing pain in my lower abdomen, dripping with sweat and tried using the bathroom, but no luck. My stomach was gurgling like crazy, so I took some Gasex. Okay, for sure not TOM, I'm thinking I've got some kind of a bug, bad flu, bacterial infection, maybe food poisoning, diverticulitis, ectopic pregnancy?? I was getting worried when I had not had any "movement" in a couple of days, as I am very regular (as a vegetarian I get LOTS of fiber!) The thought of a bowel obstruction briefly crossed my mind... Started drinking some prune juice - which I can't help thinking tastes like blood. On and off Friday and Saturday - eating somewhat normally, but less appetite, cramps, a little nausea, more prune juice and by Saturday finally a little "movement". Still not feeling good, but a little less uncomfortable & no more stabbing pains, just aching and an occasional cramp, so maybe it's passing. Monday morning I make an apt with my Dr. who can't see me until next Tuesday. The nurse says if it gets worse go to urgent care. Really? Monday afternoon I reach into the cabinet for a glass to drink some more prune juice and my eyes stop on a water bottle. I swear, what went through my mind was like this slow-motion-switching-to-super-speed-rewind back to the previous Sunday, like something you'd see on TV as a flash-back accompanied by the cheesy sound of the whining tape reel!

I went hiking on the 18th with my husband and older daughter - a very nice shady trail uphill in the Mount Baldy area north of Claremont, CA. We walked for about 2 hours & I burned a ton of calories. Well, on the way back down the trail, I was having trouble closing the nozzle on my water bottle (a cheap, plastic give-away from some event), so I gave it a good pop and it closed. The next time I wanted a drink, I opened it up and took a good long pull, but I noticed that I had swallowed something. Uh oh, too late, down it went. I felt it stick in my throat a little, like it wouldn't go down all the way. I remember thinking, "Please, tell me that was not a bug!" I opened up the bottle and the plastic open/close mechanism was in pieces... and apparently I had swallowed one. Great. It wasn't causing me pain, but I could still feel it in my throat and more water wasn't flushing it down. At home, I ate some bread & drank lots of water. I thought about inducing vomiting, but I figured it would eventually pass through - it was a really small piece to have fit through the hole in the nozzle. Or maybe it wasn't actually stuck, it just scratched my esophagus and felt like it was still there. So after a couple of days, I noticed that I didn't feel it in my throat anymore, and figured eventually nature will take it's course...

So here I am on day 9... and I am relatively sure that it has not passed. The symptoms have lessened with the help of the prune juice and things are "moving" but I still get some cramping and discomfort. I did some research online & it can take up to a week to pass a "non-food" item. It's not a battery or a magnet, so I'm not in imminent danger. If things are not resolved by Thursday I guess I'm going to urgent care. I'm REALLY hoping there is a non-invasive procedure for this problem.

I'm a pretty optimistic person, so I can't help thinking that it could be worse - at least I'm not pregnant!