hospital stay.

Story time! Right before Christmas, I got really sick. Diarrhea, puking, a fever, the whole nine yards. My stomach was throbbing with an intense cramping pain that would eventually go all the way around to my back. I was miserable. I got sick again on Christmas Day. And then I got sick again on New Year's Eve and essentially started 2014 in the ER. I was diagnosed with a UTI, prescribed some antibiotics, and sent on my way. On January 9th, I found myself back in the ER with the same symptoms. They gave me a "GI cocktail" that had lidocaine in it to numb my stomach, took 6 vials of blood, and concluded there was nothing wrong with me, but I should probably take an antacid. Tuesday morning I woke up in pain, again. I called the hospital this time instead of going straight to the emergency room because I didn't want another quick fix. I saw a doctor, they ran tests, did an ultrasound of my abdomen, had a pelvic exam & got cultures taken. I sat in waiting rooms for hours and waited by the phone for the hospital to call me back so I could know what was wrong with me.

My gallbladder had a gallstone lodged in its neck and was getting infected. I had surgery on Wednesday afternoon, and spent all of last night in the hospital. It took the nurse almost an hour to find a vein to put my IV in, and then the vein blew so she called the anesthesiologist and he found a vein without even trying. The surgeon and scrub nurses were laughing when I brought up all my Grey's Anatomy knowledge, and I was laughing when they put me under. I have a triangle of incisions in my belly and one in my belly button. I wandered a lot, carting my IV with the crappy wheels around everywhere with me, doing laps around the ICU to get me moving. Justin came to see me for a little bit last night and brought Lemondrop, the rabbit I've slept with since I was a child, so I wouldn't get too lonely.

Situations like this always remind of all the good people I have in my life. My mother was worried sick, and she's coming to steal me for a few days tomorrow. She kept my loved ones updated, and prayed and prayed that everything would be okay. My padre drove 3 hours today to pick me up from the hospital, and we ran errands like going to fill my prescription and running up to work to give them my doctor's note; he drove all that way to see me for only a few hours, and I love my dad so much. My friends are so supportive, texting me constantly to make sure I'm okay, entertaining me with snapchats, and always reminding me that they love me.

I'm so grateful for all the good in my life. I'm thankful for modern medicine and wonderful doctors and nurses who give me extra ice chips. I'm overjoyed that I won't be in pain anymore, once I heal, and 2014 can really rock my socks off.