I woke up on a Tuesday almost two weeks ago at 12am with intense and excruciating upper stomach pain.
I never get sick. And if I do, I am never sick enough to warrant meds or trip to the doctor. But this was different. It was so painful.
My husband, Jase, and I, ended up going to Urgent Care that Tuesday morning and they told me I had gastritis and heartburn, and sent me on my way. They gave me a script for Prilosec (that I never filled). This just felt different and way more painful than “heartburn.”
Things got worse Tuesday and the pain traveled down to my lower abdomen, so we decided it was best to go to the ER. They did a CT scan and blood work. The only thing that came back was a UTI. I’ve had a UTI before and I had zero symptoms. But they convinced me that’s all it was, and pumped me with some pain meds and antibiotics, which gave me some relief. We went home that night.
Wednesday I thought I was progressing (it was after all just a UTI), but the moment I laid down for bed that night at 7pm, I was in crippling pain. By 2am on Thursday I felt like I was dying and yelled to my husband from the hallway that we needed to get to the hospital immediately. Something wasn’t right and this isn’t a UTI.
It turns out I’m not crazy and the tremendous amount of pain I was going thru was because my appendix ruptured. They got me scheduled for surgery right away, and I got my appendix and part of my Large Intestine removed, which was also infected.
I had some pretty dark moments in the hospital- not knowing what my future looked like. They kept me in the hospital thru Sunday early afternoon. In the hospital I was pumped with so many IV antibiotics, fluids, and pain meds.
I’m so grateful to the Surgeon, Docs, Nurses, and CNA’s that helped me thru this difficult time. And to all of my amazing family, friends, and clients who have encouraged and supported me, visited me, sent me messages, flowers, gifts, and called me on Face Time!
I’m beyond grateful for my husband, Jase, for believing me when I told him something wasn’t right, and for carting me to Urgent Care, and the ER twice… sitting for hours with me, listening to me cry, and constantly reassuring me that everything would work out fine.
Recovery for me looks like 1 step forward 2 steps back. Which isn’t uncommon on a lot of people’s journeys. I’ve been struggling mentally and I physically but I’m trying to take it 1 day at a time with my emotional support dogs 💕 🐾
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One thing I know is certain: I’m a strong, tough, and powerful woman. And I will absolutely come back stronger than I was before. The comeback is always GREATER than the setback.
