Hope your Thanksgiving was a good one. I’ll give the rocking report of mine first. 
I was a little slow in getting to my brother’s house on Thursday pretty much because I wanted to spend some alone time first and then I had to finish preparing the food I was bringing (baked yams). I got there around 2:00 I think and had a nice afternoon. When dinner rolled around I filled my plate with the food I wanted — a small scoop of mashed potatoes and gravy, a small spoon of dressing with gravy, a large scoop (or two) of baked yams, a spoon of bean salad, one roll (that was warm and yummy), and about five stalks (is that what they’re called) of asparagus. My plate was perfect. I was extremely satisfied.
After dinner we played some cards and before our last game they cut the pie. We had two choices — pumpkin or pumpkin with a pecan crust.
I don’t like pumpkin pie.
Normally, I would have eaten it because I was afraid I’d hurt the feelings of the person who made it. Thursday, I didn’t. I don’t like pumpkin pie, I didn’t complain I just said “no thanks”. I did have a cookie because I wanted something sweet but I ate what I wanted not what I felt others expected me to eat.
I was very empowered and felt very good about myself because of it.
And the weekend was all downhill from there.
Earlier in the evening my dad wasn’t feeling good and said we might be taking a trip to the local ER. I said I’d take him but he informed me he was joking. I said that wasn’t something to joke about and that if he said it again we were going. Well, during the last round of our card game I overheard my dad mention the hospital to my brother. I set down my cards and told my brother to get his keys because we were going to the ER right then.
And we did.
And the ER was kind of crowded but we weren’t even able to complete the paperwork at the first desk before being ushered back to triage.
And he was admitted for the third hospital stay in two months.
And he had surgery this morning.
And I think his doctors in California are complete and total MORONS who should be hit because for the past THREE MONTHS my dad has had gallstones and has been dealing with a “very unhealthy and abnormal gallbladder” (quote from the surgeon who removed it today). That multiple doctors through multiple doctors visits and two hospitalizations and more tests than I can count on my ALL my fingers and toes couldn’t figure out. The ER doctors weren’t even going to test for gallbladder issues even though the signs were all there because after all the tests and exams and doctors he’s dealt with over the past THREE MONTHS this should have been the first thing they looked for.
We did get an apology from the doctor up here because it took him 12+ hours to actually order this test (even though we don’t find any fault with him because EVERYTHING we told him pointed to this having been already ruled out).
But, the good news is that he had the surgery today. The nasty, unhealthy, abnormal gallbladder is no longer residing in his body. He’s loopy (and absolutely hilarious he’s on so many drugs) and feeling crappy but my dad’s on his way to getting better.
He’s also furious. He also wants to know why some moronic doctor told my sister THREE WEEKS AGO that he had gallstones but it was “no big deal” and they completely ignored it and pumped him full of narcotics and sent him on his merry way to spend THREE WEEKS in excruciating pain until a doctor 1000 miles away said: hell no let’s take that thing out and see what happens.
So, that’s been my life since Thursday.
And for the record, hospital cafeteria food SUCKS. But, then, I knew that…I just always forget.
29 November 2009, 5:45 AM
I mean seriously, wth?
But I guess the important thing is that he is going to get well now.
And I know another secret about your holiday weekend, but we’ll have to wait until Tuesday for you to blog about it . . .
Sue´s last blog ..we interrupt this novel . . .
29 November 2009, 10:25 AM
I understand your frustration! I was sick for two years and I kept begging doctor after doctor to find out why. None of them seemed to concerned and took umbrage that I asked. Out of desperation, I went to a naturopath (naturopathy is actually ILLEGAL in several states). One SIMPLE, CHEAP blood test later, and I found out that I have a severe Vitamin D deficiency. Hello?! I live in Seattle! Why didn’t the prestigious specialist I saw think to check for that. If I stay well and healthy for the rest of the year, I plan to write a politely pointed letter to those docs who let me down and share with them the tremendous results I’ve received from simple Vitamin D supplementation.
Maybe they can put aside their arrogance for a moment in order to learn something.
christy in seattle´s last blog ..Christy in Denver