My Trip to the Hospital

So while I was pregnant with Linnea I had really bad acid reflux. I didn't think anything of it. It was during my last trimester so I thought that my stomach was just pushed up into my throat. Then after I had Linnea I started having really bad chest, back and stomach pain. It would come and go so I again didn't think anything of it. Then on Tuesday of this last week I was knocked out on my back from the chest pain. It was the most pain that I have ever experienced (even more than labor contractions after your water breaks).

I decided to call the doctor and make an appointment for the next day. So I went in first thing and they did an EKG on me. My heart looked perfect. Then the doctor started pushing on different spots on my stomach. When she got up by my rib cage I started feeling a little pain. So the doctor told me she thought it was my gall bladder and she wanted me to go to the lab and run some tests and gave me the paper work. She also asked if it would be alright to do an ultra sound. I consented to it and she gave me a referral. I was going to go home and not do the lab work because I was tired and still in some pain, but I went and got it done.

Then I went on about my day. I dropped Emma off at her friend Olivia's house so they could play and took Linnea to get her 3 month pictures taken. I called to make an appointment for an ultra sound and they scheduled me for Friday morning first thing. While the pictures were being taken I started having really bad chest pains again. So on my way back to pick up Emma I called my friend Lora to see if she could take the girls while I went home and got some rest. Being the excellent friend that she is, she took them. I went home and layed on the couch with my heating pad. Then a couple hours later I went to pick the girls up.

As I was leaving Lora's house my phone rang. I answered it and it was my doctor. She asked if I had had the ultra sound done yet and I told her no that I was scheduled to have it on Friday. She told me that wasn't soon enough (this was Wednesday, that she thought I had a blockage in my gall bladder and that she would call and she if she could get me in today. I hung up and called Jacob to tell him what was going on. Luckily he was on his way in from work (3 hours early). So I went home and as I was pulling into the driveway the pain started increasing and my phone rang again. So I picked it up and it was my doctor. She told me I needed to go to the hospital right away and get my ultrasound done. I asked her if I could wait until Jacob got home and she told me I needed to be there in 30 minutes because that was the time they could fit me in. I was a little irritated at her urgency so I called my neighbor and asked him if he could sit with the girls until Jacob came home. He came over and I called Jacob to tell him what was going on and then drove myself to the hospital.

After I had the ultra sound done I was referred to a Dr. Kincaid to go over my results. I went up to meet with him and he told me I wasn't going anywhere and admitted me to the hospital. I was told that I would be getting my gall bladder taken out the next morning because I had a stone blocking my pancreas and one blocking my liver duct. My gall bladder was also very inflamed. This came as a shock to me. So I called Jacob and told him the news and then called my mom to have her come over from Port Orchard. My mom had been up since 6am canning pears and peaches and she was in the middle of canning. So she finished up canning and drove over to our house and got there around midnight Thursday morning.

Jacob and our friend Ian (Lora's husband) gave me a blessing in my hospital room Wednesday night and I felt much better after it happened. When I heard the words "everything will be taken care of" that was all I needed to hear. When Jacob and the girls left that night I was so sad to see them go. I kept holding on to Jacob's arm.

Jacob came back first thing Thursday morning and stayed with me all day. I went in for surgery just after noon and the surgery lasted 40 minutes. They gave me general anesthesia so I was out for it. I loved my anesthesiologist(I think that's right). He was a crack up. So were the other doctors and nurses. They kept me laughing from the time they got me from my room until they were putting me under. They did it laparoscopicly so I have 3 or 4 little incisions.

Now I am recovering and it's going really well. I'm stiff and a little sore but I did just have surgery. They filled me up with gas so get to my gall bladder so I look like I'm pregnant again but hopefully that won't last long. I'm sitting here waiting for my mom to get back from church to help me take a shower for the first time since surgery. I thought I was done having her bathe me but I guess I was wrong!

I am so thankful for my husband and the priesthood that he holds. I am also thankful for my beautiful daughters and the joy that they give me. And for a wonderful mom who is willing to do anything for me. I'm truly blessed!