Gallbladder Removed

This last week has blown me away. There is no way to capture all that has happened, and by that I don't mean minute by minute commentary on what happened, but the blessings and times we have so felt God's hands on us. I find myself wanting to grasp them and am afraid I will forget them or lose them and I want to hold on to them forever.
Saturday evening I had a great conversation with my grandmother (my angel in my life) while I was infusing (doing the IV). We had friends over that afternoon from Cypress and their daughter is one of Becka's best friends.  Becka has missed her so much since we moved.  They came down and we had lunch and hung out by the pool.  As usual it wiped me out but was so good to have company. So, after they left Chris hooked up the IV and I chilled out on the bed and talked to my grandma.
Afterwards, we went to Chili's for dinner and then to Target. Becka's friend brought some goggles that Becka fell in love with.  She was exploring in the water like I have never seen her do.  Of course, its this friend that got Becka to swing also.  She sees this friend doing something and she wants to do it. So, we went to Target in search of the goggles and a float for the pool.  Before getting to Target, Chris' cousin called and I was talking to her.  I loved that she called to just chat. We went into Target and we weren't in there 10 minutes before I started to really hurt and it came on fast and hard. Yup, it was another galbladder attack.  I looked at Chris and mouthed that we needed to get home.  I felt bad because I would have liked to stay on the phone and talk but I was in a lot of pain and feared I had come across as rude when I needed to hang up.
The ride home was rough but I was so blessed when my two girls began singing VBS songs in the back seat for me.  These songs are fast and meant to be sung with everything you have but both girls sang gently and softly knowing that mommy wasn't feeling well.  It so touched my heart and I can't help but wonder if they got some of this gentleness from watching others being "gentle" with our family.
We got home and I was just happy to find my bed.  I was hoping a combination of my bed and my evening meds and I could go to sleep and wake the next day and start over.  But it didn't happen.  At some point I fell asleep but woke up with the attack worse then ever.  At 1:30 Sunday morning I looked at Chris and said I couldn't fight it any longer. It had been going on for over 5 hours.  After a couple calls we were able to get someone to come to the house to be with the girls while we went to the ER.  This person has "saved" us a couple times and is always available and willing and there is such a peace knowing that she has our back no matter what (even when she is out of town :)  ).  She stayed with the girls, got them up Sunday morning, got them dressed and took them to church and then had them at her house the whole day.  Such a blessing! I can't say Chris and I had that much fun.
We didn't have to wait in the waiting room but 5 minutes before we were put in a room.  The night/morning is kind of a blur maybe due to the morphine and Zophran I was given.  Some time in the night/morning they did blood work and an ultrasound (I do not remember the ultrasound).  I do remember the blood work because the lady tore my hand up and I remember Chris suggesting she try a different spot. The blood work came back with bilirubin, liver and pancreas levels elevated and the ultrasound showed the sludge in the gallbladder had turned to stones and was inflamed and infected.  We were told we would be admitted and would have surgery that day, Sunday.
The surgeon came in around 9 Sunday morning and announced we would be "hanging out" that day and we would have surgery Monday. He didn't like the liver and pancreas levels and wanted to give them a day to see if the levels would go down. His fear was that a stone had gotten loose and might be blocking a bile duct.  I don't know about anyone else but "hanging out" in the hospital is not high on my list of things I want to do.  I began to prepare for a day stuck to machines.  My pain was minimal my boredom high. I told Chris I would definitely need the sequel to the book I was reading. He left to go home and get things we would need for a couple days.  I opened my book and had barely began to read when something happened I never in my wildest dreams expected to happen.  Person after person came to visit and before I knew it the day was near done.  Another member of our church had been taken to the ER in the same hospital that morning after church and they were able to see us both in one spot.  What encouragement though to see faces and to be prayed with.  One of my bestest friends came up and then Chris came up with the girls.  My friend stayed with me at the hospital Sunday night while Chris went home in hopes to get a good nights rest.
Early Monday morning (4 a.m.) they took blood again to check levels.  We saw the surgeon again who said the levels had come down but were still elevated. He mentioned that he had scheduled surgery for Tuesday morning assuming all went well.  We began to have another problem Sunday afternoon with blood in the urine.  So he sent in a urologist to talk to us.  A CAT scan was done late that afternoon and the urologist made plans to be in the operating room Tuesday morning to scope the bladder to make sure it was okay. The CAT scan showed a 4 mm size stone to the right of the kidney but not in the kidney.
Again, I don't remember a whole lot about Monday but I do remember the faces that took time to come visit with us and pray with us and help that day go by quickly. Chris stayed with me Monday night so he would be there early in the morning when they took me to surgery.  My friend stayed with the girls at home that day.  Its difficult to balance things.  If I'm not real careful I'll find the girls are going from one place to another but on the other hand I can just as easily find that they are stuck at home all the time.  I try to be careful that there is a balance.
Thanks to a fabulous nurse who left me alone Monday night I got a pretty decent nights rest before surgery Tuesday morning.  Our pastor arrived bright and early to pray with us and be with us as we were prepared for surgery.  This meant a lot to both Chris and me.  The pre-op area was buzzing with activity and the scene was almost comical....maybe it was the meds I was on.  I don't remember being wheeled away.
I woke up in recovery and all I could hear was "Code Red Room 636" over and over.  The day before I had heard "Code Blue....". After about the tenth time I rolled my head over and asked the nurse what Code Red was. She explained that it meant "fire" and that it was probably someone trying to smoke in their bathroom.  We found out later by one of the housekeepers that a man who was on oxygen in a room on the floor below ours, was smoking in his bed and he was on fire.  I am thankful for God's protection.
Surgery went well, both the gallbladder removal and the bladder scoped.  The nurse mentioned the gallbladder was quite inflamed.  Surgery was done laproscopically and I have 4 little incisions and they were glued closed, not stitched.  Tuesday I had a lot of cramping and didn't find relief with pain meds.  Another one of my best friends came and sat with us all Tuesday which really helped the day go by quicky.  She and her husband stayed with me till about 10:30 that night while Chris went home with the girls.  The night before when the girls were at the house with a friend of ours, Becka balled and balled.  She does better when Chris or I are home so he went to sleep at the hosue.  I had the same fabulous nurse as the night before and therefore, I was left alone to sleep.
Wednesday, the cramping was minimal and I began to feel the pain of the incisions and still didn't find a whole lot of relief from pain meds.  I got to come home Wednesday afternoon after I showed them I could handle soft foods and could urinate.  The urologist feels the unexplained blood is more menses related as he did not find anything wrong with the bladder.  The bleeding isn't near what it was and we thought it had cleared but it is still there.  We will see about getting in to see the OB somewhere down the line but not within the next two weeks :) Quality Infusion mets us at the house to change the dressing on the midline.  I can't say enough good things about this company that has been there for us and supported us in so many ways.  Another blessing.
The girls went to stay over night with the friends that came last Saturday for lunch.  They were so excited! Their first sleep over at a friends house.  They got home this afternoon and I love seeing them come back from somewhere and can see "fun" written all over their faces right along side the "exhausted" look.  It is good to have all four of us under the same roof tonight.
Today I have been in a lot of pain and have tried to stay on top of the pain meds. I slept all morning not wanting to move once I found a comfortable position where I didn't hurt.  Chris got me up for lunch and I was nauseated.  I got some chicken noodle soup down with a couple crackers but it didn't stay down.  The funny thing was, once it all came back up, I felt amazingly better.  I understand though why they want to keep you.  It is difficult, once again, to balance resting with getting up and moving around.  For me today it hurt either way and so it was confusing as to what I should do.  I soon found my bed, read for a while and crashed again. Only this time I woke to sweet girly voices and their kisses.
I look back at the last 4-5 days and find such peace at seeing God's hands on us.  We had a couple little issues, like the nurse that took almost 12 hours to process our meds so we could take them (long story) but we had a peaceful time at the hospital with not a single person challenging us and Lyme.  Our meds weren't questioned or the doses they are at.  We did need to get on a nurse (the same one) a little about flushing the midline with hepron Monday afternoon but she cooperated and admitted she didn't know much about Lyme or midlines.  Everyone was open to Lyme and did not fight us on any of it.  Such a blessing!!!!  If you have done any reading or watching of videos, this is not the norm for Lyme patients.  Its times like this that I see God's hands on us.  Yes, circumstances are not pleasant, and it definitely was not on my planner to have surgery and spend 4 nights in a hospital but there is such a peace and surrender knowing God is in control.  There is a bigger picture and plan.  It is more an inconvenience for my plan then anything else.  Don't get me wrong, come Monday afternoon I was so ready to be home, especially since I wasn't allowed to eat from the time we arrived in the ER early Sunday morning. I was allowed 1/4 a cup of ice chips about every 8 hours till Monday afternoon when I was allowed some broth and jello.  Jello has never tasted so good! But then was cut off again that night for surgery the next day.  The human side of me gets impatient, grumpy and I get "tired" of what is going on.  But my heart is at rest knowing that whatever comes my way will never, ever blow me off of my rock.
Several people made comments regarding "this" being the one thing that gets me back on my feet, or helps me feel better.  I struggled a tad with these comments because my hope isn't in this surgery or what is to come.  The fact still remained that I have Lyme.  Unfortunately, the meds for the Lyme caused the gallbladder to go bad and not the other way around.  I am glad we don't have to worry about it erupting again. But my hope is in God's plan, whatever that may be.  The Lyme test is what it is and we still have healing to do but I know it will be done at His pace and not the worlds.  If God wants me healed today, I will be and if God allows the healing to take longer, it will.  I am good either way because my hope isn't in the healing itself but the One who is in control of it all. Not sure if that makes sense. I am still processing it all and am not sure how to word what is in my heart. I do know I take it one day at a time because it appears to us that the plan changes daily...sure felt that way in the hospital.
The last dose of the current IV med will be Saturday, July 24th.  I am hoping to, though I know its my best defense, that numbers are good and the midline is pulled.  Please pray for God's will to be done.  I'm ready to be freed from the IV's but will be at peace no matter what.  Having the midline was a blessing in the hospital.  Gotta look for the blessings.  They are all around us!!!