I'm home...and this time I really mean it!

Okay, so I spoke too soon. After glorying in the feeling of being at home from the last trip to the hospital, reality sunk in and so did the few bites I tried to eat after I got home. Ryan and I went out to make a visit to the store, and part way through our stroll through Lee's, I knew the gut problems were back.

To fill in the details for those who don't know my whole happy story, here's the short version. A few years ago I had a ruptured appendix. They took it out and cleaned me up, and I had a long, nasty few weeks of recovery, but after that felt much better. I wasn't able to have it done laparoscopically, which made for a very long recovery. Fast forward three years. I've had bouts of stomach aches, but they've usually resolved in a few hours. Last week, I had a stomach ache that lasted all day, and got worse as evening approached. After a few trips to the ER over the course of a few days, where they loaded me up with meds, took X-rays, patted me on the arm and told me it was probably a viral infection, they finally did a CT scan and discovered I had a bowel obstruction caused by scar tissue from the appy a few years ago. I met with a surgeon, who wanted to try resolving the problem without surgery first. I stayed a couple of days, had an NG tube put in, felt much better after they took it out, and went home.

So, back to the trip to Lee's. We went home, called the surgeon, and ended up coming in the next day for another CT-scan. It was very interesting to look at the scan, especially in comparison to the scan from the previous week. It made it very apparent that the problem had not resolved itself, and that surgery would help me feel a lot better. I appreciate the surgeon holding off in cutting in, but it was obvious that it was necessary.

And now I have two weeks off. I feel very fortunate for many things. One of them was finding a sub. I've been worried about my classes at school and finding a sub for them who can sign. (They've had movies this week. I can't handle the thought of having them watch movies for two more weeks.) I was able to locate someone who not only signs, but is very familiar with the curriculum and teaches at the local university. Hooray! That takes a load off my mind.

Once again, we are very grateful for the love and care of those around us. I don't know how we would have gotten through this with your help, support and prayers. Thank you, thank you!

How to not spend a weekend

What a weekend! Three trips to the ER and 2 nights in the hospital later, I'm finally home. I'll spare you most of the drama, and shave it down to my top ten reasons for why I'm so tickled to be home at the moment.

10. No more nightly visitations from the very nice 2:00 a.m. lady taking blood for labs.
9. I don't have to discuss my "input" and "output" anymore.
8. I can respond to "How are you feeling?" without feeling obliged to give a number from 1-10.
7. My own pj's fit so much better than a XXL gown with snap closures on the arms.
6. I think Ryan is starting to like hospital cafeteria food.
5. I can get up to go to the bathroom without getting unplugged.
4. Although IV's are great in their own right, they don't come in different flavors.
3. I don't have a tube sticking out of unattractive places anymore.
2. I didn't have to have surgery.
1. I think I'm finally starting to feel better.

Many thanks to the love and support of friends, family and neighbors. Thank you for your hugs and prayers. I am hopeful that I will continue to be on the mend. The doctor who discharged me last night left us with this happy thought: "You have made a lot of progress. Some of the time, the body can work this out on it's own. And if you start throwing up again in a couple of days, give me a call and plan on taking a few weeks off for surgery."

Back to the Grind

All things must end. Sigh. When I was little, I remember trying so hard to fall asleep on Christmas Eve. I knew things would be easier that way--morning would come faster, and I could open presents! I usually ended up staring at the ceiling for several hours, full of anticipation and not one bit of feeling tired.

Last night was kind of like that, except for the really excited part. I kept on hashing over what I was going to do with my classes the next morning. I'm at an "in-between" point in topics for my Level I and II kids. I had planed a few things before I left for the break, but was second-guessing myself on what I could coax out of my kids on the first day back. It seriously kept me awake until the wee hours. Blech! If I'm going to be awake all night, I would rather have the Christmas Eve scenario.

Fortunately, it was a smooth day back. The ice sheet that was covering the parking lot was the only bumpy part of my day. It snowed, then rained during the break. The parking lot hadn't been plowed all during the break, so it was ugly.

Here's to a new year!