LOTS MORE SINCE THEN....

A great number of events have occurred since my last entree. I don't know that I can actually name them all. Basically, 2 separate hospitalizations. The first one was for an infected gall bladder. The last Friday in June, I went to Sentara Leigh since Portsmouth frequently sent me home although I told them how badly it hurt. Eventually, Portsmouth had me transported by ambulance from Sentara Leigh back to their facility with a new level of belief since Sentara Leigh had actually performed tests that showed the infection, rather than sending me away telling me that I "didn't seem to be in enough pain for anything to be really wrong with me". All because I refuse to throw a tantrum & cry. I think not. How about a hospital staff that believes people when they say something hurts? I am not the overreacting type of individual. There are no throw downs on my behalf. I should have been believed.

Needless to say, after that drama subsided, I was admitted & a drain was inserted through my liver & through my bottom 2 ribs to drain the infected gall bladder. I was released the following Thursday (a 6 day hospitalization). By Saturday, the drain was filling with blood instead of the fluid it was supposed to be filling with, and I ended up back in the hospital. This time, until Wednesday. Diagnosis: pancreatitis.

By the weekend, I could tell the drain itself (the tube coming out of my side) was beginning to get infected. I was not in for another hospital stay. So on Monday, I called the hospital to tell them my findings. They requested I come in just for them to check it. Davin came home & drove me to the hospital. They told me to lie down & they yanked the drain out without giving me a whole lot of notice that they were going to do such a thing. It was pretty disgusting (more disgusting than just thinking about it).

So as of Thursday, I'm drainless & I have not had an issue with the gall bladder. I'm really hoping that this gall bladder doesn't act up again until at least the 12th wk of my pregnancy, because that's the only time that anything can be (safely) done about the problem. Let's keep that positive attitude!