Emergency surgery

So I had a scary week this past week. On Monday, I was hanging out at Dad's house with Justin and Lisa and started to feel like I had a side ache. I went home thinking that it was just some indigestion and took some tums and went to bed. I didn't sleep very well that night, and when I woke up, my side still hurt. I didn't eat any breakfast, thinking that if it was indigestion, I wouldn't want anything in my stomach. So I popped some more tums and headed to work. Around lunchtime, I started to feel nauseated because I hadn't eaten anything, so I went and grabbed some lunch with some co-workers. Around 1:30ish, my side was still hurting, so I called my obgyn. The nurse thought it sounded like a bladder infection, so she wanted me to come in and take a sample sometime before 5:00. I felt like I really needed to get there now, so I went and talked to my boss and he let me leave early. I grabbed the kids from daycare and headed down to the obgyn.

When I got there, I gave them my sample, and it came back normal. The obgyn saw me and started pushing on my side where it hurt and decided I needed to get an ultrasound at the hospital. He called over there, and they stated that they just had an opening. So I ran across the street to the hospital (with the kids) and got some lab work done and waited for my ultrasound. Turns out my whiteblood cell count was high, so I had an infection somewhere. It took them 1 1/2 hours to get me into the ultrasound. In the meantime, I have called Zac and told him the kids were getting restless, but they could probably wait it out. I also called Dad just to let him know what was going on, again, thinking that I would be home later.

I get into the ultrasound and it takes the techinician 45 minutes to find my appendix. The baby is right on top of it. Apparently, the appendix is one of only organs that doesn't move when you are pregnant. When she finally found it, she got really excited and started having people come in. I had radiologists, students and doctors in the room. They told me I was a "case study" for the hospital. They hadn't had anyone this far along in their pregnancy with appendicitis in American Fork Hospital. WHAT? My obgyn tells me that I am going to have surgery that night, and the surgeon is currently in the operating room. I also find out that my kidneys had 50% blockage because of the infection. I had no idea. Again, I thought the back pain I was feeling was pregnancy related. So I start heading down to the same day surgery, and call Zac to have him come get the kids. He is on his way, but had just barely left. As soon as I turned the corner, the surgeon WAS in the operating room, waiting for ME! OH NO! The anethesiologist was there already too, along with a team of nurses. They rushed me into a hospital gown, and the nurses were giving the kids stickers trying to keep them occupied while Zac was on his way. Zac made it just in time for them to wheel me on the bed into the O.R. They were in such a hurry to get me there, that after they put my IV in, I said, "Wait! I still have my contacts in!" So they brought me solution. Then, I realized, it had been several hours since I used the bathroom, so they hooked up my IV to a walking post and I used the bathroom.

Because the baby was on the appendix, they had to blow my stomach up full of air and cut me four times to get it out. The incisions are pretty much all around my belly, not just one centralized location. When I woke up in ICU, I was asking about Zac, but everything happened so quickly, he hadn't gotten back yet. They took me up to labor and delivery to monitor me overnight. Almost immediately this little girl decided to be mean. She started kicking me right where my incisions were, and HARD. I have never felt so much pain in my life. Then the contractions started. Contractions are bad enough, but when you have incisions on your stomach, and it gets tight with the contractions, it gets bad. They pretty much doped me up with morphine, but it didn't do much. That night my contractions were about 3-4 minutes apart, and were in the 70's. My obgyn checked to make sure my cervix wasn't doing anything, and it wasn't. He stated that my uterus just went into shock from being moved in the surgery and I'm just going to have to bear the contractions for now.

Thank goodness for my obgyn! I have really liked him from the beginning. When they first took me to the O.R., the surgeon wanted to start me on a certain kind of antibiotics, but my doctor, said, "She can't have that!" Then they wanted to do a CT scan to make sure of the location of the appendix, again "I will NOT let you CT scan her." Then the painkillers that the surgeon wanted to give me were wrong. But my ob was there the entire time and I wasn't given anything that I wasn't suppose to have.

The next morning, they were suppose to discharge me from the hospital, but the painkillers kept on making me throw-up (again, PAIN). Then they started to tell me I would have to stay another night. NOOOOO! Being in labor and delivery was nice because they could monitor the baby, however, hearing women SCREAM all night long is not very nice sleep. Women, PLEASE GET AN EPIDURAL! I promise, it doesn't hurt that bad! Everytime I would hear the newborn cry I would think, thank goodness! Now for some peace and quiet! Then I would hear another woman scream. I was able to force a bread roll down, and begged the nurse an hour later if we could go. They finally agreed to let me go home.

When my doctor came and talked to me, he told me they got my appendix just in time. It looked like it was about to burst! Seriously! It only felt like a side ache that just wasn't going away. If I weren't pregnant, I think I would have toughed it out! He told me if it would have burst, that I almost positively would have lost my baby girl, if not myself! I had no idea the toxins that come out of your appendix when it bursts were that bad! Scary!

Zac has been great taking care of me this past week. He took off work and has been at my side every minute I've needed him. I always wondered how he would be if something bad were ever to happen. I watched how tender my Dad was with my Mom the entire time she was sick, and Zac has been just as tender with me. He would get me anything and everything I wanted, and would just lay next to me and watch t.v. while holding my hand when the pain would get bad. The contractions have pretty much stopped. I have maybe 5-7 a day now. Mostly when I stand up to use the bathroom or something, they almost immediately start coming. It's scary to think that just in an instant, our lives could have changed drastically. Since I didn't have time before the operation, and I just didn't think about it right after, later that night Dad came in and saw me in the hospital and gave me a father's blessing. I am just so grateful for the priesthood, and that my family has it in our lives. The young men came and brought me the sacrament today after church since I wasn't able to make it. Eric and Aubrey started to sing "I am a child of God', and I have not felt the spirit so strong as I did in that moment.

I have had a lot of support from my neighbors and co-workers. Because I am newly "federal" I do not have any sick or vacation leave accrued yet. My boss came and visited me at our house after I got back from the hospital, and found out that pretty much everyone at work was donating their leave to me so that I could get the adequate rest that I need. What a blessing! I have received cards and/or flowers from FBI, DEA, USMS, and from my work. The agents in IRS Criminal Investigation in Las Vegas even sent me a cookie basket. My neighbors all came together and have been bringing us meals and taking turns watching the kids. I don't even know if the relief society president even knew something happened until today when I didn't show up to play the piano. The Bishop has even brought food over. Zac's sister Barb has also been a huge help with the kids. Unfortunately, when all of this went down, it was her first day of school, so she wasn't around. Isn't that how it works? She has had so much free time for the past month, and when we have absolutely needed her, she is at school! But when she has been home, she has been helping out a lot with the kids so Zac could take care of me.

Dad was funny when he first came and saw me in the hospital. Tuesday nights are the night he works in the temple, and I called him on his way to the temple to let him know that they were going to do the ultrasound. When he showed up late that night, he said "DEAR! I would have come straight to the hospital if I had known you were having surgery! I wouldn't have gone to the temple!" I told him I didn't know until the second before!

I have my post-op appointments later this week on Wednesday and Friday morning. I'm not positive I'm making it to Lagoon this year....if we do, I will probably spend the entire time in the pavillion. :)