March 14, 2004

• I woke up at 3:30 with severe abdominal pain.  I thought I'd be able to sleep it away.  I couldn't fall back asleep.  Maybe I crean breathe it away, so I wotked on deep breathing.  Nothing.  I lay there trying to feel better & figure out what was going on.  It was getting worse.  Waves of nausea would wash over me every few minutes.  I clawled out of bed, walked over to the bathroom like Quasimoto, and ended up in a fetal position on the bathroom floor.  It was over taking all of me.  I needed to be seen by a doctor, but I ciuldn't get up.  I debated calling my mother.  I wanted her help, but it was 3:30 in the morning.  Do I call her?  Do I call 911?  I didn't know.  I finally called my mom.  As soon as she answered the phone, I broke down crying.  It's rare that I cry from pain, and this had me in tears.  I gave my mom directions to the hospital just up the street from me.  She told me to call her from the hospital.  I couldn't bring myself to call 911.  It wasn't an emergency situation that would qualify the need of an ambulance.  So, hunched over, I loosely tied my shoes, threw on my jacket and hobbled out of the apartment.  I drove like a little old lady whose head is lower than the steering wheel.  Somehow, I got myself there.  I checked in, went through triage, signed the papers, and waited.  I waited for about an hour.  Now it's 5 am, I still haven't called mom.  I asked the cleaning lady if there was a phone nearby that I could use (as you can't use cell phones in hospitals).  There was a pay phone just around the corner.  So I called & spoke to Dick.  My mom was on her way out here.  Within 10 minutes of hanging up the phone, my mother arrived, and then just a few minutes after that, I was called in.  I started to fall asleep on my bed when the doctor walked in.  He palpated my abdomen.  I was very tender pretty high, just under the liver & diaphragm.  He asked me if I had any problems with the gall bladder or gall stones in the past.  No, nothing.  As he was examining me, he was telling me that he thought it was probably more the wine I had with Pam last night.  With my stomach/intestinal history, it would stand to reason that the wine created a higher acidity in my stomach, and that raised up to the stomach & esophagus & that was the cause of the pain.  They took several vials of blood, and gave me a pill to make me more comfortable.  The bloods were still pending when this doctor's shift was over, so I got handed off to the new doctor (one who had seen me in September for a ruptured ovarian cyst).  Increased white blood cell count, but no fever or other signs of infection.  He took 2 abdominal x-rays to check, there was a possibility of a CT scan, too.  Normal.  Everything looks & feels fine.  Gastritis due to that wine, with secondary air pockets in a few places throughout my intestines.  It is now aboyt 10:30 in the morning when my catheter is pulled, and I am sent home on a clear liquid diet for the next 12 hours.  My mom & I then proceeded to food shop.  The food, chocolates, puddings, crackers...All of it taunting me.  Teasing me, reminding me that I can't eat it until tomorrow.  Some of it, I may not be able to consume ever again.  And now, I'm home.  Exhausted, about to shower & head out to my mom's (she left already).  I'm feeling better, although not 100%.  Sigh...This sucks.  I know it could be worse, I always remind myself when going through some kind of trial, that there is always someone who has it worse.  It's true, and therefore I have no reason to complain.  If nothing else, I would like to say, Damn I'm tired!  

  
  

  Have a good day, all.  Hope you're all feeling better than I am - I wouldn't want ANYONE to go through this.  Take care.  Much love to all of you.   

  • 11:53 am
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