Listen to Your Body

Ok so, as you may have noticed I kind of disappeared from the Blog World the past two weeks. I didn't do any link ups and only posted that funny screaming goat video (aside from my "sorry I'm MIA" post below).

Almost three weeks ago, I felt like someone had kicked me in the stomach. I was having excruciating stomach cramps. I've had my fair share of stomach cramps and have seen a gastroenterologist for them for almost 8 years now, but this was BEYOND that and much more painful. I also have a really low pain tolerance, so this was the worst pain I'd experienced to date. Things got better that weekend and I even had an appetite as close to normal as I'd had in weeks probably.

When I woke up last Tuesday, my body ached from soreness. I can only describe it as "uncomfortable," but it was WAY more than that. Nothing I did, no stretching or moving, would alleviate the soreness all over my torso. I went to the doctor and she ordered a CT Scan. It was supposed to happen Thursday, but Wednesday the soreness was THAT much more intense and I couldn't keep what little breakfast I had eaten down so my scan got squeezed in at the end of the day. The radiologist said I had a "small" abscess on my small intestine and I should go to the ER for IV antibiotics.

My mom and I went home to feed the dog and she changed out of her work clothes and we headed to the ER. Thank God I got a flu shot this year, y'all. There were some sick people in there! The ER doctor came and talked to us and hooked me up to an IV with fluids and antibiotics. He said my abscess was about an inch big (which sounds huge to me, but I know it could have been so much bigger). Then they admitted me to the hospital. I cried because originally I would told I'd be there through the weekend. I was going to miss a party for work that we'd been planning for over a month and my seester's senior deb presentation that I'd been looking forward to for about a year.

Monday night I had a second Cat Scan to see if the antibiotics were working and to determine a more concrete leaving time. At this point I was told Wednesday morning I'd be going home. Tuesday I was told my original abscess was gone, but there was a spot in my liver, but since everything filters through the liver, it was probably just bacteria from the original. But this may move my discharge date back several more days. to say I had cabin fever is a MAJOR understatement. I hadn't seen Nappy since I fed him Wednesday night and whoever said sleeping in a hospital is nearly impossible wasn't kidding. So I cried again.

We missed each other! Love this pup!

Wednesday came and so did my doctor to say he wanted me to get my morning IV antibiotic Thursday morning and then I could go him (with a TON of prescriptions). Thursday came and let's just say those four hours hooked up to the IV were the slowest four hours ever. Waiting the last thirty minutes was worse than waiting for my parents at the end of camp (any campers out there?).

Anyway, I'm out of the hospital. Definitely still recovering. I'll be having another Cat Scan in the next month to make sure everything that shouldn't be there is gone and probably a colonoscopy to see if anything else is going on that shouldn't be.

As I move forward with the many, MANY pills I'll be taking over the next month, please send good vibes and prayers my way - it would be so greatly appreciated. I'm so ready to be back at 100% and to have a nice glass of wine or a rum and coke (I can't have ANY alcohol because one of my meds and alcohol will make me violently ill). So thank you in advance for any and all positivity sent this way! It's appreciated more than you will ever know. And here's to hoping I never spend 8 days in the hospital ever again! (Previously the longest I had been in the hospital was when I was born via C-section and back then they kept my mom to recover for 6 days, so this was a big shock - haha)

If you've made it this far, I applaud you. The moral of this story is to ALWAYS listen to your body. If something feels wrong or painful, go to the doctor.