There is a chance I will need to have surgery to remove my gallbladder in the near future. To this, Ana said, “I am just going to start calling you an organ minimalist!” We both laughed a ton at this. Maybe too much but at that point we were both extremely tired and this just seems….wow.

Let me back up. On Wednesday evening around 9pm I started to feel a bit achy in my back. Nothing serious but enough that I thought I had tweeked something or was sitting in a weird position on the couch. I rubbed my back and moved around and thought…huh, well, its ok.

I got ready for bed around 9:30pm. yes, we are that tired because our kiddo has been going through a major sleep regression this month. I climbed into bed to read and got more and more uncomfortable. The pain started to get worse and all through my abdomen around my ribs and back. I thought perhaps there was something wrong in my stomach. It was uncomfortable but mangageable but getting less so. The pain was now ebbing into worse and less bad.

Ana started to get ready for bed around 10 and noticed I was sitting up and moving around rather than lying down and reading. I told her that whatever was happening was getting really painful and I couldn’t lie down to be comfy. By 10:15 I was throwing up. Now we thought it was food poisoning. But everytime I threw up…no relief…just more intense and long lasting pain. By 11:15, the pain was excruciating to the point we were considering going to the ER. I didn’t want to call 911 so I started calling brothers. Everyone had their phone silenced…as they should. At this point, I was just curled up in the bathroom and in intense extreme and non relenting horrendous pain. And I have a high pain threshold. At 11:30 or so….I agreed to call 911. The EMTs arrived soon after and an ambulance came next. What a show! I have never called 911 before and have never had to ride in an ambulance.

At this point they asked if I wanted to drive myself but a) baby was fast asleep for the first time in weeks for a prolonged period of time b) Ana can’t drive and c) at this point I couldn’t either between throwing up and extreme doubling over pain. I rode the fancy way.

Turns out, gall stones are to blame. After pain meds and anti nausea meds and ultrasound pics, we know that these little stones are the reason for such immense unbelievable pain. Which means that the gallbladder may have to come out sooner than later.

I got home around 3am via Uber which was a trip in an of itself. I had a really awesome convo with the driver on my way home in a weird set of circumstances and fell fast asleep. Thursday was kind of a blur but with an awesome spouse we made it through even with a wide awake infant! I am not thrilled about possible surgery due to just a year ago being intimate with surgery life but also, that was NOT how I want to spend my time. My diet has shifted to try to avoid whatever attack my gallbladder takes on my body. BUT if I take out another organ…well, that’s something to ponder. Don’t even think about it, appendix! Tonsils, better stay put! I would like to keep both kidneys thank you very much!

Also, this is a fun comparison of hospital bills and costs of healthcare, eh? An ER copay of 350 dollars compared to not even that high of a bill after close to two weeks in the hospital in Berlin. That is a rant for another day and I am so grateful for the privilege of insurance that we currently have and the means to pay the copay and the bills sure to come.

And luckily it wasn’t something more serious because I need to be around a long time for this guy…

Other ponderances to come about late summer and US life and all the things soon. Stay healthy!