Whoof! Glad I won't do this again. A little long.

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underdog

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Been out of the loop for a couple of days. Seems the old gall bladder had been giving trouble for quite some time, and the appendix decided to get in the act too.

So I took a little trip to the ER at the local hospital Thursday night.
After a miserable afternoon deciding to see a doctor, and throwing up the medicine he prescribed, I spent all Thursday night in the ER at one of the local hospitals. It took about 4 hours just to get into a room. Evidently the other local hospital's ER traffic was diverted to my hospital that night. What a zoo! By morning most of the rooms in the hospital were full. I spent a total of 14 hours in ER getting tested; a couple X-rays, two sessions of CT scans, and a session with the Ultrasound lab. With the exception of a short snooze in the wheelchair waiting on a room, I got no sleep whatsoever. That was miserable! I don't ever want to do that again! Luckily for my poor wife, who has been going non-stop since last Friday helping her 87 year old mother (another long story), I had a wonderful friend take me up to the hospital and stay with me the whole night. We caught up on all the news! But man those ER gurney's are hard when you're in them that long!

It took until 6 or 7 Friday night to get to the OR though. The surgeon and his crew did a great job! I was mostly out of it till about midnight Friday (thank God for good anesthesiologists!). Of course when I came to, I was in a very toasty snuggy bed, headache from lack of sleep was gone, and I felt no pain (whew!). I tried to keep hydrated and active so I got up every two hours since they take your blood pressure, pulse, and temperature anyway. They say you heal better if you get up and get around. I slept well though and did feel very rested by Saturday morning. I was finally released around noon yesterday.

Procedures must certainly be much less intrusive than they used to. The only real incision they make now is in your belly button so as to cover the scar. The others are really just punctures, but they are still just as sore as the real thing... But the Lortab is taking care of most of that.

But I am up and around today. I've made breakfast, taken my walk, and taken a shower (first since Wed.), taken a nap, and now I'm wondering what to do with myself.... I think I even feel better and more rested (and consequently more focused) than I have in quite some time. (I've even contemplated going to the shop and turning a couple of pens, but being squeaky clean and comfy is winning out!)
 
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Having spent time in the ER on more than one occasion, Jim, I can co-sign your statement regarding the relative comfort of the gurneys there 100%! Anyhow, glad you're on the mend, and that it apparently went fairly smoothly for you.
 

skiprat

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I hope you have a full and speedy recovery Jim.

Get into your shop, I find it very therapeutic after a hard week.
Just don't lift anything too heavy[:D]
 

jjenk02

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Been there, done that, and don't want to do it again, 15 hours in the emergency room on one of those concrete slabs that they call a gurney. The only good thing about it was they came by every hour or so and would give me a shot of morphine..

Best wishes for a full and speedy recovery.
 

fiferb

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Glad to hear everything went well and you are well on your way to complete recovery. I echo the remark about not getting carried away and over doing things. I'd also like to add that you should stay out of the shop if you're still on pain medicine. Power tools and pain medicine don't mix.[;)]
 

wdcav1952

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Jim,

Wow, that was a rough go for you! I'm glad you are on the mend. Remember, do not lift anything over 10 lbs. Definitely stay away from power tools and wine while on your Lortab. Once you wean off to Motrin or Naprosyn, a small glass of wine would not be a bad thing.

You are right, surgeries using the 'scopes are far better than filleting your belly!
 

underdog

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Thanks for the condolences guys. It's been quite the adventure. James, it sounds like you were in much more agony than I was. Glad I didn't require any morphine. That sounds truly awful. I did have a couple of awful GB attacks last summer, and I can honestly say I wouldn't wish them on anyone. I managed without any pain medication, but it certainly had me on the floor thrashing around...[xx(]

I am certainly thankful that it wasn't any worse. It could easily have been much worse. Thirty years ago it took many weeks to recover from either one of these surgeries, and here I was literally back on my feet after a few hours. I've also just heard from a guy on another forum whose wife still had to have major surgery for her completely blocked GB and bile ducts.[|)] Not good.
 

jjenk02

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Originally posted by underdog
<br />Thanks for the condolences guys. It's been quite the adventure. James, it sounds like you were in much more agony than I was. Glad I didn't require any morphine. That sounds truly awful. I did have a couple of awful GB attacks last summer, and I can honestly say I wouldn't wish them on anyone. I managed without any pain medication, but it certainly had me on the floor thrashing around...[xx(]

I am certainly thankful that it wasn't any worse. It could easily have been much worse. Thirty years ago it took many weeks to recover from either one of these surgeries, and here I was literally back on my feet after a few hours. I've also just heard from a guy on another forum whose wife still had to have major surgery for her completely blocked GB and bile ducts.[|)] Not good.

Jim, my stay was for Kidney stones and they ended up doing surgery on me, its been 3 years ago.

James
 

alamocdc

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Jim, I'd give it a few days before getting back out in the shop. I went to work too soon after mine and it nearly wiped me out. You'll feel fine while putzing around the house, but being out and about and up and down will soon wear on you and you'll start feeling poorly. But I'm glad you're doing better!
 

underdog

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Back at work today. Doing pretty well.

I even put my own socks on this morning. Still pretty tender even so.[:p]

I won't be tempted to overdo it till next week or the week after though... [^]

Thanks for the well wishes and good advice!
 

TAld

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Jim - glad you made a quick recovery.
Now the question is this---Are we going to see a "one of a kind" pen with a gall bladder and appendicts cast in resin [:D][:D][:D][:D]
 
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