Health Updates

I have been procrastinating doing an update on our health situations. I am tired of always having health stuff to blog about but I need to get these updates out there.

First I will give an update on how I am doing. I saw my surgeon and he said that after putting my gallbladder under the microscope it showed as being chronically inflammed. So I guess it was a good thing to have it removed. I am starting to feel better but I am still having some fatigue. I tend to get worn out by the evening. But it is getting better so I am trying not to complain. My incisions are healing nicely and hardly bother me much anymore. I still have some occasional stomach pain but the doctor said that is to be expected because the inflammation affected other areas around the gallbladder.

Now on to Rick. You know, the more important one.

Rick saw his surgeon on Friday. The news was not what we were hoping for. It seems that the fusion has NOT started to take at all. There is zero bone growth. Which basically means he is still in the same position he was in eight weeks ago right after surgery. Although he is starting to get his energy back and he doesn't really have incision pain anymore, he is NOT healed. He has to continue to wear his brace for the next six weeks, which at that time he will have another x-ray to determine if there is any fusion happening yet. That will be 14 weeks since surgery. I don't really know for sure what it will mean if there is still no bone growth at that point. I don't really even want to think about that right now. I can't change the situation so I am going to just try not to worry about it.

Dr S thinks that all of Rick's other diseases are what is causing him to not heal. That makes sense because he takes immune suppressing drugs. But he needs the medications to prevent him from getting sicker. It is a tough situation to be in. He is going back to work next week. He hasn't been getting a paycheck for over 3 weeks now which is starting to cause him stress. Fortunately he will only be going back to work part-time for now. I can understand his need to get back to work. But I am nervous about it because I don't want him to get hurt or cause some damage since he isn't healed. We thought that by this time he would have at least had some bone growth, making him more stable and making it safer to go back to work.

This is not the position we thought we would be in at this point. I was expecting that by now things would be getting back to normal. And I use the term normal very loosely. But we deal with the cards we have been dealt. Nothing we can do to change it.

Until next time,
Jaime

Put it back!!!

Do you think the doctor still has my gallbladder in a jar somewhere? Do you think he would put it back? I would be willing to have him put it back! I would love to feel how I did before the surgery as compared to how I am feeling now. Forget the road to recovery, put it back!!!

Seriously this sucks!!! I feel awful. I feel worse than I did before the surgery. I keep hearing that it will get better. REALLY?!?!?! WHEN?!?!?! I am not trying to be a baby here. But jeez! This sucks!!

And no it is not the incisions. It is an overall feeling of crap!!

How is it that Rick doesn't complain about not feeling good? He must be so sick of me. He must be thinking I am a total baby. I am really not trying to be a baby. Apparently I am not a good patient. I said I would trade him places if I could. Maybe it would be better if I didn't.

Until next time,
Jaime

Recovery

I guess I am on the path to recovery. I am still very sore and I just don't have any energy. But I have been taking fewer pain pills during the day. And I have been sleeping through the night without having to take a pill to stay asleep. However I definitely need one when I do finally wake up; which was at 10:30 this morning. I am very dizzy right now and I feel like I could close my eyes and go to sleep.

I have four very bruised incisions on my belly. The incision in my belly button is the worst. But the one with the biggest bruise is the highest incision. My arm is really bruised too. The IV site and the spot that the nurse gave me the heparin shot have huge bruises.

I am feeling like the recovery is slower than I was expecting. I have had a couple nice talks with others that have also had this surgery and they assured me that this is not a quick recovery. That actually makes me feel better. I was starting to feel like a wimp. I had an organ removed that is supposed to be there. That is going to take a toll on my body and that is most definitely how I am feeling.

Rick has been so great taking care of me. He has gotten me water and food. He reminds me to take my pain meds. He rubs my shoulders when they hurt and I can tell he feels sorry for me. If anyone understands how I feel it is certainly Rick.

At the moment I am feeling quite nauseous again so I am calling it quits for now.

Until next time,
Jaime

Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy

Big word for tiny incisions. And no matter how tiny the incisions they still hurt!! I feel like a total baby complaining when I live with Super Man. But everyone deals with pain differently and I don't do so well with pain. I have four incisions in my belly. And they are only held together by steri strips. I am a little worried about how they will hold up, especially the one in my belly button.

I am not sure if you all want a play by play but I will give it to you anyway. So here goes my play by play of my surgery.

We arrived at the outpatient clinic at 11 a.m. and I was taken back to get prepared for surgery. Rick waited for me in the waiting room for a while but I asked to have him come hold my hand while I was getting my IV and the nurse was kind enough to oblige me. The IV had to go into my forearm which really hurt but she got it in one poke which was fantastic! I had to have an antibiotic running because of the proximity to the bile ducts and the chance of infection. I also had to have a shot of heparin because I would be laying flat for a few hours and they wanted to prevent blood clots. I have never had heparin before and that little shot left a huge bruise.

My Mom arrived shortly after that and she sat back with us while I waited. The anesthesiologist came and talked to me about being intubated and I let her know how sick I get with anesthesia. She was very good and set up a great cocktail of anti-nausea drugs for me. It wasn't long after that and it was time to go. I got a shot of versed, a very good relaxing drug, and kissed Rick and my Mom goodbye. I was a little worried because of the run of bad luck we have had recently, but it all went fine.

I stayed awake during the ride to the operating room and was awake while they set everything up. Then they put the mask on my face to breath the sleepy medicine and I drifted off to sleep. The nurse that was taking care of me in the operating room was very sweet and kept rubbing my shoulder or feet as she worked around me. It was very comforting and I really appreciated her kindness.

The surgery lasted about an hour. I do remember a little from the operating room unfortunately. I woke up afterwards while still intubated and in the operating room. I remember looking at the clock and seeing that it was 1:15 and feeling like I couldn't breath. I remember feeling the tube in my mouth and biting on it a little bit. But I drifted right back to sleep and the next thing I remember is waking up in a lot of pain in the recovery room. I was having a hard time breathing so they put the oxygen on a little higher. My mouth was so dry that I couldn't even swallow. I got some ice chips and finally started to feel like I could breath easier. I got some liquid pain meds and some more anti-nausea meds because I wasn't feeling too good. In fact I felt pretty miserable for a while. It didn't feel like it was too long and the nurse asked if I wanted my husband. Of course I did and she brought Rick and my Mom back to me in recovery.

It was so relaxing to finally have them sitting next to me. I must have looked a mess. It feels like I just kept whimpering, but maybe that was before they came back, I'm not sure exactly. I drifted in and out of sleep and Rick fed me ice chips. It was a weird role reversal. It was very reassuring though to have him kiss my head and hold my hand. I don't know if he appreciates that when he is recovering, but I sure did!

I laid in the bed and kept thinking how was I ever going to feel good enough to go home. Eventually I did start to feel a little better. The nurse unhooked me from all the monitors and the IV. I made my way to the bathroom and my Mom helped me to get dressed. I was very shaky and weak. I got into the wheelchair and made my way out to the car. My Mom followed us home so that she could help get me into the house. Which ended up being a good thing because I was really weak and Rick wouldn't have been able to help me. She went to the store to get my pain meds and picked up Rick some food. It was really helpful to have her there. Thanks Mom!!

I had a rough night. I didn't sleep very well and kept waking up in pain. I had an ice pack on my belly for most of the night to help relieve some of the discomfort. Now today I have the heating pad on my belly. I am really sore today and my shoulder is still giving me pain from the air trying to escape. My Mom is going to come over pretty soon to bring us lunch and take care of me some more. Mom's are great!!

Thank you to everyone that prayed for no complications. I hope that you will continue to pray for a quick healing, for both of us ; ).

Until next time,
Jaime

Surgery is Monday

I am having my gallbladder removed Monday afternoon. It is going to be a laporascopic surgery called a Laporascopic Cholecystectomy. I know I should have posted sooner but it has been a little hectic around here. I needed to get things in order and send the girls off to Nana's house again. Since I will be unable to do much for a couple days and Rick is still unable to do much we decided it was better that the girls not be at home for a couple days. Luckily they are used to it by now so it wasn't too bad dropping them off at Nana's for a few days again.

I have to be at the hospital at 11 a.m. The surgery is scheduled for noon. It is supposed to be outpatient. But I am going prepared for an overnight "just in case" because we all now how routine things can turn into a big thing.

I am not too nervous about the surgery. I am just excited to not have this pain anymore. I hope that you all will say a prayer that it goes smoothly and that there are no complications. I can't believe that both of us are going to be laid up at the same time. It is going to be interesting around here for a couple days.

I am trying to convince Rick to Twitter for me tomorrow. So check in on my Tweets to see how things are going.

Until next time (when I will be minus one organ),
Jaime

More of the same

I feel like my posts must be totally boring and redundant lately. The more things change, the more they stay the same. New disease, new family member; same family. I am trying to look at things with a good frame of mind, but it isn't easy. When do we get to catch a break? I thought that the benefit was our chance at turning this year around. And don't get me wrong, it was wonderful. But it feels like the roller coaster just continues.

I am now sick and I want to sit on the couch and be sick but I can't. I have to take care of everything because I am the only one that can. I am the only one that can carry the laundry downstairs. I am the only one that can load the dishwasher. I am the only one that can take out the garbage, clean the bathroom, bring the laundry upstairs, fold the laundry, make breakfast, lunch and dinner. I am only one person but I feel like I am doing the work of 6. I have been trying to have Sam help out too, but she can only do so much. I mean she is just a kid.

I guess I am just having a bad day. I hurt and I'm tired. The scan this morning kinda sucked. The first IV didn't work so I had to have another one placed. Then the medicine that is given about 30 minutes into the scan made me extremely nauseous. First the radioactive material was injected and I was scanned for 30 minutes. Then the medicine that makes the gallbladder work was injected slowly and the final bolus of it made me feel crazy sick. Thankfully it didn't last too long, but I have never felt quite like that before. The scan lasted another 40 minutes after that.

The nuclear medicine tech read the test and said that it looks like my gallbladder function is low. He said that it is a good thing I have an appointment with a surgeon. That appointment is Thursday morning, so I should know more then. In the mean time I will enjoy the pain pills.

Until next time,
Jaime

Even More Tests

If you follow me on twitter you already have an idea of where this post is going. I had an appointment with my doctor today. Rick went with me this time to hear for himself what is going on. Dr. A is now thinking that my pain is from my gallbladder. She ordered me to have a HIDA scan which is hopefully going to be done on Monday. I will not be able to eat or drink anything Monday morning until after I hear if the test can be done on Monday. If not, it will be done early in the week. I also have an appointment scheduled with a surgeon on Thursday to talk about removing my gallbladder. Dr. A is so certain that it is my gallbladder that she went ahead and scheduled me with the surgeon.

I have also been given some pain medicine to help me with the pain. By the end of the day the pain is so bad that I can hardly handle it. I was almost ready to go to the hospital last night due to the amount of pain I was having.

I can't believe that this is happening. It is almost funny. I did say almost.

Until next time,
Jaime

More tests

Today I had another test done. I went in to nuclear medicine for a gastric emptying study. I had to eat oatmeal with a radioactive tracer in it. And an IV was started, that ended up not being needed. I went through a painful IV start for no reason. UGHH! I have terrible veins and I despise getting IV's.

Anyway, I had to lay flat on my back on a very hard table for almost 90 minutes while a special scanner took continuous pictures. Rick actually got to go back with me the entire time after I made a big stink about it over the phone with the tech beforehand. We watched as the radioactive oatmeal passed through my stomach. I didn't end up needing the IV because my stomach seems to empty fine so there was no need to add medicine at the 60 minute mark.

This test revealed no new answers to the question of why I am having the pain. It appears that the next step is to check my gallbladder again. I will be talking with my doctor on friday and I will ask for a special scan that checks the function of the gallbladder. I can't deal with this pain on top of everything else.

It is the same pain I was having back in January. I have been having it continuously off and on since then, but with everything that happened with Rick I just put it on the "back burner" so to speak. But since Rick is starting to get better I need to take care of myself.

Please pray that we get this figured out soon! I need to get back to having a normal life. This is all just so unbelievable. If it wasn't my life I would think it was all made up. UGHH!!

Until next time,
Jaime

I am hurtin tonight

I was so nervous for today's procedure. I have never had anything like that done to me before. So when I was checking in my hands were shaking. I had to sign my name and I could barely hold the pen. The thing I really don't like about this practice is that they take HIPAA to the extreme. Rick wasn't allowed to come back with me at all. I wanted him there to hold my hand when I was getting my IV, but he was not allowed back. I had to sit back there all alone for an hour before the procedure. I think that is ridiculous! Patients should have a say in who is allowed to come back with them. I am always with Rick before a procedure. Granted sometimes they make me wait until he is settled, but at least I get to come back and sit with him. That just made things even harder for me. You should have seen my blood pressure and heart rate. Wow!!

When I got wheeled into the endoscopy suite my heart rate was even higher. They put monitors on me and oxygen. The doctor came in and talked to me. He was nice. Then he sprayed this NASTY stuff in my mouth to numb my throat. OMG, it was so gross!!! And my tongue and throat were so numb I could hardly tell if I was breathing, let alone swallow. The nurse put the medication in my IV and that is all I remember. I woke up as they were putting me back in recovery. My throat hurt and I was thirsty. And I really wanted Rick. But he was still not allowed to come back and sit with me. Can you believe that?!?!

They don't give you anytime to wake up and recover either. I kept getting set up higher in bed. I had to ask them to stop because I was so dizzy. And then I still had to sit there all alone. I kept asking for my husband, and they kept saying no because of HIPAA. That is so beyond ridiculous. I was told to get up and use the bathroom, but I could hardly walk. And nobody helped me; if Rick was there he could have helped me.

They had me get dressed, all by myself. And then they finally brought Rick back while they explained what the doctor found. I have never been so happy to see him. Except of course after his procedures.

So the results are....... We still don't know. I don't have an ulcer, or GERD. The doctor thinks I have something called NERD. Which I don't really understand just yet. What we were told, but I don't remember, is that it is a neurological type of reflux that is caused by my stomach not emptying fast enough. So I have to have a gastric emptying scan done on wednesday. It is a nuclear scan that watches how fast/slow my stomach empties the food. It will take at least 2 hours. And it is done within the same practice, just a different facility, so Rick won't be allowed to be with me AGAIN. He is still coming, and maybe we can convince them to let him sit with me. But I am not getting my hopes up.

I guess I don't really have a lot of answers for you tonight. I am hurting pretty bad from the air that is trapped in my stomach from the procedure. For some reason it feels like it has gotten trapped under my ribs and it hurts really bad!! I am sitting with a heating pad on my stomach to try and help relieve the pain. I also have a pretty sore throat from the scope. All in all, I feel really crappy.

I have a new appreciation for what Rick has to go through. He says this is the easiest of the procedures he has to go through. If this is the easiest I feel really bad for him!! This is no fun at all! Maybe I am just a baby.

Until next time,
Jaime

It's My Turn

Guess What?!?! It's my turn now to have a procedure done. I saw my doctor today and she is really concerned about me. I am still having stomach pains and she thinks it is an ulcer. So she wants me to have an EGD ASAP. I am going in on monday afternoon for an upper endoscopy. So now the caretaker becomes the patient. But only for one afternoon. I wonder if they can give me less drugs so that I can take care of Rick later that night.

I was given a nice talk about how I really need to be taking care of myself too. I already knew that but it is really hard to focus on myself when I have other things to take care of. This may be a bit of a wake up call though.

I am worried about Rick having to sit in the waiting room. He is still in pain and sitting in chairs is really uncomfortable. But he insists he will be okay. I am more worried about him than me. How will he be able to take care of me? This is gonna be interesting.

Until next time,
Jaime