Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Take that baby out!

Okay, not a literal baby - I already did that. Twice. Nope, I'm talking about the gall bladder. I am going to have surgery! I'm waiting around now for the nurse to call to schedule it. Yippee!

The gall bladder is supposed to eject about 50% of the dye in the test I had yesterday. Mine only ejected about 10%. I don't have gall stones, it's more of a sluggish gall bladder. The doctor did say that a lot of times when the pathologist looks at it, they'll find little beads of cholesterol, or sometimes crystals in the gall bladder. The medicine prescribed last week has settled my stomach enough that I can feel the gall bladder now. It feels like I have a knot or catch right below my rib - it's a constant feeling. If I eat something with the littlest bit of fat, then there is a flare of pain - anywhere from a couple of minutes to an hour. It's not anything horrible, but definitely uncomfortable. I'm ready to get this over with and get back to normal. The surgeon that I have been talking to is out of town for all of March, so this is a new one I talked to today. He gave me the choice of waiting till the other guy got back to town or having it as soon as possible - I voted for ASAP. I even talked to him about the relay. He said he advises people to take two weeks off of work - at the end of that two weeks, the pain is mostly gone, but most people have trouble with fatigue. He warned me that I could probably run, but not to expect my best times. Sounds good to me! (Edited to add surgery is 4/3).

I also have a follow up with my primary care doctor on Friday to discuss the blood tests I just had. My husband has taken to calling me "God's gift to the medical profession". These last few months has been just like two years ago - I was at the doctor or getting tests just about every other week for three months. Believe it or not, before that, with the exception of pregnancy, I only visited the doctor twice a year for a physical and an echo on my heart. I'm looking forward to getting back to that schedule.

On the running side of things, I ran with my friend Barb this morning. We had a nice relaxed run, finishing up with a trip through the hilly park - it was actually light enough to find our way at 6:00 am. Barb's knee seems to be settling down, so she's hoping to get back at it on a regular basis. That's all my news for now!

8 comments:

Olga said...

Well, the decision is made - now just do it and get back to normal life. Let us know when it's happening. Michelle, best to you. I'll keep my fingers crossed (I don't pray:-))

onepinkfuzzy said...

yay! you should be back in no time. isn't it strange how you can actually feel it?

Unknown said...

You know normally people are not so excited about getting surgery. I hope it takes care of a lot of your problems and maybe even allows you to run a little longer. I know you're hoping the same and I am sure Eric is shaking his head.

Sarah Elaine said...

Sounds like you've found the right solution. Keep us posted.

Thinking about you and wishing you health and vitality...

Flo said...

Yay!! Solution found. Now you can get it out and get on with your life. That's great. It must be a huge relief to just know what's wrong.

Ironayla said...

I echo Rob's comment about it taking care of a lot of your problems. That would be really nice for you!

I am glad to hear you have a date set and will still be available for Mt. Si. If you want, I could keep you company during the relay (if that is allowed).

Donald said...

Good luck with making preparations for surgery. I'll send good vibes your way.

Tammy said...

It's exciting to see a light at the end of the tunnel o' pain, eh? You'll get through this and be back on your feet in no time. :)