Friday, July 22, 2005
JUNE....1995
June this year was exceptionally wet. We had one bad storm coming home from Van Buren that was spectacular. Along with racing clouds, dangerous lightening, torrential rain and hail we drove along, hoping to run out of it. That area is hilly, steep and with no shoulders to get off the road. There is heavy truck traffic from East to West across the bottom of our State and it is perilous even in good weather. We have seen our share of fatal accidents on that stretch of road. I kept hoping that everything was safe at home…… and we ran out of the rain a few miles away. With all of the electrical stuff on the Patrol car we were glad when the lightening was behind us.
Becky had a storm of her own this month. She complained of being very sick, was nauseous and in terrible pain. She had several surgeries behind her already and we couldn’t figure what could be wrong with her. It got so intrusive that she finally had to see a doctor and Bear drove her to Springfield. They took some tests and said they would have some answers by Friday, that week. When Friday rolled around she had her answer. Gallbladder. It was terribly infected and she was to have surgery on the 20th. Just knowing what it was made her feel a little better……sort of “the devil you know” kind of thing.
A few days later, Bear took her to Springfield for pre-op and pre-admittance to get all that out of the way. The 19th of June was our 25th wedding anniversary but it was a Tuesday and the day before Becky’s surgery so we didn’t have any special celebration. The next morning we got her to the hospital by 10:00 a.m. and they prepped her for surgery which was set for 12:00 noon. We walked along with her as far as we could and then went for coffee and a sandwich at the nice hospital Deli Bar. We relaxed a little and then waited in the surgical waiting room. Around 2:30pm our name was called…..Becky was out of surgery and in ICU. She was reported to be doing well. Dr. Cordonnier came out and told us her gallbladder was full of stones and he removed the whole gallbladder by laparoscopy. We waited in her room and she joined us shortly. Dr. Cordonnier said we could take her home the next day. We stayed until she was comfortable and then left for home.
Early the next day we headed back to get her. When we entered her room we were taken back by her appearance. She obviously was having difficulties. She told us an aide got her up in the early morning hours to walk and she fainted, falling to her knees. She bled all over and her stomach hurt where the incision was. They decided to keep her over night, she was weak and sore………she had a yellowish color. We left at the end of the day again, expecting to take her home the next day.
She was released and ready when we came for her the next morning. She was in a wheel-chair and looked very weak. We were concerned but I’d never had surgery and I thought it was just a natural thing……at least I tried to think it was normal. Bear drove carefully so as not to jar her but by the time we rode the 80+ miles, she was miserable. I put her to bed and tried to make her comfortable. She woke up the next day feeling worse. She had brown spots all over her right abdomen and her right side was swelling. She had difficulty getting up or down and I became very worried that something wasn’t right. We did everything we could think of and by evening we knew something was terribly wrong. We tried calling her doctor but kept getting a message that the number was not correct. In desperation we called the emergency room at Cox Hospital and talked with a Dr. Buckner. He asked a lot of questions and told us to flush her with water and Milk of Magnesia …….Bear rushed to the store and came back…….Becky began drinking. We stayed with her until late and then went to bed.
For some reason I woke up around 2:30am and thought I’d better check on her. I tiptoed to her room and I could see her in the moonlight coming in the window. She was awake………she turned her head and told me she hurt real bad. I pulled the covers back and raised her nightgown……..to my horror the brown spots had all come together and she was dark brown from under her right breast to her groin which went around to half of her back. John had quite a bit of medical knowledge so I called him and got him up…….I told him the whole story and he said this wasn’t something that could wait until morning, I’d better call 911. Which is what I did. The ambulance arrived by 3:30am and they took her to our closest hospital with Bear and I following in the car. Once there, they took X-rays and poked around on her stomach until she cried. She tried to fend off the hand of the so-called doctor but he put her hand down and kept poking into her side. Then back for more X-rays.
Poor Becky was in terrible pain and beside herself. The doctor came back and said since she had the surgery in Springfield, he was sending her there for treatment. They couldn’t find the problem. He was the sorriest doctor I ever saw in my life. It took them until 9:30 that morning to get paperwork and the ambulance to take Becky. I rode with her. She had two shots of morphine and they told her she wouldn’t feel a thing……..well, she felt every bump and by now the swelling in her abdomen looked like she was 6-months pregnant. We finally reached the hospital after what seemed to be an eternity. Some kind aides met us with a gurney and gently put Becky onto it….whisking us down the corridor. Help would be coming..……..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
Becky had a storm of her own this month. She complained of being very sick, was nauseous and in terrible pain. She had several surgeries behind her already and we couldn’t figure what could be wrong with her. It got so intrusive that she finally had to see a doctor and Bear drove her to Springfield. They took some tests and said they would have some answers by Friday, that week. When Friday rolled around she had her answer. Gallbladder. It was terribly infected and she was to have surgery on the 20th. Just knowing what it was made her feel a little better……sort of “the devil you know” kind of thing.
A few days later, Bear took her to Springfield for pre-op and pre-admittance to get all that out of the way. The 19th of June was our 25th wedding anniversary but it was a Tuesday and the day before Becky’s surgery so we didn’t have any special celebration. The next morning we got her to the hospital by 10:00 a.m. and they prepped her for surgery which was set for 12:00 noon. We walked along with her as far as we could and then went for coffee and a sandwich at the nice hospital Deli Bar. We relaxed a little and then waited in the surgical waiting room. Around 2:30pm our name was called…..Becky was out of surgery and in ICU. She was reported to be doing well. Dr. Cordonnier came out and told us her gallbladder was full of stones and he removed the whole gallbladder by laparoscopy. We waited in her room and she joined us shortly. Dr. Cordonnier said we could take her home the next day. We stayed until she was comfortable and then left for home.
Early the next day we headed back to get her. When we entered her room we were taken back by her appearance. She obviously was having difficulties. She told us an aide got her up in the early morning hours to walk and she fainted, falling to her knees. She bled all over and her stomach hurt where the incision was. They decided to keep her over night, she was weak and sore………she had a yellowish color. We left at the end of the day again, expecting to take her home the next day.
She was released and ready when we came for her the next morning. She was in a wheel-chair and looked very weak. We were concerned but I’d never had surgery and I thought it was just a natural thing……at least I tried to think it was normal. Bear drove carefully so as not to jar her but by the time we rode the 80+ miles, she was miserable. I put her to bed and tried to make her comfortable. She woke up the next day feeling worse. She had brown spots all over her right abdomen and her right side was swelling. She had difficulty getting up or down and I became very worried that something wasn’t right. We did everything we could think of and by evening we knew something was terribly wrong. We tried calling her doctor but kept getting a message that the number was not correct. In desperation we called the emergency room at Cox Hospital and talked with a Dr. Buckner. He asked a lot of questions and told us to flush her with water and Milk of Magnesia …….Bear rushed to the store and came back…….Becky began drinking. We stayed with her until late and then went to bed.
For some reason I woke up around 2:30am and thought I’d better check on her. I tiptoed to her room and I could see her in the moonlight coming in the window. She was awake………she turned her head and told me she hurt real bad. I pulled the covers back and raised her nightgown……..to my horror the brown spots had all come together and she was dark brown from under her right breast to her groin which went around to half of her back. John had quite a bit of medical knowledge so I called him and got him up…….I told him the whole story and he said this wasn’t something that could wait until morning, I’d better call 911. Which is what I did. The ambulance arrived by 3:30am and they took her to our closest hospital with Bear and I following in the car. Once there, they took X-rays and poked around on her stomach until she cried. She tried to fend off the hand of the so-called doctor but he put her hand down and kept poking into her side. Then back for more X-rays.
Poor Becky was in terrible pain and beside herself. The doctor came back and said since she had the surgery in Springfield, he was sending her there for treatment. They couldn’t find the problem. He was the sorriest doctor I ever saw in my life. It took them until 9:30 that morning to get paperwork and the ambulance to take Becky. I rode with her. She had two shots of morphine and they told her she wouldn’t feel a thing……..well, she felt every bump and by now the swelling in her abdomen looked like she was 6-months pregnant. We finally reached the hospital after what seemed to be an eternity. Some kind aides met us with a gurney and gently put Becky onto it….whisking us down the corridor. Help would be coming..……..
Until tomorrow,
Essentially Esther
