It's after 2 am. This is usually the time my posts are scheduled to publish, only I didn't have one prepared for today. Since the operation I've been snoozing off and on, and things are a little turned around in my head. Not bad, just figuring things out. The pain is getting better. I choose not to take the prescription meds, as they were the addictive kind, and opted instead for Ibuprofen and Tylenol.
This whole experience has been soul stirring.
A very strange thing happened before coming home from the surgical center. I was trying to figure out how I can sleep in the recliner without hurting my neck, and an image of an old neck pillow came to mind, an air one I use to travel with. I haven't seen it in two years, so had no idea where mine was, worried I'd have to shuffle through luggage to find it, in which I was in no state to try. I asked my Mom where hers might be, but she couldn't remember.
Well, as we approached the house door another image came to mind, a shelf in a closet where I keep my bathroom things and whatnot's. I immediately followed the prompting, opened the closet door, and the neck pillow was rolled up into a ball sitting on top of a pile of stuff in a small white tub. Only a week ago I organized that shelf. Took everything out, threw some stuff away, and put it all back. The pillow wasn't there. If it had been I would have put it with travel things, not extra toothbrushes and dental floss. Just that morning I was cleaning some things up and put extra shampoo and conditioner in that tub. I would have noticed the pillow. It's a mystery.
I have this faint memory of moving one thing from an upper shelf to a lower shelf, but couldn't remember what it was, and after placing the shampoo and conditioner in the tub I remember being puzzled, taking a step back and trying to figure out what was moved, but didn't spot anything out of the ordinary.
Well, I'll drive myself crazy trying to figure it out. I was pondering a problem, was prompted to a solution, and led to the pillow's location. And it has been a huge help. However it happened, whether I moved it or not, it happened, and I'm thankful for my guardian angels for helping me solve a problem.
Other little miracles is how the surgery all came together, the speed of one thing leading to the next. For the CT Scan I got it on a Monday, wasn't supposed to get the results until that Friday, but they came the next morning. That set everything in motion for finding the surgeon, who I met last Monday. From the scan and blood work I thought it was just gallstones that were my problem, but when he called my Mom after the operation he said my gallbladder was horrible, very inflamed, and had thick walls. There's no way I'd last another month without a major attack. I'll get more details at the followup. But I feel so blessed to have this ailment taken care of.
It's after 2:30. Sleeping is a hassle. Oh, heh, though something kinda funny. You know when you're in pain and you have to say on a scale from 1-10 what the pain level is? Well, I got that question a lot on Wednesday. I never give away 10's. They're for when I'm at my absolute worst. I barely, if at all remember, super fuzzy, but according to my Mom I said I was at a pain level 9, so they gave me morphine. It's around pain level 7 that my memory clears up a little. It's nice to know that even at my worst I didn't give away that 10 and stayed true to myself.
Any-who, It's just strange being on this side of it. I'm thankful the problem was discovered. I'm thankful I was able to get the surgery. But I'm also thankful for that large gallstone blocking the smaller stones from escaping. The nurses sister got gallstone pancreatitis, and it's automatic hospitalization for about a week or so. It's so, so bad! I was protected from that. What a tragedy it would have been.
Now for the healing. I've developed some food fears in the last few months. Been living off of bread, oatmeal, rice, potatoes, tuna, chicken, and this protein concoction smoothy thingy. So it's going to be interesting re-introducing foods, and discovering what I can and can't have. So taking my time.
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