In the United States, a surprising number of individuals end up in hospitals annually due to inserting foreign objects into their rectums. While this often involves items like sex toys or even light bulbs, the holiday season brings about a peculiar twist as these objects take on a notably festive theme.
During an interview with emergency medicine professionals, it was revealed that there is a constant influx of patients arriving at emergency departments throughout the year with objects lodged in their behinds. Dr. Barry Hahn from New York pointed out that during the holidays, people tend to get more creative and merry with the items they choose to celebrate with.
Interestingly, adults seem to favor placing festive objects lower down their bodies for various reasons, including sexual pleasure. It was disclosed that some patients have presented with Christmas ornaments, model snowmen, model Christmas trees, candy canes, miniature replicas of famous landmarks like the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building, and even Buzz Lightyear figurines stuck inside them.
Despite privacy constraints limiting details on these cases, physicians consistently caution against inserting household items or decorations into one’s anus. Dr. Adam Gaston advised against using items such as nutcracker soldiers or porcelain and plastic Christmas trees near your buttocks.
Dr. Stuart Fischer shared his experiences in removing an array of objects from patients’ backsides – ranging from deceased animals to dental products and even a doorknob. He recounted incidents involving unfortunate outcomes like a suffocated gerbil and someone arriving with a family-sized toothpaste dispenser stuck inside them.
The potential complications arising from introducing household items into the rectum were underscored by Dr. Fischer. These include objects getting stuck due to suction-like reflexes in the rectum’s tight walls, shattering under pressure causing perforations or cuts to the bowel leading to bleeding and infections.
In cases where extraction becomes challenging despite sedation for muscle relaxation, surgical intervention may be necessary. Research by experts at the University of Rochester highlighted that close to 40,000 Americans were hospitalized between 2012 and 2021 for rectal foreign body insertions – predominantly men in their 20s and early 30s.
Bottles, jars, or bottle lids were identified as common non-sexual items found stuck in individuals’ rectums during these incidents constituting about 10% of cases studied. The study serves as a stark reminder for those who engage in such risky behaviors to seek immediate medical assistance should they encounter any difficulties post-insertion.
