Anyone who knows anything about this, please post - I've got to know more
about this...it's so ...weird. Leon? Wayne? ANy of you Med journal reading folks?
--
ryan masuga
> My sister, a 26 year sufferer of Crohns has had the experience of having
> small wood fibers come directly out of her skin. This gave her the feeling
> of being stung by bees. It happened to various parts of her body. It was
> very nerve wracking because she wouldn't know when they were going to
> appear next. She experienced her last episode four years ago while in the
> hospital being treated for Crohns. Her Dr. observed this happening and had
> no explanation. She is visiting me this weekend and I told her about this
> site and she asked me to ask if anyone has ever experienced this or heard
> about it.
I saw a reference to an article the other day reporting that a swallowed
toothpick mimicked many of the symptoms of colitis in a child. I know that
foreign objects in the body (shrapnel, bullet fragments, etc.) sometimes
work themselves out through the skin many years later.
Pure amateur speculation: Was your sister a chewer of toothpicks when she
was younger? Did she ever swallow pieces of a toothpick?
--
Wayne Marsh, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
wayne....@cdev.com
I heard some similar story once from somewhere source that I don't
remember
at all. Some kind of particle came out spontaneously in various parts
of
the body. This particle was something that was recognized as having
been
put in the body a large number of years prior (might have been metal
fragments from being shot, or something like that). It can take years
to work its way out - so it's possible that she got poked with the wood
fibers some number of years ago. I doubt that it has anything to do
with
the Crohns.
Ariel
It is true that the body can work things out the skin over a period of
years. I was in a head on collision where I broke the windshield with my
forehead. Over a period of many years I would find bits of glass working
its its way out through my skin. (and yes, it was painful)
I can't imagine how to explain the wood. The only thing I can wonder
about is whether she ever was into high fiber food. I remember noticing
once that high fiber, low fat bread essentially had wood in it.
Reading this over I realize that I sound a bit crazed, but those who have
been in the group for awhile will vouch that I'm usually pretty rational!
Ellen