Why I've Been MIA

Yesterday I had to have my gallbladder removed. After months and months of weird symptoms and not feeling well, the docs finally discovered my gallbladder was only functioning at 9% so we opted to have it removed on New Year's Eve...insurance purposes. I guess the whole ordeal was quite an experience but I don't remember much of it. This is the shortened version I heard from my mom and Loren.

After the surgery I guess I just tripped out pretty good (they think it was due to too much medicine they gave me via injection during recovery) I couldn't be roused at all and the few times I sort of "came to," I would pass out/faint just as quickly. My eyes would roll back in my head and I'd just faint. Then I started twitching and doing little seizure-like activities with my head and arms. The doc said they weren't actual seizures but an overdose of certain meds can illicit this type of pseudo-seizure. And THEN I broke out in a bright red rash all over my body. The nurses went to find the doc and came back to my room to figure out what was going on. By this time I was pretty much unresponsive to talking, movement, or pain.

He and the nurses were trying to get me to notice anything like registering pain. They grabbed me by my arms and jerked me to a sitting position (which after a gallbladder surgery should have caused some type of reaction.) All I did was briefly look at the doc and then my eyes rolled up in my head and my head fell backward and I started doing the jerking motions again. At this point the doc decided to give me some benedryl to get rid of the rash. He also gave me a medicine to reverse all the meds in my body...aka all the pain meds. Within 10 minutes I had come back to my senses and was talking--just the response he was hoping for.

This is where I start remembering things because, without any pain meds working, I was hurting--alot. I asked the doc for some pain meds and I remember he yelled at me saying, "No! Not until you eat some crackers and walk." In my head, because I knew nothing of the scare I just put everyone through, I was thinking, "Sheesh what an a-hole. Why is he yelling at me. I had surgery. It hurts. I just want some pain pills!" hahaha now I get it. So I walked around the floor and ate some crackers and finally got some percocet. It did take a while for the pain meds to work but now they are working well as long as I keep up on them. As you can see, I'm doing great now and that scary episode is behind us.

The doctor did find something interesting while he did the surgery. He found a little piece of something...he has no idea what...just floating around in my abdomen near my pelvis. It wasn't attached to anything. Just casually bouncing along enjoying the ride through my insides. He removed it and sent it off to pathology to figure out what it was. He said he has only seen something like that once before in his career. I'm interested to find out what it was. Some of you may remember I had a giant celled tumor of the tendon sheath removed from my thumb earlier this year, maybe it's similar...OR maybe it's my long lost twin! haha Anyway I'm gonna finish this post and find a comfy spot back on my bed to rest. Today I've been feeling quite tired and nauseous. My biggest problem is I HATE staying down. I am an active person and taking it easy has never been part of my life. But I will give it a go because I really am worn out today. And I PROMISE I will catch up on the 170 messages in my google reader! I won't be able to comment on all of them but I will read them! Thanks for your patience and thoughts and prayers!! You all are wonderful! Here are a few pics Loren snapped.

~Before the slicing and dicing began. (Did I mention I have a phobia to needles and docs, etc...I was very nervous but only shed a few tears. Go me! :-)

~After my surgery while my mom was trying to wake me up when I was "out of it."

~After I got home my dear bff Jessie came over and gave me a foot rub. I must mention that on Monday she had 2 HUGE kidney stones blasted during a surgery of her own--lithotripsy. She wasn't feeling great but still came over to check on me. I tell ya she is one special gal! Love that chick! I wish everyone had themselves a "Jessie!" She would have come to the hospital to wait with Loren and my mom but she can't drive yet due to her own issues. Thanks Jess...love ya!

~And apparently Loren thought it would be funny to take pics of me while I was asleep today. lol

I do need to give a couple peeps a shout out...thanks to Katiemarie for bringing my fam dinner last night! They loved it!! You rock girl! Thanks to my lovely Aunt Patti who brought the fam dinner today. We feel so blessed! Thanks Auntie P!

Thanks to Wendy from Candy Hearts. She is an RN and has been fielding text questions from me all day! She is wonderful and I apprecaite her patience with my questions.

Also, thanks to Priscilla for coming to check on me and keep me entertained yesterday evening! You are a wonderful friend! I already thanked Jessie for being my right hand gal.

And now for a HUGE shoutout to my wonderful hub, Loren. I am supposed to get up and walk every couple hours to prevent blood clots--typical post surgery protocol. Loren follows doc instructions to a 'T'. He set his alarm clock for every 2 hours last night so he could walk me around the house. He also set it for every 4 hours so he could bring me a pain pill so I didn't have to go without and start hurting too much AND he has been awesome taking care of Syd's diabetes. He is a keeper! I love my man!

And here are CHEERS to a wonderful 2010 which hopefully comes with NO injuries or surgeries. Thanks to all the FB well wished and emails! I'll check back soon. Alls well that ends well and we are doing pretty darn good today!