I'm Back - A Christmas Story

First off thanks everyone for your well wishes and prayers!

I am now back home writing to you from my husbands nice tan recliner in my living room. It is cushier than mine and easier for me to get up and out of.

The surgeon finally called in with the okay for me to leave the hospital around 5 pm on Thursday. It didn't take much to get me out of the hospital and ready to leave. I had a pic line in so that was the final step in leaving that bed.

Everyone was great to me. I couldn't praise the hospital staff more. Though I was either npo or on a liquid diet for most of the stay the food that I got to eat in the last two days was really great for hospital food. The people who served the food were dressed up in cute outfits and when I saw them deliver the food I felt like they were feeling all special for looking so great. I imagine and would hope the other patients would feel the way I did.

I had no idea how ill I was. I had originally thought I had the flu. It go so bad I stopped eating meals around Dec 22. My husband tried to find what I could eat, buying diet pudding, jello and making me toast or a small bowl of cereal. Eating, digesting or using the bathroom was so painful at one point I only drank propel or water. I would get the dry heaves so bad in the bathroom from the pain, I had to hang on to my husband to keep from falling down.

As soon as our insurance coverage was began on 1/1 my husband drove me over to the er. I was feeling better as long as I didn't eat. I knew something wasn't right. I thought I was passing a  stone or I had diverticulosis problems as early last year they said I had  a problem with that.

They were surprised I was handling my pain so well after they did the cat scan and saw how much of a mess I was. I can only feel that God had me cradled in his hands, keeping the abcess from the burst appendix intact.

I was in the ER for at least 7 hours when they decided to keep me and it took another 7 hours for a room to be arranged. Prior to going to the room they took me back to the cat scan were a specialist inserted a drain to drain off the infection. The original amount that came out was enough to fill a coffee cup.

I was pleasantly surprised to be placed in a private room. This helped greatly as my husband was able to come every day to the hospital and sit with me while he worked on the computer with their computer connectivity. He tried hard to minimize the hours he missed through this whole ordeal. My husband is a consultant if he doesn't work, he doesn't get paid. I am very greatfull to his work for understanding this situation and doing their best to cover the gap when he couldn't be available to them.

Many people don't live through this or fare as well as I did so I can only conclude that all the prayers made a big difference.

Once the drain which had suction had removed all the infection fluids for several days,  fecal matter was being pumped out. This indicated I could not avoid surgery. I then had a second procedure to change the drain to one without suction and surgery was scheduled.

I fared well with the surgery, but as it happened two years ago when I had surgery on my left leg to put a rod in, my digestion tract shut down. In went a ng tube but fortunately, having been through it before I knew what to do and what to expect.

Quite frankly, I lost my appetite and have had no desire for food. I feel this whole ordeal if I handle it right will turn the tide in my health and weight issues. My stomach has shrunk and I can barely get though half of a sandwich. For the first time in my life, I leave food on my plate. I get full quickly and only have the desire to taste food.

I have to say they had a great surgar free diet mousse for dessert that I ate with some strawberries and even with the great treat, I could not finish it.

Through the whole process it has given me a different perspective on my life and I have realized truly to not get overwhelmed and take things one step at a time.

I had some great doctors, an infectous disease doctor tended to come in at night and just seeing her made me feel better. She was so gentle and reassuring. The surgeon was great too! In the er when he came in to meet me, he said he expected to find an old woman, really made me feel at ease and confident. He had style and won me over. He discussed every thing with me and I really felt he listened to my input and concerns.

The nurses and techs were the best. Many told me I was their best patient and I felt like they were rooting for me too. After surgery last week I wasn't sure I would sit or stand ever. Even my doctor thought I may need to go to rehab before going home because of my fibromyalgia. One nurse told me she was so happy to see what I fighter I became, taking walk after walk to get my strength up.

I did much better than expected and I really thing God sent me people that helped me the fears that accompany the unknown. I really had to trust in him that it would all work out and it has.

Because my family had the flu Christmas time, we didn't have Christmas...no dinner or anything special. Christmas Eve my daughter cooked for her and my husband, but by Christmas they were both so sick, eating was out. I told my daughter when I got out of the hospital it would be our Christmas.

Tonight after I got home and everything was settled down, she came to me and hugged  and kissed me and said,

"Mom, you were right, today was our Christmas!"