Let me start with a little back ground info first...
For the last 18 months or so I would get this weird stomach pains on and off. I had no idea what they were but the best I could describe them was it felt like I had pulled a muscle in my diaphragm or it felt like someone had shoved there fist behind my ribs. The pain was in the core or my body, up until this last weekend, I could rub it and it didn't hurt at all. This feeling would strike at any time of day but most commonly hit at bed time or during the night. I would wake up in the middle of the night in so much pain I would be crying and have to wake up Kyle. He would rub my back, I would hug the heating pad or ice pack depending on my body temp and cry until I just passed out from exhaustion. Sometimes it would be accompanied by a sudden high fever that passed as fast as it came! With in minutes I would go from feeling fine to having 104* fever and being in intense pain! The pain would last anywhere from a twinge (In the beginning, after Konner was born) to as long as 3-4 hours (towards the end). Kyle convinced me that I was over exaggerating and it was just a pulled muscle so I never went to the Dr. for it. (In all fairness, it wasn't Kyle's fault I waited so long to go to the Dr. Yes he discouraged it but I chose not to go and I didn't do any research to find out what it could be!! If I had known it could have possibly been what it was, I would have definitely gone to the Dr. ASAP...to avoid what happened these last fee days!)
So, now lets jump forward to the last month or so. I started having random symptoms, such as, "laziness" (Which was from the condition), I just thought I was at the end of the deployment and I was at the end of my rope, stressed out and just done being a single parent. It wasn't really laziness though, I could get up and work for 15-20 minutes and then I would feel exhausted. So I could get up and go just not for long. I was having trouble eating and drinking. When I got to the ER I had to have 2 complete bags of fluids before I could give a urine sample. 2 whole bags!!! I was super dehydrated! Plus, my white blood count was SUPER low, which was what was causing the exhaustion!
Saturday February 4,2012
Around 4:00p.m. I started having those same pains. I tried the heating pad, ice packs, a million different positions, and Excedrin. I tried all these things until 7 when it was time to put the kids to bed. I tried really hard to stay strong when the kids were around but by bedtime I had already cried in front of them. I got them into bed and got in the bath tub. I thought maybe soaking in warm water would help...it didn't! So I tried cold water...it didn't help either. Then I called a friend from church and asked her to come take me to the ER and see if her husband would stay with my kids because they were sleeping already. Breeana showed up like 7:30 and drove me to the ER. As soon as I told the Dr. my symptoms, she knew immediately that it was my gallbladder. She wanted to do an ultrasound but she was pretty positive because the symptoms were so text book.
So, 3 hours and an ultrasound later I was checked into the hospital. The ultrasound revealed AT LEAST 8 stones (ended up being 12! One the size of a QUARTER!!!) and my gallbladder was so infected and inflamed that it was twice the normal size! They checked me in and got me on some hard core pain meds...they made me a little light-headed and loopy and then I slept...A LOT!!!
On Sunday morning they order another test. I had to lay under an MRI machine while they pumped radio active die into my blood and watched it process through my body to see how my gallbladder was functioning. There were 3 possible outcomes. 1- it would collect in there and slowly drain out (slowly drain because of the stones). 2- The stones would block it in and all the die would pool up in there and get stuck. (I am soooo glad this wasn't what was wrong with mine, if that happens, they have to force it to spasm so it will empty before it ruptured! The spasm pain is what brought me into the ER in the first place, pain so back I could barely move, I was sweating and shaking as well!) and 3- It wouldn't show up at all...which means that the gallbladder is completely diseased and basically dead.
Now, there were 2 really bad things about this test. 1- you couldn't have pain meds for 4 hours prior to or during the test because it could interfere with the results. and 2- laying flat on my back was the MOST painful position to be in!!
The test lasted for 2 1/2 hours...of no pain meds and laying on my back!! The test went in 30 minute segments. So he would watch the MRI for 30 minutes, then I would get 2-3 minutes to roll onto my side, deep breath and try to relax a little bit...it was like being at the end of natural labor and you only have 2-3 minutes between contractions...it is pretty much impossible to relax in that short amount of time but at least the pain decreased (not by much but a little was better than nothing). By the last 30 minutes I was crying...and trying to hold still...it was like torture! Luckily the tech watching the MRI called my nurse about 5 minutes before the test was over and she came up and literally the second the test was over she gave me some IV pain meds! I had to be lifted off the table and back into my wheel chair!
Well, my results were #3. It was so long gone the contrast didn't show up at all. That meant IMMEDIATE removal! This test happened Sunday afternoon and the surgery was at 8am Monday.
This whole process was very hard. Kyle was still deployed and other people were having to care for my kids and dog! Luckily I have an AMAZING church family who stepped right up! They even came in and cleaned up my house! One of them even cleaned out my car!!!
On Monday morning my Mom and older sister, Sarah, came up to be with me. Because the surgery was so early they got there after I had already gone into pre-op but it was comforting to know they would be waiting when I came out. The surgeon even came and told me when they checked in to the waiting room! Which was right as I was going into the OR.
Going into the OR was the most terrifying thing I have ever done. I have had a C-section but that was different. It wasn't as much of a shock as this unexpected surgery was and Kyle was with me that time. When they got me into the OR, the table was TINY!! I was so surprised at how small the table was. I couldn't even put my arms at my side!!! I was okay until they strapped my arms down at my sides...which they did for my C-section too...but these circumstance's were WAY different!! I started to panic. Then the nurse placed this metal frame thing next to my head that held a gas mask. I started having a panic attack. They couldn't give me pain meds until I calmed down. It took about 15 minutes to get me calmed down. The nurses were all talking to me, trying to get me to breathe slower, one of them even prayed with me! They also were giving me oxygen. Once I had calmed down they gave me an iv med that they said "will make you feel drowsy but won't make you fall asleep". It hit me like a brick wall. I was finally able to untense my body. The anestesiologist introduced himself and said he would walk me through the process. I told him definitely not too! Then I would start panicing again waiting for it! I told him I was already calm so I just wanted to breathe and then wake up later. He respected my wishes and the next thing I knew, I was coming around in the recovery room!!!
They had to intibate me during the surgery. They took it out before I came around though so I was never aware of the actual tube...but man could I tell it had been there! When I first woke up I immediately started coughing!! The nurse brought me some water but it took about 20 minutes to stop. Luckily I was still semi-sedated because coughing still hurts, I can't imagine what it would have felt like then!!! Also, I had just quite smoking a week earlier so my throat was already a little roughed up. My throat was raw and sore for about 2 days and my voice was hoarse for about a day.
After I had been awake for 30 minutes in recovery and I had answered a million questions, they said I could go back to my room. I immediately asked about my mom and sister. We walked past the waiting room on our way out and they got to escort me back to my room! They brought me lots of entertainment and stuff to read! They stayed with me for a couple of hours to comfort me and support me. Since Kyle was gone I was feeling really alone.
After they left the hospital, they picked up my kids from the sitter and took them back to Oklahoma, so I could recover at home. None of them could stay up here for a week but between everyone there, they could cover the kids for the week. It was the longest week of my life!!!
I came home wednesday afternoon. I was on Percocet for the pain and I basically laid in bed for 2 hours with a heating pad on my stomach, then walked around for 10 minutes. repeat until bed time. I slept better than I thought I would! The dr. said if I was tired to sleep...no matter what time it was! Sleep=healing!
By Friday, I wasn't as sore, and I could get out of bed for longer amounts of time. On Friday night I decided I was going to go down to Oklahoma for the weekend because Kyle's return Sunday night had been pushed back to Monday. So Friday night I did some driving just to see how it felt and it was fine. The hardest part was reaching around for my seat belt! So Saturday morning, I got up, talked to Kyle, packed my bags and went to Oklahoma. I didn't tell the kids I was coming, and neither did my parents so they were super excited! Especially Ashlynn. I had to remind her of my boo-boo's but she just kept hugging me and telling me she loved and missed me. She was glued to my side for about 24 hours straight!!! We ended up coming home this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning because there is a nasty storm! We are looking at about 3 inches of snow so far and some dangerous road conditions!! Kyle called earlier and said he isn't sure yet but they may get delayed or diverted because of the weather :-( I really hope he makes it at least some time tomorrow!! I will be sad if he doesn't but Ashlynn will be devestated! It was harder to put her to bed tonight than it was on Christmas eve!
Okay, well I wrote this post because I couldn't sleep but it is 2am and I am going to get up at 7 to shower and get all pretty...just incase he still gets in at 9! I am going to call his work around 8:30 to see if they know yet! I don't want to drive all the way there in bad weather if he isn't even going to be there!!! So I love you all and I will probably be taking a little digital break once Kyle gets home! I promise I will be back though...eventually!
So, 3 hours and an ultrasound later I was checked into the hospital. The ultrasound revealed AT LEAST 8 stones (ended up being 12! One the size of a QUARTER!!!) and my gallbladder was so infected and inflamed that it was twice the normal size! They checked me in and got me on some hard core pain meds...they made me a little light-headed and loopy and then I slept...A LOT!!!
On Sunday morning they order another test. I had to lay under an MRI machine while they pumped radio active die into my blood and watched it process through my body to see how my gallbladder was functioning. There were 3 possible outcomes. 1- it would collect in there and slowly drain out (slowly drain because of the stones). 2- The stones would block it in and all the die would pool up in there and get stuck. (I am soooo glad this wasn't what was wrong with mine, if that happens, they have to force it to spasm so it will empty before it ruptured! The spasm pain is what brought me into the ER in the first place, pain so back I could barely move, I was sweating and shaking as well!) and 3- It wouldn't show up at all...which means that the gallbladder is completely diseased and basically dead.
Now, there were 2 really bad things about this test. 1- you couldn't have pain meds for 4 hours prior to or during the test because it could interfere with the results. and 2- laying flat on my back was the MOST painful position to be in!!
The test lasted for 2 1/2 hours...of no pain meds and laying on my back!! The test went in 30 minute segments. So he would watch the MRI for 30 minutes, then I would get 2-3 minutes to roll onto my side, deep breath and try to relax a little bit...it was like being at the end of natural labor and you only have 2-3 minutes between contractions...it is pretty much impossible to relax in that short amount of time but at least the pain decreased (not by much but a little was better than nothing). By the last 30 minutes I was crying...and trying to hold still...it was like torture! Luckily the tech watching the MRI called my nurse about 5 minutes before the test was over and she came up and literally the second the test was over she gave me some IV pain meds! I had to be lifted off the table and back into my wheel chair!
Well, my results were #3. It was so long gone the contrast didn't show up at all. That meant IMMEDIATE removal! This test happened Sunday afternoon and the surgery was at 8am Monday.
This whole process was very hard. Kyle was still deployed and other people were having to care for my kids and dog! Luckily I have an AMAZING church family who stepped right up! They even came in and cleaned up my house! One of them even cleaned out my car!!!
On Monday morning my Mom and older sister, Sarah, came up to be with me. Because the surgery was so early they got there after I had already gone into pre-op but it was comforting to know they would be waiting when I came out. The surgeon even came and told me when they checked in to the waiting room! Which was right as I was going into the OR.
Going into the OR was the most terrifying thing I have ever done. I have had a C-section but that was different. It wasn't as much of a shock as this unexpected surgery was and Kyle was with me that time. When they got me into the OR, the table was TINY!! I was so surprised at how small the table was. I couldn't even put my arms at my side!!! I was okay until they strapped my arms down at my sides...which they did for my C-section too...but these circumstance's were WAY different!! I started to panic. Then the nurse placed this metal frame thing next to my head that held a gas mask. I started having a panic attack. They couldn't give me pain meds until I calmed down. It took about 15 minutes to get me calmed down. The nurses were all talking to me, trying to get me to breathe slower, one of them even prayed with me! They also were giving me oxygen. Once I had calmed down they gave me an iv med that they said "will make you feel drowsy but won't make you fall asleep". It hit me like a brick wall. I was finally able to untense my body. The anestesiologist introduced himself and said he would walk me through the process. I told him definitely not too! Then I would start panicing again waiting for it! I told him I was already calm so I just wanted to breathe and then wake up later. He respected my wishes and the next thing I knew, I was coming around in the recovery room!!!
They had to intibate me during the surgery. They took it out before I came around though so I was never aware of the actual tube...but man could I tell it had been there! When I first woke up I immediately started coughing!! The nurse brought me some water but it took about 20 minutes to stop. Luckily I was still semi-sedated because coughing still hurts, I can't imagine what it would have felt like then!!! Also, I had just quite smoking a week earlier so my throat was already a little roughed up. My throat was raw and sore for about 2 days and my voice was hoarse for about a day.
After I had been awake for 30 minutes in recovery and I had answered a million questions, they said I could go back to my room. I immediately asked about my mom and sister. We walked past the waiting room on our way out and they got to escort me back to my room! They brought me lots of entertainment and stuff to read! They stayed with me for a couple of hours to comfort me and support me. Since Kyle was gone I was feeling really alone.
After they left the hospital, they picked up my kids from the sitter and took them back to Oklahoma, so I could recover at home. None of them could stay up here for a week but between everyone there, they could cover the kids for the week. It was the longest week of my life!!!
I came home wednesday afternoon. I was on Percocet for the pain and I basically laid in bed for 2 hours with a heating pad on my stomach, then walked around for 10 minutes. repeat until bed time. I slept better than I thought I would! The dr. said if I was tired to sleep...no matter what time it was! Sleep=healing!
By Friday, I wasn't as sore, and I could get out of bed for longer amounts of time. On Friday night I decided I was going to go down to Oklahoma for the weekend because Kyle's return Sunday night had been pushed back to Monday. So Friday night I did some driving just to see how it felt and it was fine. The hardest part was reaching around for my seat belt! So Saturday morning, I got up, talked to Kyle, packed my bags and went to Oklahoma. I didn't tell the kids I was coming, and neither did my parents so they were super excited! Especially Ashlynn. I had to remind her of my boo-boo's but she just kept hugging me and telling me she loved and missed me. She was glued to my side for about 24 hours straight!!! We ended up coming home this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning because there is a nasty storm! We are looking at about 3 inches of snow so far and some dangerous road conditions!! Kyle called earlier and said he isn't sure yet but they may get delayed or diverted because of the weather :-( I really hope he makes it at least some time tomorrow!! I will be sad if he doesn't but Ashlynn will be devestated! It was harder to put her to bed tonight than it was on Christmas eve!
Okay, well I wrote this post because I couldn't sleep but it is 2am and I am going to get up at 7 to shower and get all pretty...just incase he still gets in at 9! I am going to call his work around 8:30 to see if they know yet! I don't want to drive all the way there in bad weather if he isn't even going to be there!!! So I love you all and I will probably be taking a little digital break once Kyle gets home! I promise I will be back though...eventually!
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Thanks for reading! I would love to hear your feedback but please keep it positive! I use this blog as a therapy tool and it is meant to be positive and uplifting! If you really feel the need to express your opinion then feel free to do so, but know that I will not argue back. If things ever get hostile or angry, I will be forced to block people and I don't want to have to do that! Thank you so much! I Love you all!