I woke up with the worst pain last Saturday night around 2 am....by 4 am I had to wake Kirk up, I had had enough! After eating a little snack and taking my ulcer medicine, the pain was not subsiding and I was out of ideas to get rid of it.
Kirk tried to convince me to go to the ER but I was convinced that they would only tell me it was gas and send me home. After hum hawing around for a little bit, Kirk finally suggested a blessing and then a decision. Not 2 seconds after my blessing, Kirk told me to get my shoes and get in the car. He knew it was necessary for us to go. So off we went to St. Marks Hospital not knowing that we would be there awhile.
Livvy was quite tired but was an angel in the ER; she spent most of the time asleep on Kirk's shoulder and the rest of the time entertaining the nurses and doctors with her crusty/grin. After two shots of moraphine and then a triple concentrated dose of pain killer, the pain finally subsided and I was able to relax. The doctor suspected my gallbladder and they immediately set about drawing blood and running tests. (What happened to having an ulcer? I guess we have been treating the wrong thing for the last year!? ) When Kirk and I were told that surgery was probably on the docket for the day, we called my parents to come and get Livvy.
The ultrasound tech arrived at 8 a.m. and after a few minutes of taking pictures, she confirmed that my gallbladder was diseased and full of stones. We scheduled surgery for that morning and they whisked me away. Saying goodbye to your loved ones at the OR door is definitely a humbling experience. I have done it 3 times in the 6 years that Kirk and I have been married, and each time I kiss him goodbye, I pray that God will give me one more chance to make him happy. For me, its definitely emotional.
Well, everything obvioulsy turned out well, and I am healing nicely. My gallbladder was "pretty gross" (the exact words from the doctor's mouth) and contained 6 stones and another one in the duct attempting to leave. They caught it just in time. Gallstones are not supossed to leave the gallbladder like kidney stones and if they do, they can cause major problems in the liver and the pancreas.
I have been staying at my parents house for the last week and have been able to recover pretty quickly. When the nurse told me no lifting for 4-6 weeks I said "seriously, what about my one year old?" She said to not lift Livvy for at least a week and then after that to take it easy. So, my parents and all of my family members have been fabulous to pitch in and make sure someone is here with Livvy and me at all times. You take for granted not even being able to lift your daughter up to the changing table or high chair, and even worse, not being able to comfort her when needed. I feel so guilty everytime Livvy looks at me with those gorgeous blue eyes as if to say "Mama, hold me, I need a love or I miss our snuggle time." At first my mom would try and set her on my lap so I could hold her for a bit, but she was too wiggly and would press on my stomach. I think she is sensing that she needs to be calm when she is on my lap now and so we have some great sunggle sessions while watching a few minutes of Raffi :)
So.....chao to my work-out regiment, taking care of Livvy on my own and helping Kirk with the house, and hello to 4-6 weeks of making myself relax and heal. I swear that each time I have a good thing going, a wrench is thrown my way. I was really quite down and frustrated with everything after surgery on Sunday, sometimes I feel like it never ends. But, I heard this quote on the radio a couple of days ago on my way to the doctor, its one of my favorites and tends to be my moto lately (well, ok, its been my moto for most of my life) :
Kirk tried to convince me to go to the ER but I was convinced that they would only tell me it was gas and send me home. After hum hawing around for a little bit, Kirk finally suggested a blessing and then a decision. Not 2 seconds after my blessing, Kirk told me to get my shoes and get in the car. He knew it was necessary for us to go. So off we went to St. Marks Hospital not knowing that we would be there awhile.
Livvy was quite tired but was an angel in the ER; she spent most of the time asleep on Kirk's shoulder and the rest of the time entertaining the nurses and doctors with her crusty/grin. After two shots of moraphine and then a triple concentrated dose of pain killer, the pain finally subsided and I was able to relax. The doctor suspected my gallbladder and they immediately set about drawing blood and running tests. (What happened to having an ulcer? I guess we have been treating the wrong thing for the last year!? ) When Kirk and I were told that surgery was probably on the docket for the day, we called my parents to come and get Livvy.
The ultrasound tech arrived at 8 a.m. and after a few minutes of taking pictures, she confirmed that my gallbladder was diseased and full of stones. We scheduled surgery for that morning and they whisked me away. Saying goodbye to your loved ones at the OR door is definitely a humbling experience. I have done it 3 times in the 6 years that Kirk and I have been married, and each time I kiss him goodbye, I pray that God will give me one more chance to make him happy. For me, its definitely emotional.
Well, everything obvioulsy turned out well, and I am healing nicely. My gallbladder was "pretty gross" (the exact words from the doctor's mouth) and contained 6 stones and another one in the duct attempting to leave. They caught it just in time. Gallstones are not supossed to leave the gallbladder like kidney stones and if they do, they can cause major problems in the liver and the pancreas.
I have been staying at my parents house for the last week and have been able to recover pretty quickly. When the nurse told me no lifting for 4-6 weeks I said "seriously, what about my one year old?" She said to not lift Livvy for at least a week and then after that to take it easy. So, my parents and all of my family members have been fabulous to pitch in and make sure someone is here with Livvy and me at all times. You take for granted not even being able to lift your daughter up to the changing table or high chair, and even worse, not being able to comfort her when needed. I feel so guilty everytime Livvy looks at me with those gorgeous blue eyes as if to say "Mama, hold me, I need a love or I miss our snuggle time." At first my mom would try and set her on my lap so I could hold her for a bit, but she was too wiggly and would press on my stomach. I think she is sensing that she needs to be calm when she is on my lap now and so we have some great sunggle sessions while watching a few minutes of Raffi :)
So.....chao to my work-out regiment, taking care of Livvy on my own and helping Kirk with the house, and hello to 4-6 weeks of making myself relax and heal. I swear that each time I have a good thing going, a wrench is thrown my way. I was really quite down and frustrated with everything after surgery on Sunday, sometimes I feel like it never ends. But, I heard this quote on the radio a couple of days ago on my way to the doctor, its one of my favorites and tends to be my moto lately (well, ok, its been my moto for most of my life) :
"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the
courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference."
So...I've relinquished to the fact that this is one of those things that falls into the "cannot change" category and I will need to make the best of it. I could be happy that I have something to force me to rest and relax, but because that is so against my nature, I'm not. But since I'm forced to do it, and now off pain meds and a little more coherent, don't be shocked to read quite a few posts that I have started and never finished. One thing has not changed and probably never will, I MUST get something done while I "take it easy". :)
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