The Jerdons Come to Spokane: Part 2
The original plan was for the Jerdons to head back home to California on the first day of school after the boys had left for the day. We had loved their visit with us, and it was with heavy hearts that we started saying our goodbyes the night before. Caleb would be starting early morning seminary and high school for the very first time, and be gone early in the morning. Brendan wouldn't be far behind him, leaving for his first day of middle school. Then Riley would leave on his very first bus ride for his very first day of school ever. Jacob was working an overnight shift at the hospital, but would be back in the morning and was going to take them to the airport. The lunches and bags were packed. Clothes laid out. I'd written the boys their first day of school notes and put them into their lunch boxes. Hugs and kisses were given. We all went to bed and Jacob went to work. That was the plan.
Only at about 2am in the morning, I woke up to terrible abdominal pain. Wave after wave of debilitating cramping struck my entire abdomen, over and over. My upper right side was hard and I started to feel sick. I hurried to the bathroom and realized that my dinner had not been digested. I was in a bad way. I tried sipping water, but that came back. Nothing stayed down, including pain meds. I tried getting a bowl so that I could try to lay down, but the pain was so great and the waves of nausea so overwhelming that I stayed in the bathroom the majority of the time. Something was very wrong.
However, I couldn't bring myself to admit that I was incapacitated. It was the first day of school! My babies all had a big first day coming in just a few hours! I could make it. I would feel better. It would pass, right? But after a couple of hours of intense pain, I realized that I was not going to be able to do it. I needed help. Not wanting to wake the household, I called Jacob at work and told him the situation and that I felt that I needed to go to the hospital. He was just coming off of his shift and would come and take me to Valley Hospital before coming home to make sure the kids got off to school ok.
It almost felt like being in labor. The waves of pain were so intense that I had a hard time dressing myself to go. My belly was bloated, and it was difficult getting my pants on. I should have just worn my nightdress, but I felt silly leaving the house like that. Weak from dehydration and being up most of the night, I made it into the car and Jacob took me to the ER. Vomit bowl in hand, I was able to shuffle in and have a seat. Between waves of pain, I was able to tell the admin guy what I was there for and get checked in so that they could get me into a room.
Mercifully, they were able to get me in right away and once the ER doc saw me, he got me on some meds for the pain right away. What a blessing! I was so exhausted! He ordered me a CT scan, and then it was time to wait until that was ready. Jake left to take care of the kids and let his parents know what was happening.
A couple of hours, a CT scan and a surgeon consult later, I was admitted to the hospital with a partial bowel obstruction. Look at me and my old lady problems. Sheesh. They suspected that the residual scar tissue from my bowel resection back in February was such that it had formed a stricture and I'd gotten stopped up. The only option was to wait it out and see if it would clear itself up. Otherwise, it would mean another surgery.
They put a horrible "NG tube" up my nostral and down my throat to suck everything out of my stomach (which wasn't much), and then put me on a nothing by mouth order, IV fluids only, for the next couple of days. I'm not gonna lie. It. Was. Torture.
Short of putting bamboo shoots up my fingernails, I'm pretty sure that waterboarding feels something like having an NG tube shoved up where nothing should ever be shoved up, then having a plastic tube running the length of your esophagus so that you are constantly gagging every time you swallow your spit to not drown in your own fluids.
On the bright side, I got to watch a lot of HGTV. Not sure if that made it worth it, but it helped.
My sweet in-laws decided to extend their stay for another week to help out with the boys. Especially because it just so happened that Jacob's next UTA Reservist weekend was THAT weekend. We weren't sure if I was going to be in hospital at that time or not. I am so grateful for their generosity in helping us and for the tender mercy that they were even there when all heck broke lose. I'm not sure what we would have done!
Thankfully, my ordeal only lasted about five days and I was released as soon as I was able to have a bowel movement and eat something. The Jerdons were able to pick me up from the hospital since Jacob had already flown out to California, and held down the fort while I recovered and finally got some decent rest minus the tube and the constant interruptions of a hospital. My poor veins were donw being poked an prodded!
Unfortunately, my ability to eat "normal food" never came back, and I've been struggling with fits of abdominal pain and flare ups similar to the one that landed me in the ER. Not only did I miss the first days of school for my boys, but due to my illness, I lost almost all of September. It is all a bit of a blank for me.
I did finally get in to see a naturopathic doctor who figured out foods which I should avoid, gave me clean supplements, and prescribed some therapies to aid my body in healing itself of the scar stricture in the hopes that I can return to some sort of normal. I'm on my fourth week of implementing these things and feel like I'm doing better overall. Although, I still have bad days despite eating all the right things and doing all the therapies. I don't know if this is just what living with Crohn's disease is really like.
Was I living on borrowed time before, thinking I could eat and be normal? It is frustrating and scary. I've lost almost thirty pounds due to just not eating to avoid the sickness. It's been rough.
I'm grateful for the priesthood blessings that I've received and for the blessing of a wonderful ward which has been looking out for me and my family. I keep praying that I will get my health figured out and that my body will get its act together. This is by far, the hardest thing I've had to go through. All the years of being a student's wife are nothing compared to this. I guess it was time for me to have a proper trial. I am trying to endure it well, and keep close to the Lord. It's really all I can do.
Only at about 2am in the morning, I woke up to terrible abdominal pain. Wave after wave of debilitating cramping struck my entire abdomen, over and over. My upper right side was hard and I started to feel sick. I hurried to the bathroom and realized that my dinner had not been digested. I was in a bad way. I tried sipping water, but that came back. Nothing stayed down, including pain meds. I tried getting a bowl so that I could try to lay down, but the pain was so great and the waves of nausea so overwhelming that I stayed in the bathroom the majority of the time. Something was very wrong.
However, I couldn't bring myself to admit that I was incapacitated. It was the first day of school! My babies all had a big first day coming in just a few hours! I could make it. I would feel better. It would pass, right? But after a couple of hours of intense pain, I realized that I was not going to be able to do it. I needed help. Not wanting to wake the household, I called Jacob at work and told him the situation and that I felt that I needed to go to the hospital. He was just coming off of his shift and would come and take me to Valley Hospital before coming home to make sure the kids got off to school ok.
It almost felt like being in labor. The waves of pain were so intense that I had a hard time dressing myself to go. My belly was bloated, and it was difficult getting my pants on. I should have just worn my nightdress, but I felt silly leaving the house like that. Weak from dehydration and being up most of the night, I made it into the car and Jacob took me to the ER. Vomit bowl in hand, I was able to shuffle in and have a seat. Between waves of pain, I was able to tell the admin guy what I was there for and get checked in so that they could get me into a room.
Mercifully, they were able to get me in right away and once the ER doc saw me, he got me on some meds for the pain right away. What a blessing! I was so exhausted! He ordered me a CT scan, and then it was time to wait until that was ready. Jake left to take care of the kids and let his parents know what was happening.
A couple of hours, a CT scan and a surgeon consult later, I was admitted to the hospital with a partial bowel obstruction. Look at me and my old lady problems. Sheesh. They suspected that the residual scar tissue from my bowel resection back in February was such that it had formed a stricture and I'd gotten stopped up. The only option was to wait it out and see if it would clear itself up. Otherwise, it would mean another surgery.
They put a horrible "NG tube" up my nostral and down my throat to suck everything out of my stomach (which wasn't much), and then put me on a nothing by mouth order, IV fluids only, for the next couple of days. I'm not gonna lie. It. Was. Torture.
Short of putting bamboo shoots up my fingernails, I'm pretty sure that waterboarding feels something like having an NG tube shoved up where nothing should ever be shoved up, then having a plastic tube running the length of your esophagus so that you are constantly gagging every time you swallow your spit to not drown in your own fluids.
On the bright side, I got to watch a lot of HGTV. Not sure if that made it worth it, but it helped.
My sweet in-laws decided to extend their stay for another week to help out with the boys. Especially because it just so happened that Jacob's next UTA Reservist weekend was THAT weekend. We weren't sure if I was going to be in hospital at that time or not. I am so grateful for their generosity in helping us and for the tender mercy that they were even there when all heck broke lose. I'm not sure what we would have done!
Thankfully, my ordeal only lasted about five days and I was released as soon as I was able to have a bowel movement and eat something. The Jerdons were able to pick me up from the hospital since Jacob had already flown out to California, and held down the fort while I recovered and finally got some decent rest minus the tube and the constant interruptions of a hospital. My poor veins were donw being poked an prodded!
Unfortunately, my ability to eat "normal food" never came back, and I've been struggling with fits of abdominal pain and flare ups similar to the one that landed me in the ER. Not only did I miss the first days of school for my boys, but due to my illness, I lost almost all of September. It is all a bit of a blank for me.
I did finally get in to see a naturopathic doctor who figured out foods which I should avoid, gave me clean supplements, and prescribed some therapies to aid my body in healing itself of the scar stricture in the hopes that I can return to some sort of normal. I'm on my fourth week of implementing these things and feel like I'm doing better overall. Although, I still have bad days despite eating all the right things and doing all the therapies. I don't know if this is just what living with Crohn's disease is really like.
Was I living on borrowed time before, thinking I could eat and be normal? It is frustrating and scary. I've lost almost thirty pounds due to just not eating to avoid the sickness. It's been rough.
I'm grateful for the priesthood blessings that I've received and for the blessing of a wonderful ward which has been looking out for me and my family. I keep praying that I will get my health figured out and that my body will get its act together. This is by far, the hardest thing I've had to go through. All the years of being a student's wife are nothing compared to this. I guess it was time for me to have a proper trial. I am trying to endure it well, and keep close to the Lord. It's really all I can do.
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