Oh, where does the time go?

Apparently, I've slipped into some timeless ether. It certainly doesn't feel like more than a week has gone by. Plus, I really thought I'd be writing more (and sleeping less).

Last week I decided to go under for a little tonsillectomy. I'd heard all the horror stories, but figured it would be for the best if I just put this little cat-and-mouse game I play with my tonsils to rest. Well, ask me this in a few weeks, because right now I'm still questioning my sanity when I signed all my waivers. This sucks!

So, it's been a week, and I'm only just now feeling like I'm back to my normal self. I'm totally dehydrated-feeling, despite drinking water what feels like all the time, and I'm only just now starting to not sleep like crazy (though I feel a pretty powerful nap coming on any minute now...). I've figured out how to eat, and sadly it includes how to hack out food that gets stuck in the area formerly known as my tonsils. 

Before I forget, I figure I may as well share some pictures taken during Jason's recent hospital stint. 

That's Jason, for those who might mistake him for a ninja...

The last is my favorite of all. :)

To spleen or not to spleen...

Jason’s still in the hospital. There was a lot of back-and-forth regarding removing J’s spleen. It’s frustrating from our end, sure, because we’d all like to have found the miracle answer and move on with our lives, but the reality is that we can’t be sure what the problem is, since it’s not always present on the left side; from time to time, he has this pain on his right, in the area of the bile ducts of his liver.

What is possible is that he may have two distinct things going on at the same time; they just happen to both be happening mid-abdomen. I’ve mentioned the cholangitis before, so I suppose that now is as good a time as any to explain the spleen thing, or at least as much as I know about it. Jason’s spleen is about 2x or more than the size of a normal male of his size and age. He has portal hypertension in the liver, which can lead to excess “stuff” backing up into his spleen. This can cause a variety of issues, but until we can determine this more definitively, the risks of removing the spleen (which, in a normal person, are big enough – just throw in J’s issues and we’re talking risky business) are too great with the possibility that the problem will continue to exist after removal.

So, we wait. We’re going to watch what happens over the next couple of weeks to couple of months. Certainly, ending up in hospitals and ERs four times in a week isn’t good, but if that’s what it takes, that’s what it takes. I am going to include more of Jason’s health issues in my own logging. Perhaps this will provide doctors with a pattern from the perspective of a 3^rd party that is always present. 

It's Official

I really can't ever brag publicly about when life returns to normalcy. I'm convinced the cosmos are listening and said "Ha! That wasn't enough? Here, take some more!!"


Actually, put into perspective, this isn't that terrible... 


Wednesday, Jason started to cramp up in the morning. Except, that it seemed to start off as back pain. We went in to the local hospital, assuming it was what they'd been talking about all along: cholangitis. They treated it as such, though he was having pain around his spleen, also. Pain killers and more pain killers... such is the story of our trips to the hospital. They sent us home, we went to Jamba Juice, came home, Jason was a tad nauseated, but came with me to my hair appointment and got his done, also. 


All night he stirred. More back pain. Then more cramping. Hard cramping. So, we did as we have been directed to do; we went to the ER. Pain killers, pain killers, pain killers. Did I mention that nothing less than Dilaudid and Fentanyl will work because Jason's tolerance is so up there? We got out early in the morning and he insisted on going to work. His work is light and he had a ride home. I went to work. Things seemed okay, though looking back, he seemed a bit agitated on and off. 


Then there was Monday.


Well, well, well... we were  back at the ER with more pain. I honestly don't even remember if I made it into work or not. Or did I meet him there later. Oh yeah, I met him there later in the afternoon. Then it started snowing. Hard. We got out, went to Target for some pharmacy and some miscellaneous food items, then home. 


Still, I was worried. By the time Wednesday rolled around, Jason was having throbbing, moving toward stabbing pain. I urged him to talk to the liver transplant team himself, and they said to come down to their hospital, since they may treat it differently. Jason tried to brave it out, but around 7:30, it became clear that things were only getting worse so we went to the ER.


The ER was PACKED. I guess the last two weeks has seen a big spike in admits and injuries. Lots of flu and colds going on out there. Please, just stay away from my husband; he doesn't need any more. Thankfully (ha!) Jason's transplant status got him out of the coughing, sniffling, sneezing waiting room pretty quickly.


We got into the room around 1AM, and I was too exhausted to come home. I kind of figured it would take as long, so I packed some clothes under the stupid guise of going to work the next day since this hospital was so close to downtown. Har, har. I got only about 2 hours of pieced-together sleep, so I wasn't much use. I stayed the day, managed my emails from the hospital room and went home that night to shower, sleep, and ready myself for another day.


It's Saturday now, and Jason is still in the hospital. I think they're going to take his spleen out, it's just a matter of when. It's just a matter of how many hospital trips does it take to get to the center of this medical tootsie pop. I'm about to head back, and will hopefully make it in time to talk with the surgeons. 


Post more later. 

... Ugh...

Something is up with my throat, and Jason is cramping up again. I'm worried that I may be giving something to him that is making him sick. My plans are to sleep in the spare bedroom until I can get this straightened out with antibiotics or something.


This week is starting out awesome. Nevermind that last week was so spectacular that I didn't even have the heart to blog about it. I want to find a rock to crawl under or a corner to hide in just so I can freak out in private.

Shocking...

It’s actually pretty hard to keep up with a blog when I have so much less to complain about. Shocking, I know.

I just finished reading a good friend’s story on Richard Simmon’s website/blog. I’m so proud of Heidi, it’s unreal. The journey she’s had to go on is both heartbreaking and inspiring, though mostly the latter. Heidi is one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met, inside and out, and her weight was never an issue in my mind because she was a constant delight. Through a good friend, she got hooked up with Richard Simmons’s aerobic group/class called “Slimmons”. It’s changed her life. She’s lost some weight and is well on her way to a healthier and happier life. No doubt, she will have the kind of struggles that tend to plague those of us with a little or a lot of weight to lose. She said something important in her story: communication is just as important as exercising and food. She reminded me that sometimes the issues behind the weight gain are the key behind the weight loss.

So yeah, despite losing the weight I have and the fun I’ve had along the way, despite Jason doing well with his overall health, I should probably keep blogging. If nothing else, to make sure that I keep the demons in check, and to give myself a point in time to reference when things do go wonky.

I do love that this is pretty low-key right now. It’s a lot more freeing.