Gall Bladder Surgery

Back again to do some catching up!  I was just flipping through the pictures on my camera memory today and realized I had some things to add!  Try to bear with me here as I catch up here as well as adding photos on Facebook.

Out of chronological order (but certainly the biggest thing that happened to us most recently) is that Kyle had surgery to get his gall bladder removed.  This whole ordeal started way back in March, the day before we left for our spring break cruise...

...Kyle complained that afternoon of chest pains that gradually moved down to the side of his abdomen.  He's had food poisoning multiple times, so we assumed it was just that.  He tried throwing up to make himself feel better, but nothing worked!  I worried that maybe his appendix burst, but after a little bit of research online, I discovered that a burst appendix would have pain built up over the span of several days.  Also, the pain wouldn't start in the chest.  Hmmm...so what could this be?

We called our parents to see if they had any ideas that we didn't think of.  Kyle's brother had just been in the ER a few days previous for having a build-up of gas throughout his entire mid-section.  The doctors told his brother to take some Gas-X and it would relieve the pain.  Tried it, but nothing.  So at about 9:30 PM the day before we were to leave for the cruise (my parents were picking us up at about 10 AM), we went to the ER down the street.  

I was in a panic.  Not only was I worried about Kyle's feeling ill and us not getting any sleep, but I also had to pack (which of course I put off until that night...never again!) and run to the store to pick up last minute things for our trip....if we could still go.  To make a long story short, we ended up going obviously.  Kyle got some pain medicine through an IV and then to take with him on the trip.  They did some CAT scans and discovered he had gall stones, which is very uncommon in someone under 25.  Yikes.  So, with strict orders to eat right on the cruise and to come back as soon as possible to have the gall bladder (and stones) removed, we were on our way.

...except he didn't have any more flare-ups.  He had a dull pain in his side a lot, but other than that, no gall stones seemed to be lodged anywhere.  So instead of listening to the doctors and coming back for a surgery right away, we decided to wait until summertime when school was out so he could have recovery time and I could be with him.

Originally he was to have the surgery laparoscopically (and they would have pulled the gall bladder out through his belly-button), but after the began the surgery, the doctors quickly saw that there were some problems.  The gall bladder was too swollen to pull it out that way, the walls of the gall bladder were too thick and not very bendy, and two of his gall stone had gotten out of his gall bladder and were lodged in his liver duct (and quite possibly some had gotten into his liver).  So they had to do it the old-fashioned way by cutting him open and removing it that way.  They removed the stones from the liver duct but didn't want to cut into the liver if they didn't have to, so we had to wait until he was well enough to get an MRI a few days later before we could go home.  Needless to say, Kyle was in the hospital for five whole days recuperating.  

The first two days he was pretty out of it being hopped up on morphine and all, but the last three he became more alert and willing to walk.  I spent almost my entire day in the hospital with him each day he was there.  I left in the morning to shower and eat breakfast and feed the cats and then at night to get into my PJs and feed the cats again.  I'm just glad we live so close so I was able to do that.  I guess I could have slept at home (it certainly would have been a lot more comfortable!), but I know if it were me, I wouldn't want to be alone, so I didn't want to leave him there by himself.  And boy, he sure was grateful!  Now that we're home and I ask him to do anything for me, he jumps right to it! :)

He didn't want any pictures taken of him while he was in the hospital (Kyle hates taking pictures even when he's well), but I did manage to get a few to document our life experience:

Kyle's bed with all his bedding and my stuff on it right before we left the hospital.

Our "goody bucket"...bucket to puke in, hospital socks, toothbrush, mouthwash, etc.  All complimentary from the hospital!

Kyle's lunch when he was on his liquid diet.  Poor guy's so sick of jello.

Hospital journal in case he'd like to write about his hospital experience.  Kyle laughed hysterically every time I brought it up.  Something tells me he'd rather forget the experience instead of remember it!

Kyle's room board the day we left.

The only picture of him he'd let me take...complete with stockings to keep blood circulating and hospital socks.

Everyone sure was happy when Daddy came home!  Max has been cuddling behind Kyle's head nonstop.

Recovery is going great!  Since Monday, Kyle has walked a ton and gained his stamina back.  It still hurts him to sit up and laugh and sneeze and yawn, but he's getting around a lot better.  The bruising on his abdomen is going away and his staples come out tomorrow!  We're ready to get it put behind us and never have to think about it again....

...oh yeah, I about forgot...that hospital bill will be coming soon.