Wednesday, July 6, 2011

re: your wife's diarrhea


Last weekend we were at a wine tasting party discovering the wonders of chocolate wine (it tastes like chocolate milk!) and "pregnancy" wine (it tastes like melted plastic!), when Y started to feel ill and we had to leave.

Later, the host of the party (a fellow medical student) texted Y and asked, "Your stomach hurt? Did you end up vomiting or having diarrhea?"

It occurred to me that if I had been the one to leave the party with a stomachache, his friends would have asked the same question about me. And I'm guessing Y would have told them, because intestinal issues are just intestinal issues, and we're all human.

I imagine, in normal life, that friends don't ask friends about their wife's (or their own!) diarrhea. I certainly don't tell my friends about anything of that nature. I know these guys have seen it all, and upset stomachs are probably on the low end of the grossness spectrum. But... it weirds me out to think that my medical issues could be fair game for discussion

What do you think? Would it weird you out for your husband's friends to know your bowels' every move... even if they were doctors?


3 comments:

  1. this post made me laugh because it's a familiar scene for both of us! here at the doctor/nurse house one is quite likely to walk into discussions surrounding our/others' bodily functions. i've definitely been guilty of discussing friends' last menstruel periods during casual conversation so it doesn't seem too weird to me. my sister, however, is horrified and i have to remember to pump the breaks when she's around. :)

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  2. ahhh I would have been squirming! Even though the question wasn't directed at me - that's is something that I would not share with anyone! (I have enough trouble describing my symptoms to my doc in an appointment).

    I agree with you, 110%. it's weird - but you're right in saying that for them, it's completely normal!

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  3. I just experienced this last weekend. My husband and a fellow intern and I went to a food festival out here and it pissed off my stomach. We had plans to head out to see a show later that evening, and on our way, I decided that it wouldn't be a good idea for me to go. Of course, my husband didn't want to ask me "the question" in front of him, but we were all thinking it! The way I see it is... they have seen it ALL, so you've got to let go and laugh. :)

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