The Crazy Unplanned

I knew there are always the unplanned, unknown events in life. I just typically don't take the time to worry about it. The great part of that is when they come I typically just take it as it goes. The phrase "C'est la vie" comes to mind frequently ("Such is life" for those who are unfamiliar with the expression). Of course Christ is the driving point behind all of that: in Matthew 6:27, Jesus says, "Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?".


I don't say all this to make it sound like I don't worry or as a pat-on-the-back statement because I'm better than everyone else. I have, do, and will struggle with worry in my life. It's just that through time with Christ and constant prayer, I have found myself in a place where I more easily realease to Him the situations that worry me, whether in the here and now or to come. Like Christ said, there is not anything worrying will change. 


Anyway, I prefaced this post with that becuase the past couple days of my life have been permeated by opportunities to worry. I have thankfully held tight to my Savior who has helped me focus on Him and allow everything to play out as it will. It all began the morning of Thursday, April 21.


I was preparing to go to work when I looked at Ben, my husband, and said, "I have this really weird pain in my RLQ (Right Lower Quadrant - aka right abdomen). Oh well, I think it will go away."


We both left for work and I didn't think anything of it. However, as the morning persisted, so did the pain. And it didn't decrease. It just kept increasing in sharpness and severeity. Finally, one of the nurses I work with told me I really should call my doctor. I relented and did around 1100 H CST. 


I told his nurse what was going on and what I thought it wasn't: I was almost 100% sure it wasn't a UTI (no LBP, no burning during or frequent urination, no discharge or discoloration, and definitely no weird smell) and that it wasn't related to "that time of the month" (I had JUST finished my period with no complications and not much pain). She said she would call me back after she spoke with him.


When we finally quit playing phone tag from going to lunch (yes, crazy me in pain ate lunch), Dr. Cooley's nurse told me I needed to come see him ASAP. By this point I was beginning to wonder if it was my appendix but just kept taking it as it came. I told my partner what was going on, clocked out, and checked in. This all happened around  1400 H CST.


After the examination, Dr. Cooley was pretty sure it was my appendix but wanted to run STAT UA, blood work, and CT. He wanted to make sure I wasn't pregnant (Dear God please don't let me be!), it wasn't a UTI, and the CT should show that it was or was not my appendix. So at 1500 H CST I went downstairs and checked in.


I was quickly pulled back to give my UA and have blood drawn and then the long wait began. Around 1520 H CST, I was given the NASTIEST drink I've ever had in my life. It was the barrium oral contrast in the Berry Berry flavor: yum! NOT! About an hour later and severely doubled over in pain, I was pulled back for the CT. I checked back in with Dr. Cooley and Ben met me. Not 15 minutes later, Dr. Cooley and Dr. Taylor, my surgeon, came in the room: 'Great news! CT is normal!"


I stared at both of them and exlaimed: "That's great! So why am I in so much pain?!" We all laughed.


Dr. Taylor proceeded to examine me. The second I got up to walk, Dr. Taylor says, "Uh oh! She's got the shuffle." He then had me sit up on the bed and examined my pelvic area. After examination, he was pretty sure it was my appendix, however he wanted an ultrasound done to ensure it wasn't my ovaries due to the (-) CT. Unfortunately, by this point it was 1645 H CST and they couldn't do the US at the clinic. 


I was given orders to be admitted to OLOL Hospital, put in a room, given pain meds, and have a STAT US. I was hoping this would mean the process would be quick and we would know shortly what was going on. Unfortunately, it did not.


We arrived at main admissions around 1700 H CST, where we waited for at least 45 minutes before finally being transported to my room. Once I was in the room, I had the pleasant experince of being stuck 3 out of 4 times before my IV took. I was then given some pain meds and told I should be taken for the US shortly. Yet, STAT did not mean in the hospital, what my nurse, myself, Ben, or Dr. Taylor thought it would. My nurse continually called to find out what was going on. It wasn't until around 2130 H CST I was told I would need to be catheterized. 


That took a total of maybe 2 minutes, which we thought then I would be ready to go and be taken shortly. Again, it did not. I waited with that piece of plastic shoved up me for another hour. Then when I was finally taken for the US, I was prodded all over my abdominal area just to find, she couldn't do it with the probe on my abdomen. This meant I didn't need to be catheterized. Woo! All that for nothing! She stuck the probe inside me and got the pics she needed. 


After waiting a total of 5 1/2 hours for this process, I was transported back to my room to wait for the results. I arrived in my room shortly before 2300 H, and within a matter of minutes, Dr. Taylor was in my room. 


"Good and bad news," he said. "Your ovaries look great but we still were not able to see your appendix with the US."


He then explained the process of what he would need to do so he could check everything internally. Surgery was inevitable, removal of the appendix was still up in the air.


Seconds after he left my room, my nurse came in to prep me for surgery. "Now this is what I call STAT!" I thought. Within minutes of her prepping me, the stretcher came in to take me. They moved me from my bed to the stretcher, Ben put his shoes on, and we were on our way. Once I arrived in the holding area for pre-op, they gave me some wonderful sleeping meds and the rest I don't remember.


I woke up in post-op holding hearing, "Mrs. Daigle. Mrs. Daigle its ok. We need you to wake up. Mrs. Daigle." I finally came to with a nurse who stayed by my bedside until I was back in my room. She showed me a picture they had taken of my innards and told me they had removed a hemangiomatous cyst off my ovary and removed my appendix.


I was later told that I didn't actually have surgery until 0130 H CST because a trauma case came in. However, I was out for all of it so I didn't even know I was waiting. Lucky me!


I was hospitalized until Friday night, where I was given the ok to go home because I had held down two meals (Breakfast didn't take because of the anesthesia).


So now I lay around my apartment taking some type of pain med and sleeping the hours away. I have been told no heavy lifting, no straining, and don't return to work for 7 days, which means no work this entire week. I have a feeling I'm going to become insane as boredom continues to set in. Thankfully, I am sleeping a lot so I don't have too much time to be bored :)


There are several things I am extremely thankful for through this time though:


1) God has given me an overwhelming amount of patience and consumed my worry with peace through all of this. It has been one huge opportunity to give all to HIm. I could have worried about surgery, what was wrong, how I would heal, etc. Yet, He has been gracious and bestowed His unfathomable peace on me.


2) My wonderful Husband who has been extremely supportive and cared for me beyond any expectations I have or did have. I continually grow to love him more daily and this situation has only deepened our relationship, I feel.


3) My family who, even if they couldn't be there, have continually checked on me to make sure I'm ok. My mom, especially, who came and stayed with me most of the day Friday while Ben had to work.


4) My friends who have made sure Ben was cared for and who came to visit me or have contacted me by phone if they couldn't be there.


I have seen just how much God has blessed and continues to bless me and Ben. I am glad that through this stiuation, I have chosen to rely on God's strength and not worry about what I cannot control. Hopefully, I will remember this time and use it as a reminder for those situations to come that may seem to cloud my view. Ever growing, always learning, I hope I apply this for the rest of my days.