The great gallstone adventure
I've been sick for 3 weeks with severe abdominal problems. My midwife suggested that she thought it was kidney stones or a small chance gallstones. The stones just needed to pass. I took all kinds of vitamins and supplements to try to get them to pass. It just kept hurting. I just felt like my insides wanted to be on my outsides. Not to mentioned I was regularly bludgeoned by my daughter from the womb. It makes for a pretty difficult and excruciating experience.
This last week has been particularly bad. The regular things that seemed to help we're no longer helping. I was just in pain. We went to the emergency room on Thursday morning very early and they immediately did an ultra sound on my abdomen. There they noticed several gallstones in my gallbladder anid a blockage in my right kidney. So, assuming it was still just kidney stones they sent me home with a muscle relaxant to help bring the kidney stones out.
Nothing helped.
I was up at 5am again with awful pain. Would it ever stop? As I tried to relax and breathe through the pain, it just kept getting worse. I broke down. I started sobbing convulsively- it just hurt way too much. I gave birth to Cole naturally, and never, ever did I feel the need to cry or really make much noise, it didn't hurt more than I could bear. This Did. I couldn't handle it.
Caleb in his wisdom and love gathered me up and again we went to the ER. After checking my blood and urine again, they saw that my liver and pancreas levels were not right. I was in some trouble.
The gave me WONDERFUL pain killers. The doctors rushed around, strapping IVs and various monitors for baby all over me. I didn't care. I was no longer in pain. thank God!
A couple of doctors came in to check on me, giving me all kinds of information, and basically explaining that I needed to go into surgery today to get a gall stone which had lodged itself in such a way as to block my liver and pancreas from working. I had pancreatitis, a severe situation where my pancreas was starting to actually eat itself.
They took me into the surgery room where they proceeded to use a scope to go down my mouth, travel through my intestines to the spot where the problem was. They made a small cut to let the stone free. My tube that the stone was making its way down was 5 mm in diameter. The stone was 8 mm in diameter. Obviously there was a reason for my sobbing. The doctor said it was "crowning" and a good friend has suggested that I name it Petra! It's almost like I gave birth.
Everything went awesome. The doctors were able to move quickly and my pancreas is back to normal (was at 3000 and is now at 300). My liver, however hasn't made the jump to health yet. They think there might be another stone closer to the liver that is blocking some of the tube.
They want me to have my gallbladder removed while I'm pregnant. I have a 3 week window where they can still do the surgery lapriscopically and after that it would be a full blown open on the table surgery.
Last night the ob came in and told me they want to give me steroids to help develop the baby's lungs just in case she comes early due to all the complications.
I'm scared. I don't want to have a baby at 28 weeks. I don't want to be in pain. I need my liver to work to keep myself healthy and baby safe. There are lots of variables- like whether my lab work comes back today good, and if I continue to have gallstone attacks.
Please pray for us. Please pray for safety for the baby. Please pray for good liver function. Please pray that I wouldn't go bonkers from sitting in a hospital bed, hungry (my diet is clear liquid only), bored and mostly alone.
Thanks friends. I'll let you know more when we do.
This last week has been particularly bad. The regular things that seemed to help we're no longer helping. I was just in pain. We went to the emergency room on Thursday morning very early and they immediately did an ultra sound on my abdomen. There they noticed several gallstones in my gallbladder anid a blockage in my right kidney. So, assuming it was still just kidney stones they sent me home with a muscle relaxant to help bring the kidney stones out.
Nothing helped.
I was up at 5am again with awful pain. Would it ever stop? As I tried to relax and breathe through the pain, it just kept getting worse. I broke down. I started sobbing convulsively- it just hurt way too much. I gave birth to Cole naturally, and never, ever did I feel the need to cry or really make much noise, it didn't hurt more than I could bear. This Did. I couldn't handle it.
Caleb in his wisdom and love gathered me up and again we went to the ER. After checking my blood and urine again, they saw that my liver and pancreas levels were not right. I was in some trouble.
The gave me WONDERFUL pain killers. The doctors rushed around, strapping IVs and various monitors for baby all over me. I didn't care. I was no longer in pain. thank God!
A couple of doctors came in to check on me, giving me all kinds of information, and basically explaining that I needed to go into surgery today to get a gall stone which had lodged itself in such a way as to block my liver and pancreas from working. I had pancreatitis, a severe situation where my pancreas was starting to actually eat itself.
They took me into the surgery room where they proceeded to use a scope to go down my mouth, travel through my intestines to the spot where the problem was. They made a small cut to let the stone free. My tube that the stone was making its way down was 5 mm in diameter. The stone was 8 mm in diameter. Obviously there was a reason for my sobbing. The doctor said it was "crowning" and a good friend has suggested that I name it Petra! It's almost like I gave birth.
Everything went awesome. The doctors were able to move quickly and my pancreas is back to normal (was at 3000 and is now at 300). My liver, however hasn't made the jump to health yet. They think there might be another stone closer to the liver that is blocking some of the tube.
They want me to have my gallbladder removed while I'm pregnant. I have a 3 week window where they can still do the surgery lapriscopically and after that it would be a full blown open on the table surgery.
Last night the ob came in and told me they want to give me steroids to help develop the baby's lungs just in case she comes early due to all the complications.
I'm scared. I don't want to have a baby at 28 weeks. I don't want to be in pain. I need my liver to work to keep myself healthy and baby safe. There are lots of variables- like whether my lab work comes back today good, and if I continue to have gallstone attacks.
Please pray for us. Please pray for safety for the baby. Please pray for good liver function. Please pray that I wouldn't go bonkers from sitting in a hospital bed, hungry (my diet is clear liquid only), bored and mostly alone.
Thanks friends. I'll let you know more when we do.
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