Rather than rewriting all about the recent hospital stay, I'm going to post the message I sent out to our homeschool group. I will add this: My baby girl turned five while I was in the hospital! The girls had been staying at Nana and Papa's, and they really didn't understand what was going on. We didn't want them to come in and see me hooked to the machines and having the gs tube come out of my nose like an elephants trunk. BUT, on Talullah's birthday, there was no way that I was not going to get a visit from my first born. She was so quiet, checking me out in the hospital bed. She is such a gentle girl. She pushed my IV cart around while we roamed the halls. Nana said she was quite reserved for the rest of the day when Nick took her back to my parents. My poor daughter was probably so worried after that. Luckily, my gs tube was taken out not long after that, and then all three girls got to visit me. It was a short visit, what with their fascination with the hazardous waste bin, and with the nurses call button on my bed, and their tendency to get caught up in my IV tubes while crawling on me in the very exciting, moveable bed. I missed them so much!
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I am forever grateful for the prayers of all of my friends, family, and acquaintances during my recent hospital stay. Without a doubt, God truly does hear the prayers of His people. In this specific case, He answered them quickly. I woke up with some upper abdominal pain Tuesday morning, and the pain grew to a worrisome level in the early afternoon. Over the phone, my family practitioner and then my midwife both suggested that I go to the hospital to make sure that it didn't have anything to do with the pregnancy. Nick and I took our girls to my moms house (thank God she retired last year!) and then we headed to the OB for observation. After monitoring the baby's heartbeat and taking my vitals, they assured me that the baby seemed to be doing fine. They referred me to the ER for further testing, and by the time we walked to the waiting room my pain was at a nearly unbearable level. Sitting seemed to worsen the pain. I was feeling light headed and extremely exhausted. I wanted pain medication and I wanted it NOW. Unfortunately, the ER was so full that there were no available beds and there were three people ahead of me still waiting to be seen. Before long, I had Nick walk me back to the OB department just to see if they would let me lay down until a doctor could see me. I was just about begging for medicine, my pain level nearing a '10' with absolutely no period of relief. It was around an hour before the ER called with an opening, and I refused to be taken over there until I was able to get something to help with the pain. I knew that once we checked into the emergency room, the questions would start all over again further delaying any relief. I was given a shot of Demerol and then wheeled to the ER. The medication didn't affect my pain level at all. By the time I was admitted I was starting to vomit in regular intervals, and still another shot of Demerol only slightly alleviated the pain. Due to the pregnancy and some past allergic reactions to narcotics, we were limited on the amount of tests and meds that I could be given. A couple of x-rays indicated that I had a bowel obstruction, but that was about all the information the ER doctor could offer. After about six hours of excruciating pain, the surgeon on call was able to visit me to further diagnose me. It was after midnight when she arrived.
A sure sign that God is in control...? The surgeon was Dr. Kennedi, the same doctor that had removed my spleen after a car accident 15 years ago. She is the same doctor who performed surgery on me during an abdominal obstruction due to scar tissue adhering to my intestines 10 years ago. Without further tests, she remembered first hand the previous surgeries, those many years ago! She was able to direct the doctor to a different pain medicine that took my pain level down to a bearable level almost immediately. An ng tube was inserted through my nose and into my stomach to drain the fluid building up due to the bowel obstruction. She told my husband and I that we could give the ng tube time to remove the fluid, thus relieving some of the pressure being put on my intestines. This might eventually lead to my body self correcting. Otherwise, surgery would be required. She told us with all sincerity that while 24 weeks along is a good time to do surgery if necessary, that the baby would be too small to survive if complications were to arise.
Another sign that God is in control? Hearing that horrific news, I can honestly say that at no point during my hospital stay did I feel stress about the health of my baby girl. I had a unexplainable sense of peace, despite the pain. Surgery was not an option. I was transferred from the ER to a regular short stay room around 2:30 am where I was able to finally get some rest.
The next three days were slow recovering, but throughout each day was continual progress. My pain was kept at a manageable level with the new medication and I was able to walk the halls and rub my stomach in attempts to cause any kind of change to my twisted intestines. I was not allowed to eat or drink anything other than ice chips, torture for a pregnant woman! Every nurse that came into my room was so sweet, caring, and an absolute joy. Dr. Kennedi came to my room each morning and at least once again each day to check on my status. By day 3 she said that if they did not start hearing bowels sounds, we would start talking about the surgical option. That night, our good friends Lane and Michele Kennard came to visit my hospital room asking to pray for me. Friends, for future reference, there is never any need to ask this lady if prayer is acceptable. JUST PRAY! Prayer can only help a situation. They sat next to my hospital bed and Lane anointed me with oil as he prayed. Michele massaged my big belly as she prayed, and then Nick and I took turns offering our prayer to heaven. The spirit of the Lord was there with us.
Thursday, I could feel something in my stomach. The nurses said they could barely hear anything, but there was SOMETHING. I could feel it. Dr. Kennedi heard it. That night, she said I could try a full liquid diet for breakfast to see how I handled it. I counted down the hours until I could see food again! Cream of wheat never sounded as wonderful as it did the following day. I ate a small amount of food, fearful that over eating might cause the pain to return. Everything went fine, and I fully expected that she would have me slowly graduate to a heavier diet before releasing me. To my surprise and utter joy, the next time she came into my room she told me that the nurses were preparing the paperwork for me to head home. My body and 'self corrected' itself. God is my healer! He provides peace and comfort in my time of need. He watches over me. He gave my husband a flexible job with a wonderful boss that lets him take time off without headache. He gave me God loving parents who live close,and have such a great relationship with my children, that they stayed the entire four days I was in the hospital and still weren't quite ready to come home when we came to pick them up. He gave me countless friends who are freely giving of their time, energy, and resources during a time of need. He surrounds me by people who offer up prayers on my behalf. I am so blessed!!!
