mcahogarth

And Then the Emergency Surgery

Added 2017-09-18 16:26:15 +0000 UTC

So after being discharged from the ER on Thursday night with the gallstone diagnosis, the pain got serious enough that I returned Friday night and they looked at me and said, "We're admitting you!" It took them a day to run the remaining diagnostic tests to make sure they had all the info going into the operation but by Sunday morning I was under the knife. An hour later I was done...but they kept me overnight just in case.

I am finally home now and feeling better, aside from the whole "I have been stabbed in four places in my belly" feeling. Believe it or not, that pain is a LOT better than the gallstones! The surgeon reported that my poor gallbladder was "distended and inflamed," so apparently it was ready to go. Particularly since I had gallbladder pain ten years ago! It's probable that my digestive struggles for the past decade have been related to the slow decline of this organ...so I might have solved that mystery at last.

The hospital was wonderful, and while the experience was obviously not something I would have chosen to undergo, I was as comfortable and well cared for as I could have been, and I learned a lot from it. The last thing I said in the OR before I passed out (to the amusement of the nurses bent over me) was, "This would be a really cool experience if it was happening to someone else!"

But anyway. It is time for recovery. I am very worn out...! But I hope to be back to posting stuff soon. Thanks for your patience and your prayers/well wishes. I know they helped.

--M