Bad Timing

Note: This post contains TMI at times......just preparing you ahead of time.
As if I didn't have enough going on in my life right now, add an emergency appendectomy to the list.
Last Wednesday night, out of the blue, I was in an unbearable amount of pain. I finally had my mom take me to the ER to see what the heck was going on around 10:00 p.m. We waited for blood test to come back from the lab which showed elevated white blood cell count...but that still didn't reveal much about what was causing me pain. Since my pain was right below my chest, the doc thought maybe a "GI cocktail" might give me some relief. Wrong. And, don't let the name fool you. It was the most awful tasting cocktail I've ever had. After waiting 90 minutes with no relief I was admitted, hooked up to an IV, and finally got some morphine to relieve my pain. I was miserable. It was decided that I would get a scan in the morning, so I had to start drinking some awful stuff to make my insides glow so we could see what the problem was. Took my fist dose of berry flavored yuckiness around 12:30. I was on a fluid drip, so of course, I was up every 60-90 minutes to relieve my poor bladder. I got an hour power nap in there, but woke up around 2:00 a.m. The only good thing about waking up at that hour is that The People's Court is on! Entertainment! More brief moments of sleep passed mixed with getting up to use the bathroom. Finally, 5:00 a.m. rolled around. More blood work. At this point, both arms had been poked and prodded. I still have the bruises to prove it, but I figured, what the hell. Anything that is an attempt to make me feel better is worth it. Also, I needed another 5 ounces of that berry crap. Then more at 6:30. More at 7:00. And  finally, more at 7:30, minutes before my scan.
At this point, the morphine had masked some of my pain, I was feeling much better than the 8 hours prior. I decided to let Bex and Cass know that I was in the hospital since mom had already notified my family. I took a picture of my IV. I said, "In hospital. Doing OK. More details later." They were both like, "WHAT?!" Since Cass lives in the same zip code, she came out to the hospital and kept me company and ran an errand for me. Mom had run home to get dad going. The doctor came back and told me that I had acute appendicitis and my appendix needed to come out as soon as possible. So, it was off to Grand Island to have surgery.
After stopping at my house to grab my favorite blanket, mom and I hit the road. We got all checked in, and it wasn't long before I was called back to my room to answer a long list of questions and get prepped for the procedure. After about an hour of surgery, my angry appendix was out, no longer able to cause me pain. Little did I know that I would be in a whole new category of pain post surgery.
I was exhausted. I was trying so hard to open my eyes. I. could. not. do. it. I tried, but was just sitting there like a zombie. I only remember brief pieces of conversation between my mom and the nurse...but remembered hearing, "here comes Sleeping Beauty." Very funny. The it got a whole lot NOT funny. I did not react well to the anesthesia and well, you can imagine what happened next. Needed a wardrobe change as my access to a puke bag was not readily available. The nurse immediately came back and gave me a shot to stop the nausea. As you can imagine, having surgery in an area close to your stomach combined with vomiting was NOT an enjoyable experience. I just sat there and cried.
Then the nurse said, "Okay, time to use the bathroom and eat something! I can't give you any pain meds until you eat something." Great. Another hurdle. Pain, pain, and more pain. I was hungry and thirsty as I couldn't eat or drink anything before surgery. I had never been so happy to eat orange jello and drink water! But, I made it, and I finally got the okay to head back home. My wonderful mother loaded me in the car, stopped at Walgreens to get my prescriptions, and even got me a chocolate shake when we went through Central City. I couldn't swallow very well due to the breathing tube they used during surgery, so the ice cream went down smooth.
I got home to be greeted by my family. It was good to be home, but I was so very sore. Getting into and out of seats and bed has proved to be my most difficult tasks, but it gets easier every day. Time heals all wounds, as they say.

Needless to say, all of the plans I had to work on the house (get it prepped for new flooring that was coming Monday) went out the window. Mom, Teresa, Joel, and Angie were just wonderful in helping me get done what I needed (and by helping me, I mean them doing the work, me watching). Cassie has also been a wonderful friend, constantly checking in on me and keeping me entertained with movies and Mario. :) So, thank you to everyone for all of your get well wishes and prayers. They made this process a bit less painful. I am on the mend and can't wait until I am able to function pain free (which I know will be soon)! Moving day is Saturday, and I'm hoping that I'll be able to do more than supervise.

-S

I can't do it

I just can't. I have avoided viewing any articles talking about the 19 firefighters who lost their lives in the Arizona blaze. I knew I wouldn't be able to stomach all the images and videos of crying widows, children, family and community members. I caved today and have watched a few. But that unveiled a new "can't." I can't watch anything about it without getting weepy. The lump in my throat grows each time I see a new article. My heart is aching for those people.
It's times like these when I reflect on how thankful I am for the life I have. Is every day good? No. But there is good in every day. I know I've talked about that statement before...but it is one of my favorites. As you're enjoying you day off tomorrow, take a minute to send up a prayer or think about those who just lost their daddy, hubby, son, brother, friend, etc. Life is a gift, and you're only here for a short while. How does the saying go? "Yesterday is history, tomorrow a mystery. Today is a gift, that's why it's called the present." Kind of corny, but true.Okay, that's enough of the heavy.

I wish everyone a fun and safe Independence Day. I am super excited for a day off of work to do whatever I please. I'll be putting on coat number two of paint at the house in the morning, but after that, I will have some fun in the sun followed by burgers, family time, and fireworks. My sweet B has her 4th birthday party on Saturday. I can't believe that she'll be going to preschool in the Fall! Seems like yesterday she was calling me "Shasha" and dancing to Sesame Street's "Ladybug Picnic".

-S