10/02/2008

No Mercy at Mercy

Thanks Jesi for updating!! And thank you all for the prayers!!

Ok now that I have gotten out of the hospital and my house I am calm enough to blog about my last week;-) Last Wed the 24th I came home from work not feeling great...in fact, I hadn't felt totally great all week...I reread my emails from that day and I had told a friend that I might not be at church because my side was hurting and something about wanting to cry or be knocked out because it hurt that badly! I can analyze anything to death so at first I thought it was because I had meat on Tuesday night...if you remember I did a DANIEL FAST so I hadn't had any meat for the 3 weeks before...anyway, the dull pain turned into a stabbing pain and I was sure it was my appendix...for those old enough I was having Different Strokes flashbacks when he had appendicitis and hid....ANNNNNYYYYWWWAAAYYYY, I was hurting so badly that I jumped in my car and drove to the ER. I cried all the way there and didn't call anyone to let them know what was going on...I literally walked into the ER and sat on the floor and cried "fix me"...did you know they will take you right back if you do that?? So no papers or triage for me because I think they knew I was hurting. They rushed me to the back and drugged me up. Kidney stones were mentioned but I have BTDT and this was different, they mentioned ovarian cyst but BTDT and this HURT way worse...as they were wheeling me to have a CAT scan Cheryl walked in and I grabbed her and told her to come with me...the kids had called her for a ride to church!! They didn't call to tell her that Mom was sick and at the ER but that they wanted to go to church!! I guess I am grateful they love church:-) So I have a cat scan withOUT contrast and I had an ultrasound...apparently I get rude when I am hurting and when the tech mentioned he couldn't see my right ovary I told him it was because he was on the left and proceeded to hold up my hands to show him left and right...I can be lovely;-) At this point the quickness and speed of everything slowed down because they didn't see anything on the cat scan to show them what was wrong. The ER Dr actually said something about me going home and making an appt with a specialist...this is where I freaked out...how can you send me home when you didn't do anything and I AM STILL IN PAIN??!! Like the worst pain I have EVER had and I had natural childbirth, I have had kidney stones without meds, I had my gallbladder out and didn't take anything for pain after the surgery...I don't take drugs and here I am begging for them...SOMETHING is wrong!! I told him to find a specialist and bring him to me and I said something else that was rude so I won't repeat it...and I said it in front of my pastors assistant!! Thankfully she knows my heart and knew I was just in pain but they listened...kind of...I was admitted and put on a morphine pump...it was my new bff!! The Dr thought maybe it was a cyst that burst and it would feel better in 48hrs...except it didn't! I still pushed the button as often as it let me until my second arm infiltrated and they took my pump away. So the nurses got to listen to me cry every 3 hrs for several days because IT STILL HURT as badly as it did on Wed! I had everything from extreme pain to nausea because nothing was working. I gave up on taking oral meds and went to shots for pain every 2-3hrs in the back of my arms...can you say OUCH? On Monday the Dr called and asked if I still "wanted" exploratory surgery and I told him it wasn't that I WANTED anything but I was still in pain and they hadn't fixed me yet. I was prepped for surgery and he went in to do a diagnostic lap procedure. While he was looking around he saw my red inflamed APPENDIX and called another surgeon. This surgeon saw this comedy of errors and made his own incision the OLD FASHIONED WAY and pulled out my "ballooning" appendix that looked enlarged and abnormal. THANKFULLY after 6 days it hadn't ruptured! God was so watching out for me! Once they took it out I quit asking for pain meds because it WAS MY APPENDIX. Oh how hard it was to not say I told you so...actually I think I did several times to all that would listen because I was SOOO angry at how I had been treated all week. They acted like I was imagining all of this pain and just wanted drugs but apparently they don't know me because it takes an act of congress to get me to take motrin for a headache! I don't like meds! Ok and because God can take what the enemy means for harm and turn it into good...here are the things I am thankful for....I am so thankful that I have amazing friends and an amazing church...On Wed when I drove in I hadn't called anyone or had a backup plan for my kids. Cheryl took my kids to church and came to the ER to find me...Before we left another friend from church, Judy, offered to go to my house and watch my kids and she stayed both Wednesday and Thursday night. On Friday the boys went to a Father/Son campout with Royal Rangers and Emmy went to a MPact sleepover so they were taken care of then too. On Saturday they all went home with various people and after church on Sunday night Cheryl came to my house and watched them for the next couple of days. I missed the Missions dinner at church Sunday night so a lady named Dona delivered me some food from it and it was amazing! Oh my word I have been so spoiled. I had people come sit with me at the hospital and call to check on me. I have had food delivered since I came home from my small group at church. I haven't been able to lift a finger except when nobody is looking because I am rebellious like that lol Today another friend, Janet, came to take me to lunch so I could get out of the house...oh I NEEDED to get out! We ate at a Mexican restaurant that has seating outside so I could enjoy the fall weather. She also brought me breakfast yesterday and ate with me:-) I can't forget Kathy either because she was there when I woke up from surgery being the family I don't have in Oklahoma and she brought me home and picked up my meds when I was finally released. Her and Cheryl also spent the morning washing sheets and getting my bed ready and my car delivered home. Cheryl did my grocery shopping for me so I didn't have to leave my house. I AM beyond blessed and this is all in a place I have NO biological family...I have family though and I wouldn't trade them for the world. They all know I would drop everything for them in a moments notice but when it is done for ME I am humbled beyond belief. Oh my gosh I almost forgot the teens from church last night came over with cookies and flowers for me! How sweet is that??!!! I believe they did that all on their own too!! Ok my kiddos are coming home but that is the update...I am a wee bit angry but still feel SOOOO blessed. I love Oklahoma even if in the two years I have been here I have lost TWO body parts!! What is up with that lol

4 comments:

Ame said...

oh, you know, Barbie ... "three's a charm!" which body part do you think they'll get to remove next?!!! hehehehehe (yeah, i'm still too far away to punch - hehehehehe ;)

Robin said...

Oh, Barbie, I'm so sorry you had to go through all that, but I am also glad for God's providing for your needs.

Have a great week and I hope you are on you way back to a full recovery.

Martie said...

Barbie, you know I was praying for you althogh I didn't know exactly what I was praying for. I am so glad you are better and home. Now, take it easy until the doctors give you the okay to return to your normal activities. Many hugs to you, your kids and those who physically were there for you!

Dana~Are We There Yet? said...

Sure hope things are lots better now. Sorry it was so tough.