Trenton and I were driving home from the most heavenly anniversary trip in Denver when I started feeling that familiar upper right abdominal pain that has been plaguing me for the past several YEARS. It's always hard to know what that pain is going to turn into. Most of the time it's just this sort of gnawing, icky pain that puts a damper on things. But sometimes it turns into what I have always referred to as "attacks"- because they come on with no warning and cause me to double over in the most horrendous, nauseating, stabbing, sickening pain- leaving me ill for days on end. I'm always telling Trenton things like, "This is worse than childbirth." Or, "How could the doctor's not find something? This pain is REAL and if I had the ability I would plunge my hand in my stomach and show you exactly where it hurts!"
This particular "attack" would prove to be the worst yet. By the time we got home, I couldn't sit, stand, walk, lay down- nothing made me feel better. I couldn't leave the bathroom for 24 hours and the pain had me contemplating running my head into a wall to knock myself out. The only reason I was finally able to abandon my bathroom and crawl into bed was because there was literally nothing left in my body. Unfortunately, Trenton's ticket to Mexico for his brother's wedding was already booked and non-refundable. I had no other choice but to endure the pain and care for the three kids by myself for the weekend. My best friend Autum must have been given a prompting from above, because she showed up on Saturday without being called and asked what she could do to help. I'm sure she had a hard time cutting through my sobs to understand what I was saying, but after explaining the pain I was experiencing she said, "Janet- this sounds like exactly what I would go through when I had gallstone attacks." And of course my response to that was, "I've already had my gallbladder scanned- three times, and the doctors always say it comes up clean."
Then she said, "Check again."
I made it through one more night in this pain until finally calling my parents and begging for relief. The attack started on Thursday afternoon- this was Sunday. My dad urged me to go to the hospital (but anyone that knows me understands I will put up with almost anything to avoid the hospital). My mom insisted. I had finally reached that level of pain where I didn't care. I was no longer scared. I just needed answers. It didn't take long, once I pointed out where the pain was, for the doctor to order another ultrasound of my gallbladder. It did seem like we waited forever for the results, but then the doctor casually popped his head in the door and said, "I'm sorry for the wait- I'll be back in a moment, but I wanted to let you know that we did find gallstones and your gallbladder is very distended."
I immediately burst into tears- not because I was upset, but because after YEARS of feeling this pain, there was finally an answer. Where there is a diagnosis, there's a treatment, and hopefully relief. I never thought I'd be so happy to see a gallstone.
After doing more research on gallbladder disease, I'm finding this could be the source of my IBS, chronic nausea, and even headaches. I'm trying not to put too much stock in having it removed. I would be devastated if nothing changes. There is a lot to be said for hope, right?
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