Whew… I am so over hospitals!

So, you know my fiasco from a couple weeks ago with the hysterectomy/ intestinal goof up. Well, since then I’ve been miserable. And it just kept getting worse. I had low abdominal pain that I knew wasn’t right. I saw the GYN and surgeon multiple times and both said it was just part of the healing process.

Well, Wednesday, 12 days post-op, I had pain so severe it sent me to the floor. Pain like I’ve never felt. And if you know me, you know I have a high pain tolerance.. think back to childbirth where I didn’t even take so much as a tylenol. Pain is just something that I deal with very well. But not this. I was in the fetal position in PAIN. So I did what every doc would recommend… left the kids with my husband and drove myself to the ER… smart, right?

I made it there safely, but as I was walking in doubled over in pain, I quickly got a lashing from one of the docs for driving myself. Sorry buddy…it was either drive myself, or bring 2 toddlers with me and I promise you the former was the better option.

Well, so I’m in pain, haven’t eaten in a day and a half, I’m nauseated and what do they do? Hand me 750ml (3 bottles) of CT contrast to DRINK… it’s barium…it’s nasty… I was sick anyway. It was not pleasant. I got enough down that the doc finally gave up and took me to CT anyway…

And what to they find? Twisted intestines that are inflamed and infected, with a little diverticulitis thrown in. FUN! See, my intestines thought it would be fun to try to fill in the cavity from where they took the uterus out during my hysterectomy. In the mean time, they not only got all tangled, but also irritated the sutures I had in there from the intestinal repair. All this led to inflammation and infection. Imagine the look on the surgeon’s face when he came in and apologized all over himself for blowing me off 3 times. So guess what? Admitted again. To the same floor as before…with the same nurses. Kind of nice that I already knew them from my previous stay less than 2 weeks ago.

My surgeon felt bad. I got EXCELLENT care from him and his residents for the next 2 days. EXCELLENT. As in, I got a personal pager number to call him myself. I got visits 6 times the first day I was there and 4 the next. My nurse even commented that he usually only stops by once a day before he heads to the office.

I’ve been here since Wednesday morning and I’m going home today. Several rounds of antibiotics and pain meds later and I’m off to finish up treatment at home. This has all been so crazy. But at least I can hold down a cracker now… it’s the little things.