This is how I felt for three weeks. I had abdominal pain that kept getting worse. After 11 days that included several calls to the doctor and one office visit, Ted took me to the ER, where the diagnosis was a partial blockage of the small bowel due to some inflammation,. The treatment: rest the bowel to reduce the inflammation, which meant two days with nothing by mouth, one-and-a-half days of clear liquids, one-and-a-half days of full liquids, then a day of soft food and a discharge after six days in the hospital.
I had the misfortune of meeting two people who need to practice their IV skills. Both had to ask someone else to put the IV in my arm, and the second person in each case did just fine with no pain or bruising.
At least if you’re only going to get clear liquids, the nutritionist makes the tray attractive–two flavors of broth, two colors of Jell-o, and two colors of juice.
When Ted brought me home, the first thing I saw was a dozen long-stemmed roses to welcome me back. I think he missed me.
After leaving the hospital, I had only five days to recover before Ted and I planned to fly to Seattle for Julian’s high school graduation. I was feeling very weak and tired from 15 days of 24-hour pain and a week of minimal food, so I checked with the airline about a refund for the tickets. I learned that a refund was possible up to the time of departure with an email and an attached letter from my doctor. I called my doctor and Ted picked up the letter, just in case we needed it. Tuesday evening, I decided I’d be able to make it, so we texted Thom to be at the airport.
Wednesday–our flight day–was very long. We had workmen at the house at 8:00 a.m. and were busy all day. Our 7:30 p.m. flight was delayed an hour-and-a-half, and by the time we got to bed in Seattle, it was 3:00 a.m. St. Louis time–a 19-hour day. Thom and Katie had to work Thursday, so Ted and I slept late and took it easy all day.
The weekend with Thom’s family was wonderful. We celebrated Ted’s and my 49th anniversary with dinner out on Thursday evening; we celebrated Julian’s high school graduation on Saturday; and we celebrated Father’s Day with four fathers (Ted, Thom, Katie’s dad, and Katie’s brother) on Sunday. Monday was another long travel day. Thom took us to the airport at 7:30 a.m. and we got home at 9:00 p.m. Seattle time–a 13.5-hour day of travel, including another hour-and-a-half flight delay.
I’m still a little run down after being in pain from May 23-June 6, then following that a few days later with a six-day trip that included three celebrations and two long travel days, but I’m resting up this week to be ready for fun with our other kids and their families when they arrive next weekend. I’m so glad I was able to attend Julian’s graduation, and I’m looking forward to next weekend. I’m even happier that the last month is behind me, and I’m looking forward to a “normal” rest of the summer.