Health is not valued until sickness comes.
- Thomas Fuller
Seventeen years ago I got a tummy ache. Then I got another one, and another one. And then it got worse. And then one night as I writhed on the floor in pain, my mom took me to the emergency room. The doctor poked around a bit, asked me a few questions, and declared that it's probably just stress, anxiety, teen girl angst. He gave me tylenol 3 and sent me home.
The pain continued on for years after, coming every month or two and debilitating me. And every time it came, I tried to figure out what I was stressed out about. But I could never find anything. I'm sure most would agree, I'm not a stress-case. I'm pretty calm about most things and definitely don't have anxiety.
As the pain continued to worsen, I saw some other doctors who finally ordered some tests to be done, and still nothing. My insides looked perfectly normal. Nothing looked wrong so it must be still in my head.
Then I was introduced to naturopathic doctors who cut everything out of my diet. Everything! Now I couldn't eat anything good and I had pain.
It got so I would be in tears when it came, feeling like my belly was being pieced with a katana. And then I'd be out of commission for a couple days.
Two years ago I had an added symptom that I knew was not in my head. Fever. Something was wrong. So back to emergency I went. "Maybe it's your appendix!" one brilliant doctor exclaimed. But on the scans, they couldn't find my appendix anywhere. "Hm. Well, you must have one in there somewhere. Let's go in, find it, take it out, and see if that helps." So I went home, ate antibiotics for a week, and waited for a surgery date.
Four months and several 'episodes' later I got a call from the doc with surgery date. But things had gotten much more complicated. I had a new baby growing in my belly, and I was sure she didn't want her cozy home disrupted. So I waited again.
Another year went by. Pain was now a weekly thing and came with flu symptoms. Baby was safely out of my body and so back into the hospital I marched. I got more scans and... wait... is that... yes! An amazing ultrasound tech had found my appendix! He called in the team of doctors and students because, "We don't see this very often." My poor little appendix was very sick and had been for many years. 17 years to be exact. Chronic appendicitis with evidence of previous ruptures. That would explain the flu symptoms. My body was fighting toxins on a regular basis.
But do you want to know how amazing our bodies are? A protective pocket had formed around my appendix, along with several lymph nodes, to keep most of the toxins contained and therefore keeping me alive.
I got another surgery date, May 23, and readied myself for a laparoscopic appendectomy. Day surgery. Home by dinner.
At 6 am I checked into the hospital for my 1 hour surgery. Three hours later I woke up, shivering uncontrollably, in excruciating pain. The general anesthesia had worn off but the morphine had not kicked in. I heard a doctor order more pain meds and nurses struggling to inject me again. My nose hurt from the nasal cannula and my throat was raw from the intubation. I was so thirsty, all I could think of was water. The nurse only gave me one ice chip at a time. I lay there counting the minutes until I could have another ice chip.
The surgeon came in and informed me that the surgery had gotten complicated. The laparoscope didn't work because they couldn't isolate my appendix. Due to the years of inflammation and ruptures, it had fused itself to my large intestines and duodenum, forming one large mass of organs. So they made a larger incision and removed the mass, including a section of my large intestines. AKA, a hemicolectomy.
My day surgery turned into 5 days in the hospital while my amazing husband cared for our babies at home by himself. I missed them terribly.
It's been two weeks now since I said goodbye to my intestines. I'm home now, but it hasn't been easy. There has been a fair bit of discomfort, though it's feeling a bit better every day. It's also difficult caring for my kiddos, the hardest part being that I can't even pick up my baby.
Of course this all happened during an extremely busy time for Kyle. He is about to shoot his first feature film and it's a big deal. He was busy before the surgery, and now, after having to pick up the slack at home, he is so far behind he's barely sleeping. Every single minute of his day (and night) is spent working on pre-production. He handles stress very well, but I think that this is pushing his limits.
We did, however, just hire a nanny/housekeeper to come in and help me during the day. She is wonderful and a big help. I'm so grateful for her.
This blog post seems depressing but the huge wonderful thing about it all is that I will soon be pain free. It's a concept that I can't yet comprehend, but the prospect of it feels so liberating. Health is the biggest blessing anyone can receive and until we've been ill, we can't know the value of it.
The pain continued on for years after, coming every month or two and debilitating me. And every time it came, I tried to figure out what I was stressed out about. But I could never find anything. I'm sure most would agree, I'm not a stress-case. I'm pretty calm about most things and definitely don't have anxiety.
As the pain continued to worsen, I saw some other doctors who finally ordered some tests to be done, and still nothing. My insides looked perfectly normal. Nothing looked wrong so it must be still in my head.
Then I was introduced to naturopathic doctors who cut everything out of my diet. Everything! Now I couldn't eat anything good and I had pain.
It got so I would be in tears when it came, feeling like my belly was being pieced with a katana. And then I'd be out of commission for a couple days.
Two years ago I had an added symptom that I knew was not in my head. Fever. Something was wrong. So back to emergency I went. "Maybe it's your appendix!" one brilliant doctor exclaimed. But on the scans, they couldn't find my appendix anywhere. "Hm. Well, you must have one in there somewhere. Let's go in, find it, take it out, and see if that helps." So I went home, ate antibiotics for a week, and waited for a surgery date.
Four months and several 'episodes' later I got a call from the doc with surgery date. But things had gotten much more complicated. I had a new baby growing in my belly, and I was sure she didn't want her cozy home disrupted. So I waited again.
Another year went by. Pain was now a weekly thing and came with flu symptoms. Baby was safely out of my body and so back into the hospital I marched. I got more scans and... wait... is that... yes! An amazing ultrasound tech had found my appendix! He called in the team of doctors and students because, "We don't see this very often." My poor little appendix was very sick and had been for many years. 17 years to be exact. Chronic appendicitis with evidence of previous ruptures. That would explain the flu symptoms. My body was fighting toxins on a regular basis.
But do you want to know how amazing our bodies are? A protective pocket had formed around my appendix, along with several lymph nodes, to keep most of the toxins contained and therefore keeping me alive.
I got another surgery date, May 23, and readied myself for a laparoscopic appendectomy. Day surgery. Home by dinner.
At 6 am I checked into the hospital for my 1 hour surgery. Three hours later I woke up, shivering uncontrollably, in excruciating pain. The general anesthesia had worn off but the morphine had not kicked in. I heard a doctor order more pain meds and nurses struggling to inject me again. My nose hurt from the nasal cannula and my throat was raw from the intubation. I was so thirsty, all I could think of was water. The nurse only gave me one ice chip at a time. I lay there counting the minutes until I could have another ice chip.
The surgeon came in and informed me that the surgery had gotten complicated. The laparoscope didn't work because they couldn't isolate my appendix. Due to the years of inflammation and ruptures, it had fused itself to my large intestines and duodenum, forming one large mass of organs. So they made a larger incision and removed the mass, including a section of my large intestines. AKA, a hemicolectomy.
My day surgery turned into 5 days in the hospital while my amazing husband cared for our babies at home by himself. I missed them terribly.
It's been two weeks now since I said goodbye to my intestines. I'm home now, but it hasn't been easy. There has been a fair bit of discomfort, though it's feeling a bit better every day. It's also difficult caring for my kiddos, the hardest part being that I can't even pick up my baby.
Of course this all happened during an extremely busy time for Kyle. He is about to shoot his first feature film and it's a big deal. He was busy before the surgery, and now, after having to pick up the slack at home, he is so far behind he's barely sleeping. Every single minute of his day (and night) is spent working on pre-production. He handles stress very well, but I think that this is pushing his limits.
We did, however, just hire a nanny/housekeeper to come in and help me during the day. She is wonderful and a big help. I'm so grateful for her.
This blog post seems depressing but the huge wonderful thing about it all is that I will soon be pain free. It's a concept that I can't yet comprehend, but the prospect of it feels so liberating. Health is the biggest blessing anyone can receive and until we've been ill, we can't know the value of it.
Me in the hospital looking hideous a couple days after surgery.
The Lord is SO amazing! He took wonderful care of you my dear friend, I thank God that you are here today. Love love love!
ReplyDeleteCrazy to think that you've endured the pain for so long. I'm excited for your recovery phase to be over and for you to feel well.
Kyle is a wonderful husband and father and so supportive of his family. You are truly blessed.
I would say you look not hideous, but very sick. You have been protected from spiritual & physical harm not just a few times! It is with awe that I understand just how much He watches over you.
ReplyDelete