update of my week (thursday to thursday)

this might not be a short one . . .

so, last thursday I went in for my surgery. we got there at 5:30am to find out that the place doesn't even open up until 5:45am. why they told me to be there at 5:30am?! I have no clue . . . so, I wasn't nervous; I was very confident that everything would be great. Sure enough, after one hour and twenty minutes of surgery, the doctor went out to update chris. All good news, they removed what they went in to remove and he didn't find anything else that needed to be removed or that would cause any more problems. Great news! :D Then I started waking up and that alone is a hilarious story!!! lol If you have ever been under general anesthesia and then remembered the 'waking' moments . . . enough said!

I get to go home a lot sooner than expected because I was able to wake up a lot sooner than expected -I was told that it normally takes between one to two hours to fully wake up. Well, I think it only took me about twenty minutes for my first loopy conversation and then twenty minutes later I heard the good news that I could go home!! :D

Recovering at home was going very well on Thursday. I was super sore, totally expected. I had SUCH an appetite because I was ordered to stop eating at 1pm the day before. So, I took it slowly and enjoyed soup and light foods. Friday morning, chris cooked a yummy egg omlet breakfast!! **He's officially the chef in the house now! He's discovered his LOVE of cooking since Thanksgiving and our household meals have just been yummier and yummier!! Praise God for that!! :D** Well, by 3pm, Friday, I started to feel "not right". I felt feverish and I didn't have an appetite. The highest my temp went was 99.5, so I didn't worry too much. My parents brought Kryssa over for about 2 hours -to visit- (she had been with them since that Wednesday). They went back home, and took Kryssa, and I was just a little concerned with the way I was feeling. I was having trouble breathing and I just was not comfortable. I was told that each day should get better and better and that I should feel back to "normal" in the next few days. Well, by 7am Saturday, I couldn't lay in bed with the discomfort and pain. I got up when I felt like I was going to throw up . . . sure enough, I did and a particular pain just got worse and worse causing me to throw up even more. I called the nurse and I was told to go to the ER. She told me that what I was feeling isn't "normal" in recovery from the particular surgery I had.

By the time I got to the ER, I was sooooo much worse. I literally felt that if I had to say one more word, I would pass out. The pain was so extreme and it was that much harder to breathe due to the location of the pain. I knew I must have looked severe when the triage nurse, at check in, asked me "how can I help you" w/out even looking at me and mid sentence she got a glance at me and told me "ma'am you need to come around and sit down". Normally you sign in and wait and wait and then get your vitals taken and then wait some more and then finally get called back and then wait and wait some more to see the ER doctor. Well, everything happened so fast. By the time chris got in to the ER from parking, I was getting in a wheel chair going straight to a triage bed. She had taken my vitals and my bp was so much higher than my norm and my temp by then had gone up to 100 point I don't remember (not high, I know -but after a surgery anything over 99 is dangerous. Especially me, I normally run a temp of 97 -it's rare when it's 98.6). So, within 5 mins of getting to the bed, the ER doc and three nurses assist in asking a series of questions, drawing several tubes of blood, starting my IV w/ fluids, morphine, and something for my nausea, my blood pressure was concerning so they set it to check every 5 mins, I think I remember them saying. I don't remember much -just pieces here and there- due to the pain and discomfort --chris's concerned look scared me. But he never really said anything --I just saw it all in his face, when I could get a glimpse here and there. I just felt so faint. My eyes weren't even working! I remember thinking "open your eyes, michelle. look at the doctor." When I did manage to crack them open, everything was spinning and hazzy :( So, it was best when I just stopped trying to focus on anything other than breathing and listening as best as I could. When I asked chris if I was pale he just looked at me with a very sad look and said, "you look very . . . sick". :( Well, the doc felt around and thought it was my gallbladder. Chris and I got really concerned and I started crying, I remember. I told chris, "okay, now I'm really scared; I don't know what's going on. I feel like I'm going to pass out...". He was so comforting and that is when he sent out a request for prayers.

I remember at some point, I got up to use the restroom and I got a glimpse of myself in the mirror --I was SOOO pale!! Oh My!! I have never EVER seen myself sooo colorless!! PLUS, all the little blood vessels in my eyes and face had popped from all the force of throwing up --I looked HORRIBLE!! (I can laugh about it now but on Saturday, I really thought "oh, no, I hope I don't need an emergency surgery. :( What's wrong with me?!?!") My temp went up to a 102 . . . I sonogram and catscan was ordered --the contrast iodine that was injected in my iv, for the catscan, caused me to throw up again (due to the fact that I was already throwing up and still nauseous PLUS, they disconnected my morphine and anti-nausea meds to roll me over for the catscan --it was just too much movement on top of all the other stuff). Everything came back normal and the Doc was concerned that it was a 'gallbladder attack' -all the blood work and tests come back 'normal' but after 12 hours it hits again and shows in the tests-. So, I was admitted for observation (they kept me on antibiotics and fluids through my iv along with oral pain medication the whole time I was hospitalized). Well, 'observation' turned into "something's not right". After that pain started going away, I was finally allowed to eat -after two days- within the hour after eating, the pain came back and it was painful to breathe again . . . shortly after that a new pain started. The new pain was pinpointing the area of operation. My belly started to swell and the pain was excruciating!! It hurt to breathe, talk, move, walk, EVERYTHING!!! My doc was checking in on me daily and on Sunday told me that if I could be fever free for 24 hours then I could go home --he didn't want anything over a 99. But after my belly got so bloated and the pain shifted to the location of surgery, my doc told me that I had to be feeling better and fever free for 24-48 hours before he would send me home. :( He couldn't pin point the problem but said it must have been something connected to the surgery, because I was fine before the surgery. My blood showed I had an infection and that was causing the fever . . . there were several things that it 'might' have been and that really made sense of it all --but no way to be sure where the infection was exactly, besides in my lower abdomen. It wasn't until Tuesday evening that I started to feel better and had thoughts of maybe coming home. Tuesday night I had a temp of 99.1 and I really hoped that wasn't going to affect his decision in sending me home. I was praying that I would continue to feel better so that Wednesday morning I could say "I know that I had ONE temp of 99.1 BUT I feel soooo much better; can I please go home!?" . . . it's basically how it happened. Wednesday morning, he asked how I was feeling and I told him "SO much better!" and then he mentioned my temp and that the other tests still came back normal (I had another catscan done on Tuesday morning along with some bloodwork) --so I jumped in and said "so, can I go home today?! Please?" and he said that if I felt like I felt good enough to go home, since everything is looking good . . . Yes, he would write the order to send me home and that I had to continue antibiotics at home. I was perfectly fine with that. i was just sooo anxious to get to come home and see my little Kryssa!! She had been with my parents since the 16th and then I saw her for about 2 hours on the 18th. Poor thing had to bounce around from person to person the whole time I was hospitalized and then I finally got to see her again yesterday (23rd)!!! I didn't see her the whole time I was in the hospital -5 days, which may not seem that long; but it's different when one's with their child 24/7 and then alone in the hospital not able to see their child --let me tell you, it was NO vacation!!! :( Mental rest from the 'everyday home stuff' but there was so much more going on that the only part of me that got rest was probably my body after all the pains and all simmered down.

I'm just soooo thankful to be back home and slowly recovering to my 'Mishelly-self' again!!! I can't wait to be back on my feet to enjoy the rest of my vacation . . . lol, what a vacation, huh?! ha ha --but it just goes to show how God is soooo in control because if this would have happened while NOT on vacation --it would have been so much harder on more than just my family...

So, those of you who knew and kept me and my family in prayer, THANK YOU!! Those of you who helped out with Kryssa and/or gave me some company while I was in the hospital, THANK YOU!! And to those of you who didn't know but left me some comments/messages to see how the surgery went and how I was, THANK YOU!! :D I tell you, I am blessed --surrounded with such caring, loving, thoughtful, wonderful people, family, and friends!!!! Ah :)

continue to keep me in your prayers. --that recovery continues to go well. I will see my doc on Monday, again . . . I'll get an update from surgery and all.

:)
Happy 'rest of the week' to you!
Mishelly

*I'm excitedly waiting for my sis to get here. She's coming in to town for tonight and tomorrow -to help me out w/ Kryssa! :) You know, as a mother, you just might not realize how much 'up and down' you do (snacks, juice, potty, "help", feedings, bending over to pick things up . . .all those little 'everyday' things!!) until God forces you to pause and break from it . . . it's not easy jumping right back into it -especially when you can't do all the same things physically . . . Kudos to all you moms out there that just keep on going and going and going . . .