On Friday, the pain was not subsiding, so I went back to the ER. A different scan showed that I had at least 8 gall bladder stones, the gall bladder was infected and inflamed. Yowsas! They decided to do surgery to fix this. I am recovering well I think. The pain is very manageable and I am more sleepy than anything else. One weird side effect was a pretty annoying pain in my right shoulder. I guess during the surgery they pump my stomach full of carbon dioxide and this causes pressure in the right shoulder. Huh. Odd. Annoying. But that's it. Not too bad.
Awesome Hospital Visitor Shout-Outs (in chronological order):
1) Amy: came with me on both ER visits and visited Saturday night (with husband) as well!!! Spent a record 8.5 hours with me on Friday!!!! And, most notably, brought me my pumpkin o' health. Which clearly worked. :)
2) Meagan: came with me to the Friday ER visit. Gave hilarious nicknames to every medical professional who entered the room. Turtleneck and Storyteller didn't see it coming... Also, visited illegally pre-surgery (with husband) AND picked my mom up from the airport and brought her to the hospital!!!
3) Devon: came to the hospital. That's all he needed to do to get a shout out. :)
4) Kay: first post-surgery visitor. Didn't even know I had surgery. Chatted with very groggy Erin. :)
5) Amanda F.: Second post-surgery visitor. Poor thing walked over to the hospital then stayed for only a brief moment before I kicked her out so I could pass out! But the gesture was TOTALLY appreciated!!!!
6) Mom: wins the furthest distance visitor award! Flew in from NH! Stayed with me and saved my pink & grey sneakers from hospital lost & found doom!!!!! Brought me post-hospital soft PJs and halloween socks! Even gave me the clever, punny nickname: Erin De-Gall. Think about that for a moment, then die laughing. That is the appropriate response. :)
7) The Facebook/Email/Phone Masses: I got so much support via my iPhone, it was amazing! you all rock!!!!
Mildly Amusing Story: In pre-op the surgeon came to meet with me. He was dressed in a business suit, which I found interesting, but whatever. There was still time before the surgery to change. I chatted with him briefly and the nurse and the anesthesiologist. The anesthesiologist then told me he was going to sedate me. I assumed it was a pre-surgery thing. Nope. Next thing I knew I was in the Post-Op room all done! Yes, that is correct: before the surgeon had even changed into scrubs, they put me under. I mean, I know I can get chatty but THIS?? This is a whole new way to shut me up! ;)
Slightly More Serious/Introspective Part: When my surgeon stopped by on Sunday, he told me that I had a 'nasty, nasty gall bladder.' It was apparently *very* infected, *very* inflamed and the stones were pretty big. Due to this fact, one of my four small cuts was slightly larger. I asked him how long ago the stones would have started forming. He said that this has been happening for YEARS. In an email exchange with Devon about my gall bladder woes, he used the expression: play now, pay for it later. Boy, did I. I was super disappointed to learn that even though I had spent the last 18 months getting into arguably the best shape of my life and making such positive and healthy changes to my body, my gall bladder was...well, 'nasty, nasty'. ::sigh:: It makes me think of several things:
1) What else is disgusting in my body? I know that sounds dramatic, but apparently the damage done to my gall bladder has been happening for years and was not reversible. I treated my innards like crap for nearly 28 years (maybe not the ENTIRE 28 years, but you know...) and I guess 18 months of healthiness cannot fix it. What else is damaged beyond repair? I wonder... The ultrasound tech *did* say that my kidneys were 'pretty'...I'm just sayin'. She also called me skinny. God bless her.
2) So, I guess fried and/or fatty foods cause this. The logical question is: Was it worth it? I have to think back to every Five Guys experience I have ever had. I also think back to the gall bladder pain. I believe the answer is YES, but I am still weighing the evidence. ;)
3) The pre-surgery pain was pretty bad. Recovery was a little rough, but the hospital had some amazing drugs! This makes me reconsider my tummy tuck dreams. Only slightly. I hear tummy tuck surgery comes with a *rough* recovery period. And it is an outpatient procedure!!! I just think I need some time away from abdomen pain!!! :)
4) I need two weeks to recover. TWO WEEKS away from the gym!!! I can do it. I am more worried about getting back into the swing of things--but that's what Devon is for, right???
So, the posts will probably be slim for the next two weeks... I may post on recovery (if there is anything post-worthy). I may walk a little next week (the surgeon said I could). I may post on eating sans gall bladder. But I may not post at all. :) We'll see!!!
Thanks again for all the well wishes!!!
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