Duh-duh-DUHHH!!

(Blog title is my typed version of scary/mysterious music... lame.)

 

Well, I went to the surgeon today. And we scheduled to have my gallbladder removed THIS WEDNESDAY. Yikes. So I will be going under the knife for the first time ever and having that pesky thing removed.

It has to be taken out so soon because the doctor is worried about one of the gallstones floating where it shouldn't float and damaging my pancreas- which would be horrible.

So long, loser organ. It wasn't nice knowing you.

Hopefully I'll be back to feeling good and having fun in a week or two. Cheers to that.

Update: Patio Garden & Health Issues

So, it's a hot Texas summer... and I was worried about our little patio garden. For the most part it's doing well... but we do have some dead stuff. Boo.

 Our last ripe tomato- I assume a bird got to it (it was perfect looking, but not quite ripe less than 24hrs before this pic). I hope we have some more, but our plant is looking a little (a lot) dry.

 We re-planted our herbs because they were growing too big for their current home.

 Three were thriving (Basil, Lemon Basil (so tall!) and Oregano...

 Thyme and Mint... not doing so well. So I tossed the Thyme and planted some more seeds.

 Rosemary- same ol', same ol'. Hasn't grown any taller, though.

 I planted some Vincas (I thought they were periwinkles, guess not)... and they looked great at first... but... (wilted pic at the bottom)

 New Thyme started growing in about 2 days- yay!

 I was able to save one tiny Mint plant... and planted more seeds around it... haven't seen anything new popping up yet.

So, I totally wasted Bill's money and didn't read the instructions on how to care for Vincas until AFTER I crammed them all together in the herbs' former home. They were so pretty for a couple of days and have gotten tons of sun and water since we've had them... but you're supposed to plant them 10" apart. OOPS. Sooo... they're getting pretty wilty. I don't expect them to last long.

Enough about the patio garden, let's talk about ME (heh). I went to the doctor with complaints of cramping, vomiting, severe abdominal pain (all over, but mainly in my ribs), headaches and severe upper back pain. They did a urine test and blood work and referred me to a imaging tech to have abdominal and pelvic sonograms.

A few days before my sonograms and my follow up visit with my Dr- they called me and told me that my blood work came back with severe inflammation and that my white blood cell count was high. She put me on Zofran for nausea, antibiotics for my white blood cell count (they thought I could be fighting off an infection), Symax Duotabs for cramping and Fiorinal for headaches (I'm not supposed to take any Tylenol or other OTC headache meds because my liver is taking a major beating with all of the meds I'm on.)

Longish story short: sonogram came back and I have to have my gallbladder removed. Booo. Apparently tons of people have gallstones- but in my case, since I'm so symptomatic (especially vomiting a lot- not a good sign) I gotta' get mine yanked out.

I made an appointment with a surgeon and I go this coming Monday to discuss my options (I guess). But this past Wednesday and Thursday were really really bad (all my days have been bad and majorly uncomfortable lately, but Wednesday and Thursday were horrible) and I thought I maybe needed to go to the ER. But, I didn't. I took the maximum dosage of Symax and passed out and woke up feeling a bit better.

Yesterday the Dr's office called to check on me and told me they were going to write me yet another prescription- a low dose of Hydrocodone for the pain... and that if my pain gets any worse or I start running a fever or continue to vomit while on Zofran- I need to go to the ER.

MAJOR BUMMER.

I'm really hoping that I can make it through this without having emergency surgery- because I'm sure a trip to the ER, staying multiple days in the hospital and emergency surgery would cost me an arm and a leg (you're already taking an organ- let me keep my limbs!). So... send me good thoughts that I can make it to scheduled surgery without any emergencies.

I've been taking it really easy, taking lots and lots of medication and have been off work (which is REALLY bad, because how in the world am I going to afford said surgery while not being paid what I normally make??)

I'm really glad to know what's wrong (and that I'm not crazy or that I don't have some scary mystery illness)... but now I'm just really wanting it to all be over with. I want my gallbladder to go away, I want to be healed and back at work and back to having fun!

Fingers crossed.

I'm a lucky girl to have such a wonderful, caring boyfriend and helpful, supportive family. They've really made this whole "being a sicko" thing less stressful.

As of late...

I returned to work on June 1st (I had been out because of a car wreck and some other health issues)... which is really exciting. It's good to be back... except that I've been super sick lately and doing anything at all has been kind of a drag... and just downright impossible at times.

Instead of going to the doctor for this or that- I finally just made a list of ALL of the stuff that's been going on with my body- and that led to blood work and a need to schedule a pelvic/abdominal sonogram.

So, cheers for working/ jeers for being sick. I hope everything is ok... I'm sure it will be. I just want to be well so I can be a good worker and fully enjoy my nights and weekends... I don't think that's too much to ask for. ;)
I'll be laying low this 4th of July weekend... but rest is what I need right now. THRILLING!

Puerto Rico, Day Seven

Day Seven was our last day in Puerto Rico. Waa waaaa. (We got up early the next morning to go to the airport and spent that day up in the air and in airports -and although the duty-free shops were cool, we were mainly just bummed about leaving all day- so it doesn't really count.)

We got (my most favorite) breakfast at España and headed back to Isla Verde Beach for a while. We went to a kiosko and got bacalaitos (codfish fritters) and Pina Coladas. We stopped at Piñones Beach to take some pictures. We begrudgingly packed our bags and went to España once more for dinner with Bill's parents. I got seafood paella (which was a little scary at first, I was worried that it had been sitting out for a while, but it ended up being good and no food sickness, so- yay).

Drive by pic of España

Flower peeking out of the cemetary

Inside España, pastries and liquor... what's not to like?

Isla Verde Beach

Wannabe artsy pic of the ocean in my sunglasses

Bill's old stomping grounds

Carolina!

Seafood Paella from España

Hehe... we've been there (the watchtower)!

And here's sweet Bill humoring me each day by numbering them on camera... :) Hopefully you enjoyed reading about our trip- when we read these posts, we get super homesick for PR.

Day 2- (my hand) Drinking a coconut by the beach in Piñones

Day Three- on the Atlantic Ocean  

Day Four- at the Bacardi Distillery

Day Five- at La Mina waterfall in El Yunque

Day Six- at Plaza Del Mercado

Day Seven- eating lunch in Piñones

Thanks for the memories, PR. Can't wait 'til next year!

Puerto Rico, Day Six

Day Six in PR was my 28th (agh!) birthday... and what a wonderful birthday it was.

We started off the day at Isla Verde beach with Bill's Aunt Raquel, cousin Axel, his girlfriend Samantha and their two adorable kids, Isabela and Dominick. We played in the waves and got some good sun.

I really wanted to go to a fruit stand, so Bill took me to Plaza del Mercado in Santurce (a part of San Juan... and more of a Farmer's Market than a fruit stand) and we walked around and got a giant, delicious smoothie. I was sooo close to getting my tarot cards read, but I missed the lady by a few minutes (or hours- who knows when she really left for the day) so that remains on my To Do List. (It wasn't something we had planned on, Bill just happened to see a sign for a tarot card reader while we were walking around.)

Bill took me to dinner at Dragonfly in Old San Juan. It was a really lovely restaurant- very romantic, set up like an old opium den. I started off with a mojito (made with gin and cucumbers, which was an interesting combo... very good). I had shrimp and lobster dumplings and Bill had some sort of fried rice and we both loved our meals. When dessert came (with a candle in it, of course)... they took it to the wrong table. They started singing "Feliz Cumpleaños" (got through the entire song, actually) to a man at the table next to us. He and his wife looked very confused... and when they figured it out, they sang Happy Birthday AGAIN... this time, to me. It was a funny, honest mistake and we all laughed about it. Good times. I ate my dessert and drank champagne with Chambord and happily celebrated my late 20s. If you're ever in the area, we highly recommend Dragonfly- and the fact that they're called "OOF! Restaurants" makes us giggle. http://www.oofrestaurants.com/

After dinner we took a stroll around Old San Juan, which is all lit up and very romantic after dark. It was a great birthday and I am a very very lucky lady to have Bill in my life- he made me feel special and adored, as he does every day.

Samantha, Axel and Bill