Gallbladder Attack/Halloween 2012

The kids and I were on our way to the DMV to get my new NC license. We were half way there when I realized that I didn’t have a valid insurance card…it expired since our move and the old one probably got sent to our old house. Opps! So I drove home to print a new one. As I was getting back into my car I literally doubled over with an extreme pain that hit me on my right side. I decided to tough it out and started driving back towards the DMV. The pain just kept getting worse and worse, to the point that I was having great difficulty breathing.

I immediately called Lover Boy at work but didn’t get him. So I called the Nurse Hotline that our insurance company has but their number must have changed from the one I had in my phone because it put me through to a bunch of prompts that I wasn’t even really able to pay attention to because I was in such extreme pain. I hung up and called my best friend back in IL. Sounding like an idiot out of breath, I tried explaining briefly what was happening to me and asked her to look it up online. She suggested that she call the hospital for me. I declined. Then I started getting a beep from Lover Boy on the other end so I hung up with her and switched to him. I tell him what’s going on and that I have no other option then to go to Urgent Care because I’m literally dying of extreme pain. But then it hit me, idiot, just call your doctor and see what they say. So I hang up with him, call my doctor and they tell me to come in immediately. So I turn back around and head in the total opposite direction. I call Lover Boy back and tell him I’m going to the doctor instead.

Time out: let me explain this pain to you. OK for those of you who have delivered babies before, it’s that EXTREME pain of contractions that you have right before they finally decide you’ve dilated enough and give you the epidural. The kind of pain that makes you want to rip your husband’s head off for doing this to you. For those of you who have never had a baby, think of all of the movies you’ve seen where someone is in labor. Looks pretty painful right? Well, they’re not lying. They just may be a little more vocal or expressive, all personal preference (I not the screamer, name caller, etc) – I just sound like I’m dying from being suffocated. Really heavy, deep breathing. 🙂 TMI?? nahh. Anyway, the worst pain ever. Only with contractions they let up every so many minutes. This pain I had would not let up. It just kept going strong. And I’m so serious when I say that I could not catch my breath, it was that bad.

Time in: So Lover Boy leaves work to meet me at the doctor. He beats me there because he has quicker access to the highway from his work than we do from our house…it’s the quickest way after you cross the lake. He keeps telling me on the phone to try not to focus on the pain and just be really careful and just think about the kids and get there safely. All fine and dandy…except I could hardly breathe.

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Anyway, after what seems like ten years (it was actually only 40 minutes) I arrive at the doctor’s office. I’m not even joking that when I say I turned into their drive the pain subsided, almost totally and I could breathe again. I get out at the door and Lover Boy takes my car to park it and bring in the kids (thank God for awesome husbands!!!)

To make a long story short, I explain my symptoms, they check me out, etc and tell me that I had a Gallbladder Attack. They said that I may have another one in 2 days, 4 months, or never again. I could go and eat a greasy, spicy Papa John’s pizza and be fine, but then eat a cup of yogurt and go into another attack. Should another attack happen, I have to go in immediately and they will hook me up to scanners, etc and give me pain meds. But they kept reiterating that I cannot be afraid to eat. That I have to make sure I do, obviously keep eating and just keep track in a journal of anything that seems to trigger any pains.

I walked out of their office just as fine as I was earlier in the day. Just like nothing happened. Insane, huh? It was definitely the most pain I’ve ever been in and was pretty scary!

I thought I would share to do my good deed for the day:

GALLBLADDER ATTACK SYMPTOMS specifically

Please note that if you are in severe pain and particularly if your attack symptoms are accompanied by fever DO SEEK MEDICAL ATTENTION IMMEDIATELY. The following symptoms are typical of a gallbladder attack.

• Moderate to severe pain under the right side of the rib cage
• Pain may radiate through to the back or to the right shoulder
• Severe upper abdominal pain (biliary colic)
• Nausea
• Queasiness
• Vomiting
• Gas
• Burping or belching
• Attacks are often at night
• Attacks often occur after overeating
• Pain will often but not always follow a meal with fats or grease
• Pain may be worse with deep inhalation
• Attacks can last from 15 minutes to 15 hours

Fast forward two hours: We are home, ready for trick-or-treating! 

Little Finch doing a little pre dance before getting into her Halloween costume. (Remember these outfits the kids are wearing? I made them last year for her 3rd birthday party…apparently my kids haven’t grown much!)

Yes, I’m an excellent mother. I let me children ride bikes in the house. 🙂 Look how happy it makes them!

We made little goodie bags that we left on our front porch since both Lover Boy and I take the kids door to door and no one is at our house.

Side note: Our candy was all gone before we even left our house. When I tell you that there were trucks, cars, and golf carts with trailers hooked up behind them with lights, hay bails and “scary” music playing I’m being 100% serious. Kids were coming in droves. I’ve never seen anything like it in my entire life. It was crazy! (and I bought 5 bags of candy!! Next year I apparently need to buy out the whole candy isle at Wal-Mart!)

Carving the pumpkins earlier in the week:

So proud of both of them for not being too scared to touch the guts!

Little Finch carving her pumpkin

Didn’t she do an amazing job for just turning 4?!?!? (hehe)

Laughing Coyote’s “not too spooky” witch!

Cutest Snow White and Dinosaur on the block!

My precious family.

Overall the kids had a great time trick-or-treating this year (except for the one house with the guy with the scary mask! haha…our kiddos are definitely not fans of scary stuff!) We covered the same amount of distance that we used to at our SC house, however, at that house we would easily hit 75 houses. Here, we only did our street, which has 2 cul-de-sacs = 17 houses, including our house! The yards are just so much bigger, so the kids didn’t end up with as much candy…which is not a bad thing at all!)

Hope everyone had a great Halloween!!! and stay clear of Gallbladder attacks if you can!