My 'Appy' story

I'm mostly writing this so I don't forget what happened. It's probably not going to be a super interesting post, and there aren't going to be any pics. You've been warned. I had my appendix removed last night, and it's not even what was causing my pain. Here's the story. It all began Tues. afternoon when I was driving home from my sister-in-law's. We'd had a fun pizza lunch with one of my other sisters-in-law, all our kids, and my mom. Afterward, as I neared my parent's house (to drop off my mom), I started to get pains in my lower abdomen, they progressively got worse after I left my parent's and headed home. I was white-knuckled towards the end, and when I pulled in the garage I called Jer to come out and get Ella because the pain was so bad. I could barely breathe and move. I went inside and laid down for about an hour and a half and the pain seemed to lessen so I got up to rejoin my little family. The pain started back up again, which made it hard to hold Ella because she kept pushing right where it hurt most. We did our bed-time routine and Jer had to do most of it since I couldn't move very well, which broke my heart because Ella kept reaching and asking for me :( After she was in bed I realized we needed to go somewhere to figure out what was wrong, so Jer called his mom to come over and 'watch' Ella while we went to Urgent Care or the ER. We ended up going to the ER at the U of U medical center in Daybreak because it's so close. Luckily we did because Urgent Care wouldn't have had the testing stuff we needed. We got there around 8:30 and the waiting room was empty, so we signed in and were taken to a room. The Dr. came in and asked a bunch of questions and pushed on my stomach. They put in an IV with fluids and pain meds in it (after 2 tries, ouch), did a pregnancy test (negative), an ultra-sound, x-rays, and a CT Scan. First thing they ruled out was a tubal pregnancy (which I was a little afraid it would be), the other things they thought it might be was my appendix or an ovarian cyst burst (which doesn't leave any evidence after bursting). I had a fever of 101. They found that I had fluid in my lower abdomen, and couldn't see all of my appendix. After awhile they decided they'd better send me to a hospital where there were surgeons and more equipment on hand at that time of night, so we headed to the U of U Hospital in SLC around 1 a.m. Even though I was in pain, I was just wishing we hadn't even gone and that I was still home in bed, I was feeling SO awful. We could have taken an ambulance to the hospital, but for some reason I just really felt like we shouldn't, so Jer drove us. The U has an awesome network and staff, we just handed them my papers and they took us directly to a room. There was a lot of waiting around, but it wasn't like we had anything else to do. I saw a bunch more Dr's and surgical teams and Gyno teams, all trying to help us figure out what was wrong. I was more thirsty than I think I've ever been, but I couldn't have any water or ice because they didn't know if I'd need surgery. They did another ultrasound on me, trying to see more of my appendix but they couldn't. All they could figure was that it was only slightly enlarged, not enough for it to be appendicitis. After more waiting they put me in an extension of the ER. My parents stopped by and my dad and Jer gave me a blessing. They left and there was more waiting so Jer went home for awhile to do some stuff. While he was gone the surgeons came in and suggested that they go ahead and do surgery so they could take a look around inside to see what the problem could be, and they'd take out my appendix no matter what. This freaked me out and I was crying (because Jer wasn't with me and they'd just given me more pain meds which made me super emotional and I didn't want surgery because I knew that would limit how I could care for Ella). I waited to make the decision when Jer got back and we figured it would be better to be safe than sorry. I went down to get prepped for surgery around 7 p.m. and came out around 9. Everything went well, they didn't find anything wrong. My appendix even looked fine, but it was removed anyway. I was wheeled to a room where we could settle in for the night. I had cuff/sleeve things on my calves that would fill up with air and let it out to keep from clotting, and a breathing apparatus to make sure I didn't get pneumonia. After I got comfortable, I made a list for Jer and sent him home so he could get some good sleep and bring me my stuff in the morning. And FINALLY I was able to eat. Starting with water, jello, and crackers, then some toast. It had been 32 hours since I'd eaten and what a relief it was to finally get food in my stomach again. And luckily it didn't make me sick. I didn't sleep very well, kept waking up about every hour through the night, but my pain was more under control so that made a difference. They brought me French toast and a banana for breakfast. I swear the toast had pepper on it, it was odd. The nurses took good care of me all through the night, and after the shift change my new nurses were just as nice (which if you've read/heard any of my other surgery stories, this is a big deal). Jer came back and brought my stuff so I could feel more human (my own jammies, deodorant after a paper towel bath, and a ponytail holder). We took a couple of slow walks through the halls to help my circulation, and he napped while we waited for me to be released. They brought me a surprisingly tasty lunch of grilled chicken caesar salad, roll, tapioca, and a chocolate. I had a lot of messages on FB and texts expressing concern and asking if we needed help, it was so nice of so many people to care and worry. I was released around 1:30 and am so happy to be home, though it felt weird at first after being gone so much longer than we thought I'd be. I miss my baby, but she's better off for right now being where she can be held and taken better care of than I can give in my condition. I've never been away from her for this long before. So, it wasn't my appendix, but if I ever get pains like this again, we know what it isn't from, so that will narrow it. I'm thinking it was an ovarian cyst burst, but I have no idea since I've never had one, but what else could have brought on such awful, intense lower abdominal pain? Hopefully I won't have it again and won't have to worry about it. It's interesting when these kinds of things happen to find out just how much people care. My next door neighbor made us some yummy soup for dinner, and lots of people have offered to help with Ella or anything else I might need. It means a lot, especially since I know they're being sincere (I've known far too many people who were all talk, but didn't ever mean it). My father-in-law was so concerned he kept calling my mother-in-law yesterday about what was going on (he was out of town), then stopped by tonight with flowers and chocolate and to check on me. It's overwhelming to feel so cared about. Thank you everyone, it really means a lot to me!

December Happenings 2011

I had the urge to write in the blog, but I didn't really want to just go over our Christmas activities. But since that's all I can think of, that's what I'll do (I'm not too original). December is usually such a busy month, this year was no different. We even had to skip ice skating with Jer's family (which we've never missed) because my family party was already planned. We went ice skating and to a big party with some of our friends. (me, Meredith, Lisa)

(Jer (has a mustache because of a work thing, we know it's creepy looking!), Dave, Matt)

(me, Ashley, Sexy Santa, Lisa, Meredith)

I went to see one of our friends in "The Nutcracker", it was my very first time seeing it! So cute! (me, Ashley, Lisa)

We had other friends come in town that we haven't seen in awhile and got to spend time with them. We got yummy goodies from neighbors, and gave out cute magnetic list paper (because it doesn't make you gain weight). With Jer's family, we had a Polar Express party, which was fun as usual. Along with watching part of the movie, having hot cocoa, and a sock/snowball fight, the kids also got to decorate their grandparents as Christmas trees. They were good sports and the kids had a good time with it. (Don't tell that I posted the pic!)

We also had a visit from Auntie Claus, but we didn't have our camera :( We got a cool melon cutter, and Ella got some activity packets and toys, and a cute little outfit. My family Christmas party included yummy food (everyone brought something healthy this year!), singing, chatting, games, white elephant exchange, and the live nativity. It's crazy how many kids there are now that all us cousins are getting married and having kids of our own.

Christmas Eve was the annual party at Jer's aunt's house. We had yummy food, a white elephant exchange, and a visit from Santa!

Christmas morning we opened presents and went to church. Ella loved the kitchen Santa brought her!

For New Year's, we made plans with some of our friends. We went to Harvest Restaurant at Thanksgiving Pointe for dinner (yum). (Matt, Meredith, me, Jer, Mike, Ashley, Lisa, Dave)

After dinner we went to our friend's house where I made warm melting cakes. (not sure what Jer's laughing at here)

We played a game, chatted, had a countdown, and drank sparkling cider. It was such a fun night spent with some fun people. And I forgot to mention, one of my friends gave Ella her very first haircut a couple days before Christmas. I don't know if you can tell, but it's pretty shaggy in some of the pics from before the cut. She has bangs now and she's looking so much more like a little girl.

Catch up

So much has happened and I haven't done any blogging :( And now I'm finally getting around to it :) In October we went on a family vacation with Jer's family. We headed down to San Diego to check out the Zoo, Legoland and SeaWorld and had SO much fun! We also stopped at the La Jolla Sprinkles Cupcakes, and the San Diego Temple (my favorite of all the temples, but I've never been able to see in person until now!) While we were there, we had our 6th anniversary. We weren't able to celebrate til a couple weeks after we got home though (Ella had her first sleepover while we went to dinner, a movie, and out for dessert). The Zoo was HUGE, we walked over 5 miles that day checking out all the awesome animals!

Hey, it's Rafiki from "The Lion King"!

She wasn't too thrilled about this photo op!

I thought this was a kind of fox, but it's not. It's a panda! The coloring is so pretty!

I could watch the gorillas (and monkeys and orangutans) all day, they're so fascinating!

On to Legoland!

They had a lot of rules and were SUPER strict about a lot of them (like if a kid was barely a centimeter too short for a ride, they couldn't go on it). The ride that we went on here they wouldn't let 2 adults ride together, and Ella was too little to go on it (which seemed odd, I mean I have a lap and there was plenty of room next to me). So we waited in line for awhile to find out we couldn't even ride together. I suggest skipping most of the rides here and just checking out all the cool Lego creations instead!

Sleeping Beauty in the Fairytale Land ride

Yay for Hagrid and Harry Potter!

This was awesome. They had the car frame underneath and built the Legos around it!

What's San Francisco without a little homage to "Full House"?

I'm not big into Star Wars, but they had a whole section full of scenes from the movies, pretty cool for fans of them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cURD8wJfNww HAD to post this video of Ella fighting sleep, so cute!

On to SeaWorld!

So crazy how the glass and water can distort how you see things, the dolphin's head is above the water and to the right of it's body!

One of these is not like the other. Cool fact about starfish: If they lose a 'leg', sometimes when it regenerates, 2 grow back instead of one!

Being silly at the hotel

At the BEAUTIFUL temple!

Ella was making sure she was clear on the safety protocol! Phew, that's a lot of pictures! I'll post soon about the holidays. Hope you have a WONDERFUL December!

It's not funny when it hurts people

There's a Facebook 'game' that has people in an uproar. It's upsetting to me and some of my friends. I know other people have blogged/written about this on their blogs, but I feel like I should as well, even though I have a very small readership.

If you don't know what I'm talking about, it's the Breast Cancer Awareness 'game' where you post in your status whatever the rules say. In the past it's been the color of your bra or where you like your purse (which, to the unknowing reader, seemed crude). This year it makes it seem like the poster is pregnant and craving a certain candy, dependent upon when their birthday is. To some it might seem like a funny joke to get people thinking you're pregnant when you're not. To those who are struggling to even get pregnant or get a baby, I assure you it definitely ISN'T funny. It's yet another reminder of what you want, but for whatever reason you can't have. It's not a joke, it's hurtful. For those who are lucky and have never had to struggle with IF (InFertility), you can't understand how it is to be on the other side. The one who ALL you want is a baby of your own, the one who has to see pregnant bellies everywhere, hear people complain about their children, and/or read posts about pregnancies on Facebook. Each of these things tears their heart out in a different way. Each of these things causes distress. We want to be happy and supportive, but we mourn what we still don't have with each happy 'announcement'. (Yes, I realize I have a baby, but I still count myself as part of this group because of our past experiences, and we have no idea what the future has in store).

Besides the pain these kinds of statuses can cause, what the heck does it have to do with cancer awareness? How is it educating anyone or doing the cause any kind of good? I assure you that cancer is already something people are aware of, some more than they'd like. Most people I know know someone close to them who've had it, I know many who've had it and conquered it, or died from it. I guarantee they aren't getting any extra help from this game.

I'm sure I have more thoughts rattling in my head, but that's it for now. I don't mean this to offend anyone, I only mean it to educate those who don't know or understand why it's so upsetting. Maybe some still won't get it because it's hard to know unless you've been in those shoes. All I ask is for a little sensitivity to those who need it, and for people to at least TRY to understand.

The Yard II

And here are the afters! Beautiful lawn with a crab apple tree in the front, along with day lilies, dogwoods, rocks, and some other bushes. The back has lilacs, I'm so excited for them to bloom (in the spring I'm guessing?). Hopefully we'll be able to getting around to planting a vegetable garden in the spring too!




As for news in our family, there's not much going on. Jer's job is great and he's really enjoying it! Ella's saying more 'real' words, but most of what she jabbers sounds French. We also got an '09 Nissan Rogue last night, I'm so excited to have my own car again! I was beginning to feel trapped and anxious, now I can actually run errands or do fun things while the sun is out and I'm feeling alive and awake, as well as have a way to get around in case of emergency.