The morning after the surgery my doctor came by my room to see how I was feeling. After a post-op snack of vanilla pudding and a midnight snack of graham crackers and peanut butter, I was ready to try an actual meal. I got the green light for a hospital meal - cream of wheat, scrambled eggs, and a bagel - maybe I wasn't as hungry as I thought, blech. During our conversation, he told me that my gall bladder looked horrible - inflamed and irritated. And difficult to get out. He had to cut my belly button a little more than planned. Yikes. That explains why it was so sore (and still is). I hope it heals okay. It is only for decoration so it has to be cute, right?
Today I went for my post-op visit. The pathologist reported back with a diagnosis - acute hemorrhagic cholecystitis. Doesn't that sound lovely? He seemed secretly impressed (I often wonder if doctors get excited over a big named problem that they've successfully fixed). I was wondering if I could earn a medal for managing, or suffering, with that crappy organ. Probably not. Plus I'm thinking there should be a manufacturer's warranty on this kind of thing. Mom, is there monetary compensation for my pain and future life with one less organ? My sisters seem to be in good order, I think it's fair to ask.
Anyways, I've been laying around on the couch since Friday. My technique for getting up has greatly improved. I can walk around the house and take care of myself. Also, today was my first day driving. Slightly uncomfortable. Seatbelts save lives, but are annoying at times like this.
Adrian has been a real trooper. He spent a couple hours with me after the surgery while a friend of mine watched the boys. I had to make sure he was ready for his big night alone with them. On the way home Friday he went in Target and filled my prescription for good pain meds and then promptly placed me on the couch with a blanket and pillow. He fetched water and food when I ever I requested it. He ran the taxi for the boys everyday. Nicholas and Travis were great helpers too. They are good for minor fetching and lovely company for laying on the couch watching TV. Speaking of TV, I am all caught up on my shows and then some. Trust me. Oh, and gossip magazines. A couple friends stopped by with prepared meals and a stack of current People, US Weekly, and In Touch. Since I'm not at a computer all day, I'm out of touch with real news in the world. But whatever you want to know about Bristol and Levi, Fantasia's overdose, or the Jet Blue steward, I'm on it.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Consequences of Pub Cheese
Sunday was like any other day. Ran some errands to Target, Trader Joe's, Henry's Gelato. You know the usual places. I always get inspired by Trader Joe's. It's a small store with neat food. I saw pub cheese. Well of course that could go with pretzels, pita chips, veggies, lots of things. I went for the cheddar with horseradish. I love horseradish. Yum. I went home and tried it with pretzels. Awesome! I think birds chirped and angels sang. It was so good. Who knows if I ate one serving or two. And who cared, right?
My stomach hurt a little but I ate dinner even though I wasn't entirely hungry. It was just some penne with spinach, halved grape tomatoes, and fresh mozz. Nothing outlandish.
Stomach still hurt. By the time I went to bed I knew what was happening. It's happened before. Gall bladder attack. Nice. Of course I had forgotten all about the pub cheese by this point. So just like previous attacks I didn't know what was causing it. But it usually passed after 4 hours. I could just ride it out. I slept for a few hours. Hmm, still riding it out. Lots of tossing and turning to no relief.
Finally morning came. Ugh. I could hardly stand up and felt nauseous. I called the message center for my doctor to see if I should go to the ER or wait for them to open. (By the way, they never called me back, ever.) I was miserable. It had been 12 hours of constant pain with no end in sight. Screw it, I'm going to the ER. I wanted the pain gone. I called my work. Adrian took Nicholas up to day camp. Then dropped me off at the ER while he took Travis to daycare. He came back to the hospital to sit with me and play Plants vs. Zombies on his iPad.
The nurse started an IV, the doctor ordered pain medicine. It seemed like forever for it to start working. I was miserable through the ultrasound. The tech took forever scanning around. While I waited for someone to wheel me back to the ER, the medicine started working. Once the pain was gone I realized how hungry I was. Like a huge pit in my stomach gnawing away at my insides. I thought about how I could get food in the ER. Do they let you do that? And then I fell asleep. I woke up and was wheeled back to curtain #4. Adrian probably made it through several levels of his game while I was away.
Finally the doctor returned. Self-diagnosis confirmed. Gall bladder bad. Many stones and pretty inflamed. Surgery required soon. No fat or dairy until surgery. I was discharged with a referral to a surgeon to call that day.
Ahh, home to my comfy couch. I ordered Jimmy John's online. Vegetarian sub with no fun - I mean no mayo, avocado spread, or cheese. So yeah, cucumber, sprouts, tomatoes on some bread. It was still food and got the job done.
Let me tell you, no fat or dairy is pretty lame. Grapefruit for breakfast, applesauce and pretzels for snacks, Clif mini bars for dinner. I did make fried rice with egg whites, bland but okay. It's definitely not a diet to follow by choice in my opinion.
I saw the surgeon yesterday afternoon. Apparently I make him nervous. I feel bad, I don't think you're supposed to make them nervous. The pain should have subsided but it hadn't. It hurt to move around. Or lay on my side. He wanted to take it out before anything serious happened.
I haven't had anything to eat or drink since I went to bed last night. Good golly, I am hungry and thirsty. As I drove Nicholas to day camp all the bagel and coffee places taunted me. It was sad. All of my jewelry and nail polish are off. I'm wearing my glasses. I am bored and hungry and thirsty.
Soon I will go check in to the hospital. I get to spend the night and it's still outpatient. My surgeon prefers to have people stay as long as possible in case they need more meds and to make sure they can eat more than just a popsicle. Hey, I'm okay with a night away from home. The boys will have a lot of fun eating Happy Meals and watching movies. Yumm, french fries. Did I mention I'm hungry?
I'll be home tomorrow and off work until the middle of next week. I am hoping for a good surgery and a quick recovery. This is putting a dent in my training plan. I've got a half marathon in November and a coach who has me in a 2 hour time slot for it. Geez.
Please think of me during all of this. And I will be thinking of bagels, french fries, buffalo wings, burritos, iced coffee, gelato, and running a lot. I am so hungry and thirsty right now.
My stomach hurt a little but I ate dinner even though I wasn't entirely hungry. It was just some penne with spinach, halved grape tomatoes, and fresh mozz. Nothing outlandish.
Stomach still hurt. By the time I went to bed I knew what was happening. It's happened before. Gall bladder attack. Nice. Of course I had forgotten all about the pub cheese by this point. So just like previous attacks I didn't know what was causing it. But it usually passed after 4 hours. I could just ride it out. I slept for a few hours. Hmm, still riding it out. Lots of tossing and turning to no relief.
Finally morning came. Ugh. I could hardly stand up and felt nauseous. I called the message center for my doctor to see if I should go to the ER or wait for them to open. (By the way, they never called me back, ever.) I was miserable. It had been 12 hours of constant pain with no end in sight. Screw it, I'm going to the ER. I wanted the pain gone. I called my work. Adrian took Nicholas up to day camp. Then dropped me off at the ER while he took Travis to daycare. He came back to the hospital to sit with me and play Plants vs. Zombies on his iPad.
The nurse started an IV, the doctor ordered pain medicine. It seemed like forever for it to start working. I was miserable through the ultrasound. The tech took forever scanning around. While I waited for someone to wheel me back to the ER, the medicine started working. Once the pain was gone I realized how hungry I was. Like a huge pit in my stomach gnawing away at my insides. I thought about how I could get food in the ER. Do they let you do that? And then I fell asleep. I woke up and was wheeled back to curtain #4. Adrian probably made it through several levels of his game while I was away.
Finally the doctor returned. Self-diagnosis confirmed. Gall bladder bad. Many stones and pretty inflamed. Surgery required soon. No fat or dairy until surgery. I was discharged with a referral to a surgeon to call that day.
Ahh, home to my comfy couch. I ordered Jimmy John's online. Vegetarian sub with no fun - I mean no mayo, avocado spread, or cheese. So yeah, cucumber, sprouts, tomatoes on some bread. It was still food and got the job done.
Let me tell you, no fat or dairy is pretty lame. Grapefruit for breakfast, applesauce and pretzels for snacks, Clif mini bars for dinner. I did make fried rice with egg whites, bland but okay. It's definitely not a diet to follow by choice in my opinion.
I saw the surgeon yesterday afternoon. Apparently I make him nervous. I feel bad, I don't think you're supposed to make them nervous. The pain should have subsided but it hadn't. It hurt to move around. Or lay on my side. He wanted to take it out before anything serious happened.
I haven't had anything to eat or drink since I went to bed last night. Good golly, I am hungry and thirsty. As I drove Nicholas to day camp all the bagel and coffee places taunted me. It was sad. All of my jewelry and nail polish are off. I'm wearing my glasses. I am bored and hungry and thirsty.
Soon I will go check in to the hospital. I get to spend the night and it's still outpatient. My surgeon prefers to have people stay as long as possible in case they need more meds and to make sure they can eat more than just a popsicle. Hey, I'm okay with a night away from home. The boys will have a lot of fun eating Happy Meals and watching movies. Yumm, french fries. Did I mention I'm hungry?
I'll be home tomorrow and off work until the middle of next week. I am hoping for a good surgery and a quick recovery. This is putting a dent in my training plan. I've got a half marathon in November and a coach who has me in a 2 hour time slot for it. Geez.
Please think of me during all of this. And I will be thinking of bagels, french fries, buffalo wings, burritos, iced coffee, gelato, and running a lot. I am so hungry and thirsty right now.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
The Big Day
Nicholas started Kindergarten!
The rest of us were still on vacation following our NY trip. I woke him up bright and early. He got dressed and ate breakfast. I drove him the whole three blocks to school, a real long ride. If it wasn't for the 5 lane road in the middle, we'd definitely walk.
I helped him walk to his room the first day. He had lots to carry. 25 boxes of crayons, 37 glue sticks, 56 yellow #2 pencils, 3 boxes of tissues, 10 containers of clorox wipes, you know the usual school supply list.
He put his stuff away and sat right down to begin coloring a picture. I was all good...until the teacher handed me a ziploc baggy with a tissue, a tea bag, and a little note. She's so sweet. She understands that we are entrusting our children with her all day.
I am reminded of how much trust we put in these teachers and other faculty each day. I've dropped him off a few more times. Nicholas gets out of the car with his stuff and walks into school. Each day I worry that he will get lost and wander the halls or end up in the wrong classroom. I worry that he will have problems opening his juice box or forget to eat his snacks. Or that he'll accidentally get placed on a school bus at the end of the day instead at the after school program in the gym. I have to trust that there are people looking out for him. And trust that he does know where he belongs. And that he will ask questions if he isn't sure. He is a smart kid and ready to face that big world of elementary school. When you see that little guy with a giant backpack and little chicken legs sticking out from his shorts. You realize he is still my baby. And those adorable 5th grade safety patrol kids who help at the carpool lane. They think they are so big, but really they're not. I know their parents have some of the same feelings about how quickly they grow up.
The rest of us were still on vacation following our NY trip. I woke him up bright and early. He got dressed and ate breakfast. I drove him the whole three blocks to school, a real long ride. If it wasn't for the 5 lane road in the middle, we'd definitely walk.
I helped him walk to his room the first day. He had lots to carry. 25 boxes of crayons, 37 glue sticks, 56 yellow #2 pencils, 3 boxes of tissues, 10 containers of clorox wipes, you know the usual school supply list.
He put his stuff away and sat right down to begin coloring a picture. I was all good...until the teacher handed me a ziploc baggy with a tissue, a tea bag, and a little note. She's so sweet. She understands that we are entrusting our children with her all day.
I am reminded of how much trust we put in these teachers and other faculty each day. I've dropped him off a few more times. Nicholas gets out of the car with his stuff and walks into school. Each day I worry that he will get lost and wander the halls or end up in the wrong classroom. I worry that he will have problems opening his juice box or forget to eat his snacks. Or that he'll accidentally get placed on a school bus at the end of the day instead at the after school program in the gym. I have to trust that there are people looking out for him. And trust that he does know where he belongs. And that he will ask questions if he isn't sure. He is a smart kid and ready to face that big world of elementary school. When you see that little guy with a giant backpack and little chicken legs sticking out from his shorts. You realize he is still my baby. And those adorable 5th grade safety patrol kids who help at the carpool lane. They think they are so big, but really they're not. I know their parents have some of the same feelings about how quickly they grow up.
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