I just got released from the hospital yesterday from gall balder surgery. I'm slowly but surely getting better. A week ago, I couldn't move without excruciating pain. The night of the surgery I was taken by ambulance to Prince William ER. I was begging for a catheter; I hadn't peed for 13 hours now and the pain was so bad. As they wheeled me in on the stretcher, every bump from the road and the doorway made me cry in pain. Not being able to turn my head to see, I hear a nurse walk briskly by, "Put her against the wall, there are no rooms for at least 15-20 minutes." I continued to beg for a catheter. There was nothing the EMT guys could do, and they were so kind.
Once I got into a room they left me to lay there in pain for an hour! Matt sat by my side feeling helpless. I started to get a headache, that could easily turn migraine. I was so dehydrated, and I just wanted water. Matt asked several nurses to get me water and there protocol response was the same, "She cannot have water until she's seen by a doctor." As time went on, the headache got worse. I thought, if this headache turns migraine, then I throw up and I can't throw up with all of this stomach and gallbladder pain and surgery. So I buzzed the nurse in again, and to no avail she gives me her same protocol response. Mind you, it's a different nurse every time. Then a nurse comes in and slaps a bed pan beside me and says, "just in case you throw up." I was so mad at this point and buzzed the nurse in one last time. This time a sweet lady comes in with six tiny ice cubes. It certainly sufficed me.
Once they got an IV going and pain medicine in, I was much calmer. I still couldn't hardly move, but at least the pain was now bearable. Matt tried to get me admitted to the hospital, but they insisted on releasing me at 330 am. They sent me home with a different pain medicine, that helped me get through the next few days. Matt was amazing and he helped me doing everything like I was 90 years old!
Friday rolls around and I'm not better. I started having shortness of breath. So my mother in law told Matt to take me back to the ER and insist that they admit me. Gratefully they admitted me at 200 am that night. They got me on an IV and pain meds.
As the surgeons still could not give me an answer as to why I've been in such pain, Dr. Abidin could. I finally talked to him yesterday!! He said that absolutely I should be in that much pain given my circumstances. He said that with the chronic inflammation and the fact that they had to cut my gallbladder away from my stomach and scar tissue etc. And not only that, I have an underlying immune deficiency (some type of auto immune disorder). Just b/c my immune deficiency isn't named, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I love Abidin. He always gives me hope.
Let me just show you God's glory in this. Even through the surgery and the doctors and ER visits and the struggles to get me admitted. The Lord still whispers my name. When it's hard to see how He's there and when things are at there worst. I can't see how they could get better!! But He's there quietly, patiently waiting with me. None of those doctors could give me answers. All they could say was that 99.9% of people recover easily from this surgery. Well, what about the others? I'm part of that .1% that they don't even want to deal with. But God does. The doctor literally told me that patients like me frustrate them. They like cookie cutter patients. 1 cor 1:27 says, "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." He cares for you and me. He cares about the remnant, the left behind. So, after drs and nurses not being able to give me answers, Dr. Abidin could. God led Stephanie to our church for me, for this time in my life. I have tears in my eyes typing this. Stephanie is my Esther, she is here for my deliverance. She is here "for such a time as this." She has given me hope with her story and with her Doctor (Abidin). So when no one could give me answers, I had a 2 minute conversation with dr. Abidin who gave me the hope I needed. I heard Jesus say to me, "I haven't forgotten you Sarah." I am here.
Once I got into a room they left me to lay there in pain for an hour! Matt sat by my side feeling helpless. I started to get a headache, that could easily turn migraine. I was so dehydrated, and I just wanted water. Matt asked several nurses to get me water and there protocol response was the same, "She cannot have water until she's seen by a doctor." As time went on, the headache got worse. I thought, if this headache turns migraine, then I throw up and I can't throw up with all of this stomach and gallbladder pain and surgery. So I buzzed the nurse in again, and to no avail she gives me her same protocol response. Mind you, it's a different nurse every time. Then a nurse comes in and slaps a bed pan beside me and says, "just in case you throw up." I was so mad at this point and buzzed the nurse in one last time. This time a sweet lady comes in with six tiny ice cubes. It certainly sufficed me.
Once they got an IV going and pain medicine in, I was much calmer. I still couldn't hardly move, but at least the pain was now bearable. Matt tried to get me admitted to the hospital, but they insisted on releasing me at 330 am. They sent me home with a different pain medicine, that helped me get through the next few days. Matt was amazing and he helped me doing everything like I was 90 years old!
Friday rolls around and I'm not better. I started having shortness of breath. So my mother in law told Matt to take me back to the ER and insist that they admit me. Gratefully they admitted me at 200 am that night. They got me on an IV and pain meds.
As the surgeons still could not give me an answer as to why I've been in such pain, Dr. Abidin could. I finally talked to him yesterday!! He said that absolutely I should be in that much pain given my circumstances. He said that with the chronic inflammation and the fact that they had to cut my gallbladder away from my stomach and scar tissue etc. And not only that, I have an underlying immune deficiency (some type of auto immune disorder). Just b/c my immune deficiency isn't named, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. I love Abidin. He always gives me hope.
Let me just show you God's glory in this. Even through the surgery and the doctors and ER visits and the struggles to get me admitted. The Lord still whispers my name. When it's hard to see how He's there and when things are at there worst. I can't see how they could get better!! But He's there quietly, patiently waiting with me. None of those doctors could give me answers. All they could say was that 99.9% of people recover easily from this surgery. Well, what about the others? I'm part of that .1% that they don't even want to deal with. But God does. The doctor literally told me that patients like me frustrate them. They like cookie cutter patients. 1 cor 1:27 says, "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong." He cares for you and me. He cares about the remnant, the left behind. So, after drs and nurses not being able to give me answers, Dr. Abidin could. God led Stephanie to our church for me, for this time in my life. I have tears in my eyes typing this. Stephanie is my Esther, she is here for my deliverance. She is here "for such a time as this." She has given me hope with her story and with her Doctor (Abidin). So when no one could give me answers, I had a 2 minute conversation with dr. Abidin who gave me the hope I needed. I heard Jesus say to me, "I haven't forgotten you Sarah." I am here.
