14/366 Ever feel like someone is watching you?

Another day of feeling better and better.

13/366 Sunshine just heals the soul

Not to dwell on the whole "I had to have an unplanned gallbladder surgery"... but today was rather emotional for me. When I was in so much pain, I couldn't even begin to process the whole event. Now that it is over, I feel calmer and more appreciative of the little things.

It really does boil down to the little things.

Little things like just being able to lie down. Being able to take a deep breath (but don't ask me about coughing or sneezing yet).

My mother "babysat" for me today while my husband worked and we really talked. She wanted to see the four wounds on my abdomen. When I raised my shirt, she put her hands to her mouth with surprise. The swelling is better. The bruising isn't so nice.

But I know they will heal.

As we talked, I became overcome with emotion. There were several times that I was in so much pain that I truly thought it would be easier to just die (that does not mean that I wanted to die). I'm not a wimp with pain and not being able to get a grip on it scared me.

But that part of me is healing, too.

This afternoon, I walked around in the yard with the camera while Mili ran around yapping. The sun was shining. The cool wind was blowing.

While I am not well enough to crawl around on the ground with my camera yet, I am not frustrated. In time, that will heal, too.

12/366 Home, sweet, home

After running a battery of tests and another sleepless night in severe pain (even the Morphine pump wasn't touching this), the doctor finally decided to pull the drainage tube out to see if that would give me some relief.

Holy silver bullets! They pulled that $@#& tube out with no anesthesia. I probably grew hair on my chest! After I could catch my breath, the pain was beginning to subside. So, it was that silly tube all along. I had a sneaky suspicion!

I'm still in some pain -- but it is the bearable-I-think-I'm-going-to-live-kind-of-pain. I'm not allowed back to work until the surgeon clears me and my next appointment with him is on Wednesday.

This means the dog and I will have time to bond and hang out together.

Picture of some of the beautiful plants I received while racking up an ungodly hospital bill. SOOC - and not because I think it is amazing but I've been through some trauma and you'll just have to appreciate it as it is.

11/366 Back to the drawing board

After a very painful night home, I ended up back at the surgeon's office with a leaky drain valve. (Yes, they sent me home with a tube in my side draining out "stuff"... I can't even begin to tell you how gross that was.) As they were looking at the four wounds in my abdomen, they were pressing around and it made me cry from the pain (and it takes a lot to make me cry from pain). At that point, I couldn't even just lie down without excruciating pain.

The doctor readmitted me to the hospital and ordered a whole slew of tests.

This is the front lobby from my hunched over in a wheel-chair perspective. I hope I never have to see it from that perspective again.

10/366 Best gruel ever

This morning, I finally got solid food. I hadn't had anything solid since Friday night. The nurse brought this bowl to me and I could eat almost half of it.

Give me a day or two and I will get back to more normal pictures. I am just truly hurting more than I imagined I would hurt.

9/366 Colorful Hedgehog

My little buddy, Ray, sent his colorful hedgehog to spend the night with me in the hospital. Isn't he sweet?

I survived the surgery! The doctors said that my gallbladder was very, very infected. And I'm far more sore than I thought I'd be. :( And the drainage tube is really a pain (figuratively and literally).

I just don't do sick very well.

8/366 Hospital Days

Waiting to have surgery in the hospital for two days on antibiotics was hard! At least the morphine helped.

I've only been in the hospital for having children. This visit was the longest time I've ever been in - and my first go at a surgery. Every single nurse and doctor was so nice -- and I'm really thankful for that.