Well... it's not Gallstones (Warning - Too Much Information Follows)

There's no doubt that I didn't want to return to Ohio and head back to work after a week of vacation, but I didn't want a damn stomach virus.

My plans were to leave my hometown and return to Ohio this past Saturday. That would give me a full day to prepare for a new work week. My mom asked me to stay an extra day and we'd see a movie together. Mom and I use to always watch movies together, but it's difficult to do these days when you live 3 hours apart. I was up for a movie since we were planning on seeing Elizabethtown, but lo and behold, the movie theater wasn't showing the movie. Damn the theater. Still I stay. No problem.

I'm sound asleep until 2:30am Sunday morning my stomach feels queasy. I get up, head to the bathroom and a couple minutes later my arms are grasping the small trash can with my face not inches above it. (In my experience, it's best to be sitting on the toilet with the trash can nearby. ;0) )

In my head I knew this wasn't going to be just a one incident in the bathroom. I was going to have a long night, and day. I don't become sick too often, but when I do, it's not pretty. My stomach has a history of catching a virus and it all has to come up. Every last drop of liquid (bile).

(If this is too much you can always hit the BACK buttton.)

I'll skip ahead to about 4:30 pm Sunday, my stomach is almost completely empty. History reminds me not to eat or drink anything, having ice is even risky for fear that it will come back up. With a fever of 101.2 degrees I finally ask my mom to take me to the local hospital Emergency Room. (I was born in the hospital, visited the ER several times in my lifetime, and let me tell you, the place is different every time you go there. I'll have to provide a separate post on the ER some other time.)

Let's see here, I'm dehydrated, feverish, thirsty, and still queasy though I hadn't vomited in almost 4-5 hours. The nurses take some blood, make me pee in a cup (it was either that or something else done to me to provide them with a sample that I didn't want to endure), set me up with an I. V. and gave me a drip medicine to prevent the vomiting. About an hour later, the discharge nurse comes in to let me leave the ER and what do I do, I head straight to the restroom to vomit again. I had never felt so dizzy rushing to the restroom. I didn't want to vomit in the room I was in because I was sharing a room with someone else and didn't want them to hear me wretching. Believe me, it doesn't sound good. Barely made it to the restroom and I wonder if people thought I was going to fall before I arrived. (Yes that dizzy). So, I had the pleasure I receiving more medicine to prevent the vomiting, and this time it worked.

Next day I had a gallbladder ultrasound. The technicians were bound to obtain good pictures because there was nothing left in my system. My bile duct looks kinda odd on the screen. I didn't like the comment, "that looks small." What looks small? Tell me! But technicians aren't allowed to say anything like that. I think that was just a slip.

My boss doesn't expect me back until Monday. He told me to not come back until I'm well. Feeling better today, expect I can't talk too well. All the stomach acid coming up did a number on my throat. Nothing tastes good either. I was so looking forward to a nice cold crisp drink of 7up, or Sprite, or water, but all I tasted was something gross. I was so disappointed.

So that's how things have been for me for the past couple of days. I do have a couple of comments about my trips to the local Wal-Mart here in my hometown, but that's for another day.

Have a good day everyone.