Ever since bearing our child, Charlie, Jamie has had frequent heartburn. So we thought. A few weeks ago Jamie was complaining of incredible pain in her chest. She tried to tough it out, following remedies that had worked in the past, but she was getting no relief. Jamie swore that she was having a heart attack. My medical training gave me confidence that she was not having a heart attack, but there was no convincing her. It was her last day on Earth.
I called 911 and requested an ambulance. I then called the mother-in-law to come stay with Charlie. We made our way to the hospital and Jamie was still having constant pain with no relief. She is very reluctant to take pain medication fearing that she would become addicted and have a reaction like she did when taking percocet after her c-section.
The doctor poked and prodded Jamie's abdomen. She cringed and yelled at every touch. The nurse brought in a concoction that sounded like it was chalk mixed with sour cream and orajel. "Yum! Drink up Babe." She drank this disgusting looking ectoplasm mixture like a champ. It numbed her mouth and esophagus, but it did not alleviate the pain.
The nurse administered a mild pain medicine through Jamie's IV and everything changed. It was like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. We got to see the softer side of Jamie. Her nurse was a pretty lady that looked a little like Sarah Palin on a good day. Jamie must have been dreaming of princesses because the nurse was the most beautiful woman in the world according to the gospel of Jamie from the book of "Narcotic Pain Killers". The nurse was very flattered and I was trying to not laugh. Jamie's tone was that of a three year old girl at the Magic Kingdom.
The medical team ruled that the pain was from a gigantic stone in Jamie's gallbladder. 1.8cm to be exact. No not millimeters, Centimeters! The situation just got serious. If this stone was a gold nugget we would be rich. We finalized our ER visit and headed home. Jamie contacted her primary physician and made all of the necessary arrangements to see the specialist.
We made the appointment for the specialist, but we made the appointment with the wrong doctor. Apparently two doctors can have very similar names and work within just a mile of each other. What the heck! Now Jamie was going to have to wait another week or longer to have the problem taken care of. Jamie was very upset that she would have to keep walking on eggshells with her diet in order to prevent a flare up and avoid the horrific pain.
We walked to the lobby and immediately called the correct doctor to schedule an appointment. God was looking out for us this day. We were able to see the doctor in 35 minutes that day! This is unheard of! We get to the doctor's office, go right back and spend about 15 minutes with the nurse giving her all of the information. There was concern about the size of the stone and we decided to move forward with surgery to remove the gallbladder. Jamie was again dreading how long she would have to walk on eggshells awaiting the surgery. The nurse said "How about tomorrow?" Everyone in the room, including the doctor looked at her like "Are you serious. We can get in that soon?"
Signed up and ready to go we made arrangements for the baby and the days that would follow the surgery. We went to the hospital for the surgery and promptly named the gallbladder "Gladys". Gladys was about to be removed and could no longer cause pain and discomfort. Jamie and I went back to pre-op to prepare for the procedure. All of a sudden Jamie decided that she did not want to have surgery.
It was not so much the procedure that she feared, but the anesthesia. A few people, including myself may or may not have told her that it is the closest thing to death that you will ever experience. The statement may have caused a bit of anxiety. Oops, who knew? After several breakdowns in the pre-op room the nurse ordered a little "relaxer" for Jamie.
The anesthesiologist sat on the bed next to Jamie as she was saying "I want to go home, I don't want to do this." Unbeknownst to Jamie, she was about to have a change of heart. The nurse was behind Jamie pumping her IV with a little "relaxer". In mid sentence Jamie said "I want to go ho...Let's do this! I'm ready!"
I was unable to witness the fun that followed because she was wheeled to the operating room. I am sure that there were a few funny lines spouted out on the ride down the hall. There were probably princesses and unicorns prancing about.
I was very disappointed by the lack of fun that was to be had after the surgery while Jamie was still under the influence. One funny thing did happen though. I was assisting Jamie with getting dressed and ready to leave when she grabbed my arm and said "Ooh, your arms are so soft. I just want to rub it." Did they give her ecstasy in the OR?
Gladys is now gone and all is well. Hopefully we do not have to make any more trips to the OR for a while. Sorry, Jamie would not let me post the pictures her stupor after the surgery.
I called 911 and requested an ambulance. I then called the mother-in-law to come stay with Charlie. We made our way to the hospital and Jamie was still having constant pain with no relief. She is very reluctant to take pain medication fearing that she would become addicted and have a reaction like she did when taking percocet after her c-section.
The doctor poked and prodded Jamie's abdomen. She cringed and yelled at every touch. The nurse brought in a concoction that sounded like it was chalk mixed with sour cream and orajel. "Yum! Drink up Babe." She drank this disgusting looking ectoplasm mixture like a champ. It numbed her mouth and esophagus, but it did not alleviate the pain.
The nurse administered a mild pain medicine through Jamie's IV and everything changed. It was like Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde. We got to see the softer side of Jamie. Her nurse was a pretty lady that looked a little like Sarah Palin on a good day. Jamie must have been dreaming of princesses because the nurse was the most beautiful woman in the world according to the gospel of Jamie from the book of "Narcotic Pain Killers". The nurse was very flattered and I was trying to not laugh. Jamie's tone was that of a three year old girl at the Magic Kingdom.
The medical team ruled that the pain was from a gigantic stone in Jamie's gallbladder. 1.8cm to be exact. No not millimeters, Centimeters! The situation just got serious. If this stone was a gold nugget we would be rich. We finalized our ER visit and headed home. Jamie contacted her primary physician and made all of the necessary arrangements to see the specialist.
We made the appointment for the specialist, but we made the appointment with the wrong doctor. Apparently two doctors can have very similar names and work within just a mile of each other. What the heck! Now Jamie was going to have to wait another week or longer to have the problem taken care of. Jamie was very upset that she would have to keep walking on eggshells with her diet in order to prevent a flare up and avoid the horrific pain.
We walked to the lobby and immediately called the correct doctor to schedule an appointment. God was looking out for us this day. We were able to see the doctor in 35 minutes that day! This is unheard of! We get to the doctor's office, go right back and spend about 15 minutes with the nurse giving her all of the information. There was concern about the size of the stone and we decided to move forward with surgery to remove the gallbladder. Jamie was again dreading how long she would have to walk on eggshells awaiting the surgery. The nurse said "How about tomorrow?" Everyone in the room, including the doctor looked at her like "Are you serious. We can get in that soon?"
Signed up and ready to go we made arrangements for the baby and the days that would follow the surgery. We went to the hospital for the surgery and promptly named the gallbladder "Gladys". Gladys was about to be removed and could no longer cause pain and discomfort. Jamie and I went back to pre-op to prepare for the procedure. All of a sudden Jamie decided that she did not want to have surgery.
It was not so much the procedure that she feared, but the anesthesia. A few people, including myself may or may not have told her that it is the closest thing to death that you will ever experience. The statement may have caused a bit of anxiety. Oops, who knew? After several breakdowns in the pre-op room the nurse ordered a little "relaxer" for Jamie.
The anesthesiologist sat on the bed next to Jamie as she was saying "I want to go home, I don't want to do this." Unbeknownst to Jamie, she was about to have a change of heart. The nurse was behind Jamie pumping her IV with a little "relaxer". In mid sentence Jamie said "I want to go ho...Let's do this! I'm ready!"
I was unable to witness the fun that followed because she was wheeled to the operating room. I am sure that there were a few funny lines spouted out on the ride down the hall. There were probably princesses and unicorns prancing about.
I was very disappointed by the lack of fun that was to be had after the surgery while Jamie was still under the influence. One funny thing did happen though. I was assisting Jamie with getting dressed and ready to leave when she grabbed my arm and said "Ooh, your arms are so soft. I just want to rub it." Did they give her ecstasy in the OR?
Gladys is now gone and all is well. Hopefully we do not have to make any more trips to the OR for a while. Sorry, Jamie would not let me post the pictures her stupor after the surgery.
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