I'm back...
Thursday early morning I'm vomiting. Pain in my lower tight abdominal area. Emailed the youngest, we will not be able to drive 600 miles on Sunday to watch the the grandkids for the two weeks as planned. Plan B is Grandkids to be shuttled to the in-laws for week one.
Early Sunday morning. Unable to hid the pain from the wife. Finally listen to the wife and agreed to go to the emergency room. Gall stone.
Monday. They run a garden hose (Hospital groundkeeper said it was a new hose) down my throat, through my stomach to my small intestine where the bile duct connects. Down the hose they run a wire up the bile duct, inflate an air bag, retrieve the wire pulling the sludge and stone from the bile duct, sucking it all up with a shop vac (layman terms).
Potential blood clots are now my #1 enemy. To help prevent blood clots they have pressure cuffs on my lower legs and I'm to walk. Pushing the table out of the way allows me to sit up and power off the pressure cuffs. Taking care not to bend my right arm to prevent the IV alarm to go off, I use both hands to disconnect the air tubes to both pressure cuffs. Now I can stand up to push the table further away and give me access to the IV stand. Making sure I'm stand between the IV stand and the bed headboard I reach behind the head board to unplug the power to the IV stand. Coil the IV power cord around a thumb nut and now I can go for a walk. Repeat the procedure to get back into bed. Yes I could have 'beeped' a nurse to come and helped me but I figured they have more important work to do. They had to call security to restrain a patient and my roommate 'beeping' every hour for things like a cup for coffee at 2 AM...I can help the nursing staff my doing this myself.
Tuesday. I'm scheduled for gall bladder removal at 4 PM. I remind my Doctor I haven't eaten since Thursday and he needs to have the surgery done before the Hospital Cafeteria closes at 6 PM. He asks if I want him to rush thought the surgery? I'm out of recovery and in my roome at 6:30 PM. Nurse has a sack meal waiting for me. Best turkey sandwich I've ever eaten! God Bless Her!
I had a shock when I looked in the bathroom mirror. My dad was staring back at me! Is it possible that I'm no longer 16 years of age and invincible? I knew I was the oldest male member of our family branch but didn't really sink in till now.
Wednesday. I'm released to go home before noon. As soon as the IV is out of my arm I'm up and dressed. No lifting over 20 pounds, low fat diet and yes I can drive the 600 miles IF I stop every hour to take several walking laps around the car.
Sunday. Drive 200 miles to the son's in-laws. Transfer the grandkids car seats to our car and visit a bit before heading to town for a hotel.
Monday. 8 AM pickup the grand kids. Drive 400 miles to take them to their home and stay with them for week two until their parents return.
Tuesday - Wednesday. Spoil the grandkids. Play grounds at parks, children zoo, reading stories and playing.
Thursday. 9 PM head to the airport to pick up son and DIL.
Friday. Grand kids wake up with mom and dad home! Son and I do some electrical work on their house they are remodeling.
Saturday. Finish up the electrical work. The afternoon all go to see the movie Frozen II.
Sunday. Load up our car. After church we go out to eat lunch together and then say our goodbyes. Normally I drive until I'm tired and then check into a hotel to finish the trip the next day. We got four states to drive through. Almost out of the first State and I'm getting dozy. We stop for gas, potty break for the wife and my laps around the car. Wife bring me a 5 gallon bucket of Mountain Dew (OK maybe just a super gulp sized cup). I start sipping the Mountain Dew and before we know it we are out of State #2 and into State #3. Late at night traffic has thinned out considerably and we're making good time and I've got plenty of Mountain Dew left. State #4 is our home State and the State Capital is empty as we buzz though. I'm out of Mountain Dew but only have two hours to go! We get home at 2:30 AM on Monday.
Monday. Unloaded car and go to bed. Wake up with the bedroom light shinning in my face. Wondering if that's the wife's way of telling me it's pass time to get up? I open my eyes, it's not the bedroom lights but the sunlight that woke me, it's 10 AM.
Chicken chores and the rest of the day getting the leaves off the yards and blown into the woods. Late evening when the wife gets home we drop her car off at the mechanic (no heat). Late supper before heading to bed at 9 PM.
Tuesday. Take the rental car we used for the trip back to the rental agency. Wife drops me off at home and she heads to work. While I debating if milling out a 80% lower or a nap will take priority I type this post.
at granddaughter bathing her feet in the dog's bowl. Children just have a natural affinity to any sort of water.
