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Update and what happened (long obviously)
So I'm all clear from the surgeon. He said he's amazed at how quickly I've healed up and that with exception of too much lifting, I can go back to normal life.
I asked if I needed a new diet w/out the gallbladder and he said to just eat my normally and healthy. Since so far food hasn't caused me any trouble we seem good on that. I'm still taking it easy. Not going out for pizza any time soon or fries, but I'm sure I'll try them again.
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So what happened?
As you know I've been sick off and on for the last 2 months.
I had a ton of little symptoms that were normal for being pregnant. Heartburn/ reflux, trouble sleeping and waking up sore (yeah maybe it's not normal to be sore mostly on your right side under your shoulder and under your breast) etc.
The reflux led to lung issues b/c I was gurgling up the acid at night while I was flat and sleeping and then I'd aspirate it, this led to some chest infections and lots of coughing. I'd cough all night long. I'd cough so hard I was throwing up all night long. This went on for about a month when I went in t see a lung doctor who put me on inhalers for the cough and had me take zantac for the acid. She hoped that in a few weeks the acid would be better controlled and I'd stop with the coughing and we could take me off the inhalers. This lasted about a week.
I started throwing up in the day too. Food wouldn't stay down, I was sick to my stomach, my belly hurt, my shoulder hurt. I just hurt. After a week of this, I suddenly couldn't even keep liquids down. I went to see the OB and he gave me new meds for nausea and had me go to the hospital for fluids (this was Friday 18th of Nov). I felt a little better, but still couldn't keep much (anything) down. I was super weak and looked like walking death. We made it through the week with me trying high fat smoothies to get soemthing in me. I literally at 2 bites of mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving and that didn't even stay down.
I went in on Tuesday the 29th to see my OB b/c I had had a check up at the GD dr and found I had lost 20 odd pounds in a week (total is over 40 pounds over 2ish months). I was having a lot of pain on my right side (front and back) and didn't know what else to do. When I went in the girls at the counter looked like a ghost came in. They did the checking bit and I was down a bit more over night, and my blood pressure was off. When I saw the doctor, he flipped out. He poked on my belly and hit the sweet gallbladder spot that hurt like a sob.
He called the hospital ER to tell them I was on the way over for suspected gallbladder issues. So off I went to the ER. They send every pregnant gal up to L&D to check out the baby and then back down I went. I sat in a room for 6 hours w/out seeing a Dr. I saw a PA and a Nurse. At some point O got there and he started making a fuss and things got moving. I was waiting on an Ultrasound of my gallbladder and apparently L&D checked me out and the ER never checked me in so I was missing in the system or something.
The ultrasound showed I had gallstones. A Dr came in and told me I had stones and they'd be taking my gallbladder out, so he sent me up to the surgery floor.
I was hooked up to a zillion bags of fluids, my OB came in to check on me and order some more labs and help me get settled. I met my surgeon in the morning.
She never even touched me. Didn't give me an exam and didn't even shake my hand. She also decided I wasn't sick enough to surgery. Yes a lot of my levels were off and off badly (we later found out) but the white blood count wasn't showing infection. And the gallbladder itself didn't look inflamed. She though I just needed to be rehydrated.
We asked for a second opinion after seeing the look on the faces of the nurses when we said who the surgeon was and when I told my GD nurse who it was she flipped the freak out and said I needed to change asap. So we called for a second opinion and the new guy came and shock! he examined me! He looked upset, but said he could understand being conservative b/c I am pregnant and no one wants to operate on a pregnant lady.
I was upset, O was livid. It was obvious he would have done something different, but could understand the wait. We tried to figure out how to switch surgeons, but just got lots of politcal run around.
Night 3 my L&D nurse came in and flipped out. She said I still looked like I was dying and I needed a new surgeon. She called the hospital administrator and told her straight up that I was a situation that wouldn't be resolved if we didn't get a new surgeon right away. The Admin came up the night and next day we had the new surgeon assigned.
That morning he got me a GI doc involved and he sent me for an MRI. Let me just say babies on the inside do not enjoy MRI's. Not even a little bit.
Everyone was still stumped and and over the weekend I was starting to feel better. I was still not able to keep anything I ate or drank down, but after like 50 banana bags and b lactated ringers I had my brain back and put something together.
Around 2003 I had a lapband placed and lost tons of weight. It did end up slipping a bit after a bought of food poisoning, but then I got pregnant, was nursing, then we moved etc. so it never got fixed and I never followed through with it.
I realized when I ate or drank, the cold/warm sensation didn't fill my belly the way it used to. It just sorta made a small umbrella shaped feeling, but not over the whole belly when I drank and when I ate, I could just feel it lump up. I told my GI doctor and it was super intrigued and called in a bariatric doctor. This guy came in that night and the next day I had an X-ray with a little bit of fluid that wouldn't be absorbed would be safe etc.
After I watched his face in the room I knew I was right! I had surgery a few hours later (one week after being admitted to the hospital). My super awesome OB had been there and we monitored BabyJ and me for contractions before and after surgery. They told my baby's heartbeat is as strong as a 35 week old! Made me feel awesome.
I had laparoscopic surgery to remove the gallbladder and the lapband. They took amazing photos of my stomach and my insides and my ute (i have a cool picture to show babyj one day). I have 4 stones in my gallbladder (1 cm each), I had a small tear in my stomach which was repaired and the grand cause of everything?? I had thrown up so much, my entire stomach had been squeezed through the tiny lapband hole. It was all the way at the bottom! No wonder I couldn't eat or drink. one had ever seen anything like that.
So there you go, I solved my own problem after they got me healthy enough to think straight.
I ate that night, jello and juice and it was delicious. Breakfast was tapioca pudding and cream of wheat and well jello of course! (so I was on regular liquids) then lunch, glorious lunch was the best freaking lentil soup ever. I asked for seconds. Dinner was more of the same.
Next morning, GI Dr came in and said I looked amazing! Asked how I was and I said I felt tons better (except the surgery pain) and he asked if I wanted real food so I said sure and he got me a tray of food, watched me eat some and hugged me and said if that and lunch stays down I could go home. So I ate my pancakes and eggs and then had my tuna salad and fruit for lunch and went home.
I was in hospital for 9 days. Half of which I thought the bed was awesome and I wasn't really there. O did an amazing job taking over life in general and still managed to get in to see me. The house was cleaner when I got home than when I went in.
H handled things pretty well. He was upset before I went in and would say, "no more sick mama, no throw up" and in hospital he loved seeing me, but when it was time to go he usually melted down which made it hard, very hard. When I got home he was ecstatic to see me, but he didn't really trust me being there. It's taken a while, but he knows I'm home and not sick. We just told him I have booboos that have to heal and he looks at the surgery sites and says, "heal booboos!" He also says "miss you mama" which is terribly sweet and heartbreaking at the same time.
So all in all I do not recommend surgery while pregnant, but we pulled through and it wasn't all that bad. I'm glad to be home and so very appreciative of medicine and doctors who care.
I'm not appreciative of vascular (read spider vein removers) surgeons on ER rotation who don't even know if a prego can have tylenol.
Sorry it was so long, but there you have it.
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Re: Update and what happened (long obviously)
Wow, that's a crazy story.
So glad you're doing better, though.
Rarely Updated Blog
My goodness!! You are amazing for making it through all that. What an ordeal.
And, is it weird that I'm totally intrigued by the uterus pictures? Can you tell there's a baby in there? I kinda want to see it.
Totally! So glad you are feeling better! And now we need to see those pics, please
Ho.Lee.Mo.Lee.
You were put through the ringer, for sure! I'm so glad that you and your good doc were able to figure out what the problem was, and that they took great care of you from there on out! What an ordeal you've been though!
When 3 Became 4
So glad that you're healing up, B!
Wow, that was long but I was on the edge of my seat! So glad that you were able to get it figured out. I hope the rest of your pregnancy is very uneventful!
Married October 28, 2006, TTC since March 2009 IUI #1-8 w/ clomid = BFN
IVF # 1 May, 2011 = BFP!!! Stillbirth at 26 weeks (placental failure/severe IUGR)
FET #1 February, 2012-- BFP! Beta #1=84 Beta #2= 207 Beta #3= 3,526
Our Rainbow Baby is on the Way!
I've been thinking about you and wondering how everything has been going. I cannot believe all of this! Wow - just wow. How terrifying.
I'm so glad that all is well and you guys made it through w/ flying colors. Now you deserve for the rest of your pregnancy to be fan.freaking.tastic and a labor that lasts like 10 minutes!
I'm also in the curiosity boat here - what did your little one do during the MRI - move a ton or something?
Clomid 50mg June '11 - BFN
Clomid 100 mg Oct '11 - BFN
Clomid 150 mg Nov '11 - BFP @9dpo! Beta#1 @10dpo: 22; Beta#2 @12dpo: 67 Beta#3 @18dpo: 1069! EDD 8-16-12
My (mostly) business travel blog
Holy h3ll, you've been through a lot, to say the least! Glad you're on the mend!
This kind of story is a great advocate for centralized health files accessible by doctors!
My Bio (wedding pics added 7/6)
My 101
It has been crazy. I did learn to stop being such a tough gal. When something hurts, tell someone.
I don't like having iv's all over my arms not do I recommend being awake for a central line insertion if you can avoid it. Scary as all get out.
Pic line wasn't so bad b/c it was in a room (not my bed like the central line) and I had lots of nice nurses around me.
MRI + baby + trying to hold your breath = not easy. Baby J was cannon balling every time the machine thumped. Hurt so much and trying to hold my breath for 15 second intervals. dang.
I'll have to get the photo and see what I can see, if you can see a shape, I'll post it for sure
*hugs to you all* you guys have no idea how much your well wishes helped make me feel better too. I love my Austin Gals
craziness! I'm glad you're all better.
Funny story, I have a close friend who also had lapband that was experiencing the same exact symptoms towards the end of her pregnancy- turns out hers slipped and she had to have surgery to have it removed the day after her son was born.
*101 Blog*foodie blog*scrapbooking blog*
**the nestie formerly known as karen2508**
My thoughts exactly. You are amazing for being your own best advocate! Right on! Sending thoughts for quick and successful healing.