The Gall Bladder Story Part 1

So, I thought I would write down really quick about my recent visits to the hospital. I know one day I'm going to forget some of the details. hahaha! So, it starts out on Thursday, April 22, 2010. Theo was home that day and we had just been messing around the house doing this or that. I started to feel this upper abdominal pain. It at first started to kinda feel like a cramp of sorts, but it was weird to me because it was so far up on my abdomen, like basically right under my boobs. So eventually it gets so bad to where I'm hunched over groaning in pain. So we decide to head to the emergency room. I didn't know if it had something to do with the c-section, like possibly and infection...or what. So we get to the emergency room at Johns Hopkins Bayview. They tell us that because I'm within that 6 week post postpartum gap, that I have to go to Labor and Delivery. I'm thinking in the back of my mind "Grrreeeaaattt!!!" as if I haven't been there enough lately. LOL We get there, they check me into the triage room and we sit in wait while in pain. The nurses come in, the Dr comes in...and they tell me it's just gas. Because of my c-section they said a lot of times gas can build up and be very painful. They told me to stop taking Percocet because that just makes it worse. Okay...so good to go. The pain had stopped by this point anyways. I still thought it was odd, because this was evening and I had already had to bowel movements. So I just wasn't so sure they were right. Plus, I've never known gas to be that painful! But we go home and about our merry little way. Saturday, April 24, 2010 rolls around. Doing the same thing. Messing around the house when this pain starts again. I take what they suggested for me. Some like laxative of sorts (even though I had already that day had bowel movements.). It does squat and the pain just gets worse to where I'm crying over it. So back to the L&D we go! They checked me in fairly quickly being that I was bawling my eyes out from pain. The Dr comes in and feels around my upper abdominal area and says that he believes I might have gall stones. "Whaaaaat?!" So happy that they weren't telling me it was gas AGAIN, they send me down to get an ultra sound. After that, the Dr comes in and confirms that I have gall stones. Great! I asked him what that meant and he explained that it had to do with cholesterol forming into hard little balls and blocking the way that bile goes out. Thus causing the pain! LOL He tells me that because it's not infected or inflamed that I didn't need to have an emergency surgery. He said that he'd give a number to the general surgeons and I can set up an appointment to have my gall bladder removed. Of course I'm starting to panic! Oh no! Not another surgery! Will it go like my c-section? All the questions keep coming and coming in my mind. But I try not to panic. Meanwhile the Dr prescribed me more Percocet for the pain if it comes back and he told me to stay on a low fat/non fat diet. Joy Joy! So, I call Monday, I set up an appointment with a surgeon to have a consultation on Wednesday, April 28, 2010. I go in with my Man Man, she tells me that she would like to remove the whole gall bladder. Explains what the gall bladder does, why I'm having the problem and how removing it would fix the problem. Apparently it is very common to have this problem A)During or right after pregnancy or B)Rapid weight loss/gain. I had lost 36.5lbs in less than 5 weeks so that's a pretty rapid weight loss, plus I had just finished being pregnant. The Dr told me that's what she thought was the reason why I had the problem. She says because I'm young and healthy she sees no reason to schedule a surgery any sooner than 6-8 weeks after my c-section. She explained that it wasn't good to have more than 1 surgery within 6 weeks. So she said after my postpartum check-up we'd schedule the surgery. I was to remain on the same diet and take the Percocet if the pain came back. Good to go! I was worried that it might come back. The last time it had happened I couldn't even pick up the baby. So I was a bit panicked that it might happen again when I was home alone with the baby. But she assured me that everything would be good to go. So I head home. Late Thursday night April 29, 2010, after having such a wonderful day, (may I note, I did all kinds of house work and even made dinner in the crock-pot?) I was sitting on the sofa holding the baby when I felt the pain come back. "Oh no!" I said. Theo was in the kitchen and heard me and he replied "What?" I sat the baby down, popped 2 Percocets and within those few short seconds the pain got so much worse I started to feel nauseous. I ran back to the bathroom and hurled my guts out! The pain was so awful that I was gasping for air...I couldn't catch my breath. Theo called 911. We both knew what it was, but it had NEVER been this bad. Meanwhile I have no concept of time, I just keep puking everything I ever ate in my life, up and gasping for air. The pain was something so indescribable! The Paramedics came and put me on some kinda chair and carried me down the stairs to a stretcher and then they put me in the ambulance. That ride, even though it was to a hospital less than 5 minutes away...seemed like the longest, loneliest ride of my life. Theo couldn't ride with the baby, so he followed in the truck. I didn't exactly realize this at the time, but I knew he probably would meet me at the hospital. Anyways, so I get to the hospital....and guess what...I have to take a break...Man Man needs to be fed. I thought I might be able to finish the whole thing, but I guess not. *sigh* Such is the life of a Mother. LOL Hopefully I'll finish the rest soon! :)