Gallbladder Gone Rogue

November 2009 - Thanksgiving Day (Thursday)

I had been feeling unwell for such a long time. I couldn't remember the last time that I did truly feel good. I had no appetite and when I tried to eat I became violently ill. After barely picking at our Thanksgiving Dinner, Van, the girls and I set out to watch the movie "Angels and Demons". We are in the room where I sleep, so that I can lay down as I am not feeling well. The duration of the movie I am continuously adjusting my position. I feel as if I am dying.  I want my Mom. I want her to tell me what to do to feel better.  I assume that my condition is nothing more than Gas... I don't want to go to the hospital. Finally Van tells me that I have to go.. no choice. I tell the girls that I'll see them in a few hours, that this is a huge waste of time. I had no idea that I wouldn't see them again for an entire week.

At the Emergency Room, after an examination, I am given an IV for pain medication. This makes me sleep. Ah, welcome blessed sleep! How I had missed it! I vaguely remember the doctors and other staff attending to me over the next few days. Thankfully, Van was there. He watched over me and the girls. Our fierce protector.  I was blissfully unaware.  I was in a different world of sleep and no care and no worries. He told the doctors all that had been going on with me. All the pain and suffering I had endured. He kept tabs on the girls, made sure they knew what was going on with their Mom. Made sure they were OK.

On Sunday, a surgery was performed to remove my gall bladder. Gall stones I didn't have. My gall bladder just went bad. The surgeon later told me that where a normal healthy gall bladder is a pretty shade of robin's egg blue.. mine was porcelain white. If I hadn't come when I did... my situation would have continuously worsened. It was either remove gall bladder or leave the land of the living.

I do remember going into the Surgery.. just snippets. I didn't pray for the surgery.. I prayed for a visit with my Mom! The attendants were all so nice. They put the mask over my face and told me to count backwards and the next thing I remembered was waking up in the hospital room that would be 'home' for the next several days.

I was recovering from removal of the gall bladder. I was missing my Mother terribly. The nurses kept the medications coming.. I slept the majority of the remaining time I spent in the hospital.

My blood counts were terribly low, so the doctors, being good concerned doctors.. saw fit to order a blood transfusion. My body.. does not like 'alien blood'.  My heart rate plummeted... I was later told they nearly lost me then too. No more blood transfusions for me!  On Thursday, the week after Thanksgiving, I was allowed to return home. I was cautioned to watch my blood levels.. (white and red cell counts stay terribly low). I was cautioned to avoid future blood transfusions.

I was so happy to see my girls again!