Weight Loss Through Removal of Non-Vital Organs

**WARNING** This post discusses gross stuff, so don't read if you're squeamish.

It's been six days since I arrived back home from the hospital.  The crisis came without warning (unless you count discounted symptoms from the last 7 1/2 years), but my recovery is going well and I'm expecting to feel better than ever in a week or so.

The trouble started innocently enough on a Saturday night three weeks ago.  After Saturday night Mass, I usually look at selections for the next weekend and play through the psalm.  As I sat at the piano, I noticed that my stomach was hurting in an unusual way.  The pain got progressively worse through the night, and by 5 a.m., a trip to the ER was in order.

The problem was actually a gall bladder attack with pancreatitis, but the diagnosis was missed because my pain wasn't in the conventional areas.  Additionally, a gall bladder attack causes paralysis of the bowel, so when the cat scan was performed, the ER diagnosed me with an obstructed bowel.  Because of the holiday weekend, the hospital didn't have anyone available to do surgery, so they wished to transfer me to the nearest Big City.  I objected and asked to be transferred to a closer hospital; they obliged after they confirmed that the hospital had an available surgeon.  Thank God they didn't have a surgeon at the local hospital, since I did NOT have a bowel obstruction.  What would they have done after they opened me up?

And things went downhill after that.

Except for remembering that the local priest came to anoint me, the next few days are a blur of tests and the demon opiate painkiller Dilaudid.  And guess what?  Opiates also shut down the bowel.  Great.  That threw off the doctors yet a few more days.  Eventually after the doctors realized that my guts were just fine, thank you very much, they diagnosed (with the help of MORE cat scans) the problem as probably gall bladder.   It was removed, along with ye olde appendix.  Because I hadn't been allowed to eat or drink for a week, I was cleared for food.

Most people who have this surgery need to follow a strict diet at first, and eating the hospital food was like playing Russian Roulette.  My body did not want to heal, and I felt myself slipping further downhill.  Because of vomiting, I was again ordered to have no food or drink.  By now, most of my veins were blown due to careless nurses, and I was experiencing nasty effects from trying to wean myself from the painkillers.  One night in particular was hellish; time was standing still, and I wasn't sure where I was.  Adding insult to injury, my fifth and final roommate not only had sleep apnea, but also was incontinent in both ways; the room was not fresh-smelling.  When the doctor (BTW, a faithful Catholic) arrived the next morning, I expressed my exasperation, and she informed me that I would get no rest while in the hospital; I knew that, but it really made me want to scream.  I insisted on a more modern bed than my 1980's torture device (which she took care of right away),  and she told me that my IV would be removed and an PICC line inserted instead.  With the PICC line, I was able to receive Total Parenteral Nutrition which I believe was the beginning of recovery.  My last hurdle was an annoying fever and a bit of tummy distention.  After a few more days I was allowed to come home.  


At home I was able to control what went in my mouth, and I started to feel better quickly.  Today the doctor said I can eat whatever I want, and there are no activity restrictions.


I really wonder how long I've been dealing with the gall bladder issues; it's been at least seven years since the severe attacks started (which I ignored).  But in retrospect, it may have been nine years; I remember putting on nine pounds in less than two weeks for absolutely no reason.  Being a slim person at the time, I knew something was amiss, but doctors refused to be concerned about it.  Diet and exercise, right? -- that's all you need to maintain your weight.........anyway, since coming home I've continued to drop weight.  Perhaps the liver/bile function is back to what it's supposed to be, and the old bod is processing fat properly.  Time will tell.

I'm so grateful for the visits by both the local priest, Msgr. Myers, and my priest, Msgr. Gaughan, who traveled the distance twice on his day off.  I'm also privileged and blessed to have had literally hundreds of people praying for me, so there was no choice except to recover. 

And if you were one of those people praying for me, THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART.