October 4, 2013

It has been a very rough and reflective week

On Monday LSEGH came home from work around 3'ish, sat in his chair and started complaining of "indigestion".  My usual questions were:

Are you sure you have indigestion?

Do you feel bad anywhere else?

Did you try an antacid?  (followed by an antacid)

Do you hurt anywhere else?  (all the way through to his back)

By 10 p.m. he was still in a somewhat state of denial, rolling around on the couch trying to find a comfortable way to lay.  I came out to check on him and he looked miserable, and I touched his face to find him clammy and beaded with sweat.  My heart picked up a raging rating and I said "we are going to the hospital."  The reasonable thing to have done would be to call an ambulance, but the last time I did that someone died while I waiting the 30 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.  Scared crapless I got him into the car and headed for the nearest hospital about fifteen minutes away, except---there was somewhat dense fog.  When I could see I had the  hammer down, and when I couldn't had to torque it back.  Pull up outside the hospital and he's half slumped over saying "oh it hurts."  I told him don't move and ran for the ER desk which was unmanned and I yelled that I NEED HELP NOW!   This fairly shook up the ER who all came thundering out behind me shoved him into a wheelchair and wisked him to the back.  I'm thinking heart-attack, LSEGH thinks heart-attack, ER doc thinks heart-attack.    But enzymes come back alright and the EKG is alright, and he's been given morphine, and demoral and he's still rolling around in agonizing pain.  They finally add DILAUDID to the cocktail and he is miserable but tolerable enough that he heads off for a CT SCAN.  They come back with the answer to the problem, his gallbladder is grossly swollen and filled with stones.  He goes on IV antibiotics trying to get the wbc down, and get him stable enough to come home and schedule surgery a few weeks out.   The white blood count goes up, next day it goes up again...they decide to go ahead and do open surgery.  He had gangrene, and hundreds of stone, stuffed to bursting with them.   The doc said another day and the gallbladder would have ruptured and survival gets dicey when that happens. He is doing pretty good now, and will be home soon.   Such a roller coaster week.  I'll tell you sitting in a surgical waiting room alone is a really bad feeling.  Six weeks, of R&R for my favorite fellar ♥ and if he tries that again he's in big trouble.

6 comments:

  1. I am so sorry! How terrifying. :( Sending good wishes for a quick recovery.

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  2. How terrifying. Best wishes for him and you and family

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  3. Holy crap, Jacke!! So glad that it turned out okay for him! Cyber hugs

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  4. How scary! I hope his recovery is swift and easy.

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  5. Sending healing thoughts your way! Thank goodness you took him in when you did.

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  6. OMG, how awful! So glad he's on the mend.

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