What a Week!

Well - tonight marks the end of a non-stop crazzzzy 168 hours for the past week! I will tell you about our ride....and yes, this is the short version as best as I can do....

Saturday night - around 12:00 am (ok, so Sunday morning...) - Jennifer wakes up with a horrible pain in her abdomen and chest. She had this same feeling a little over 3 months ago....somewhere around the time Madilyn was 1 month old. We went to the ER that night...but they sent us home and said it was nothing big to worry about - not her heart or anything. It was likely pressue built up from giving birth.

She has had a couple of more episodes, but none too horrible. They seemed to pass quickly. She linked the pains to chocolate, so decided to avoid chocolate for a while. Saturday night...the pains returned. She was hurting for about an hour and a half....it was awful! So, she and Madilyn stayed home from church....she began to feel better Sunday night around 6:30 or so.

Monday morning - around 9:00 am - Jennifer calls and gets an appointment for the doctor on Wednesday, the 29th.

Wednesday night - around 10:00 pm - I'm finishing up at quartet practice when Jennifer calls with more pain. She had a little epiosed earlier in the evening, but it wasn't bad. This one never got too bad, but it lasted about an hour. So, I told her we were calling the doctor to get in TOMORROW!

Thursday morning - around 8:00 am - I usually leave for school around 8:00, but I decided to hold off a little to call the doctor and demand an appointment. The nurse calls back around 8:30 and tells Jennifer to be there at 9:10....she had just fed Madi, had no shower, and it takes about 20 - 25 minutes to drive to the doctor. So, she very quickly showered and got there about 9:15. I cancelled class and stayed with Madilyn while Jennifer went to the doctor. Doc thought it sounded like gallbladder problems....so he set up an ultrasound for her at 12:30 pm Thursday.

Thursday - 12:30 pm - Jennifer's mom decided she'd come watch Madilyn while I took Jennifer to the hospital for the ultrasound. She lives an hour and a half away....had to take off work....but wanted to come. (And boy, are we glad she did! You'll see why in a second...) We get to the hospital and have the ultrasound done. The tech told Jennifer that she couldn't tell Jennifer anything and she'd probably hear back from the doctor on Monday. So....since I had cancelled my class and it doesn't meet on Fridays, I drove to Arkadelphia to get my books from my office (I never take them home on Wednesday nights because I'm at church all night and never have time to study, anyway.)

Thursday - around 1:00 -- another twist - As you know from a previous post, our washing machine has stopped working....they ordered the part and was supposed to come on....you guessed it....Thursday afternoon. So, he came to the house while Mrs. Kathy was here watching Madilyn. He began to work on it....and the part they shipped to us was the WRONG PART! So, he had to order the right part, which would take another "few days." Hmmmm.....very frustrating!

Thursday - around 2:30 pm - As I'm leaving my office, Jennifer calls and tells me they are going to her aunt's house in town to do some laundry.....and also, the doctor called her back, said she had gallstones, and had to have her gallbladder removed either "today or tomorrow." He also said that her liver enzymes were very high (normal is max at 40...hers were over 500) and those would have to come down before they could perform surgery....so, she needed to be admitted tonight to get an IV started. So, I head back to Hot Springs...a little shaken, but ok.

Thursday - around 3:30 pm - I go and pick her up at her aunt's house. She had just heard from the doctor's office again....they needed her at the hospital by 5:00 pm. So, we left Mrs. Kathy and Madilyn at the aunt's house finishing a load of laundry and left them the 4 Runner. We took my truck back to the house to pack and everything. What a whirlwind of a day already!

Thursday - around 4:15 pm - We finish packing and head for the hospital. Not far down the road, my truck stops running! Well, I should say it stopped driving. It didn't turn off or anything, but just wouldn't drive. (No, I'm not making this up!) So, we have to pull over at an insurance office, get out, and Mrs. Kathy and Madi picked us up and took us to the hospital.

Thursday - around 4:45 pm - We get checked in the hospital, Jen gets her IV started, and the waiting begins.

Friday morning - around 5:45 am (I think....) - Jennifer's doctor comes by, says her levels are great, and there is no reason she shouldn't have the surgery that day (Friday).

Friday morning - around 6:15 am (again, these times are approximate...it was very early and I slept very little....) - I go get coffee by the nurse's station. On my way back, I ask them what time her surgery is. Her doctor is sitting there at the station, looking at a chart. They check the schedule....she's not on it! Doctor looks up....he told them to call Surgery and find out. They call - they've never heard of Jennifer. Doctor tells them to put her on the schedule. He tells me that they'll get everything together and let us know something.

Friday morning - around 7:30 am - My parents and Jennifer's dad arrive in town...they all took off of work to be here for the surgery.

Friday morning - around 7:45 am - Head nurse for the floor walks in and says that the surgeon would be by after he finishes clinic at 12:00 pm. AND, it's possible that she won't have the surgery until the NEXT morning. But, Jennifer is not to eat anything...just in case. (The last meal Jennifer had was a quick burger and fries from Wendy's on Thursday at 1:30 pm.)

Friday morning - around 11:00 am - The surgeron's nurse comes by and says surgery will NOT be Friday, but at 8:30 on Saturday.

Friday afternoon - around 1:20 pm - Surgeon comes by....VERY nice! He is a very well-respected doctor and spent much more time with us than most doctors would. He explained that there was a miscommunication between him and the GP....so, that's why there is a delay in the surgery. So, Jennifer had sat there starving forever....and was going to continue to starve for another day. The did allow her "clear liquids" Friday afternoon and evening, but that's not food! :)

During all this time, you may be wondering where Madilyn was....Gran (aka Mrs. Kathy...aka Jennifer's mom) kept her Thursday night and brought her to the hospital Friday. I think she was the only thing keeping Jennifer from going insane! :)

The rest of Friday evening was just sitting at the hospital. My quartet had a concert in town, so Jennifer insisted I go because there was nothing going on there. Other than that, it was an uneventful night. Side note....the concert went very well...we thought it was very well received! :)

Saturday morning - around 7:00 - My brother Jody called...his pregnant wife, Janée, fainted and hit her head this morning. They were coming to the hospital....but they decided they'd better stay at home and let her rest.

Saturday morning - around 9:45 - Jennifer had her surgery. She did great! They were able to perform it laparoscopically, which is MUCH better for recovery!

Saturday afternoon - around 2:30ish - Jennifer was released to come home.

Saturday evening - even as I type - She's in bed in some pain, but doing very well! She is one tough mama!! :)

Are you exhausted after reading this?!?!? I tell you what....living it was not easy! But, at the end of the day, I look back and feel very blessed! Why?

Right before Jennifer was wheeled off to surgery, a fellow church member that is also a doctor was on rounds this morning and came by to see Jennifer and had prayer with us....then our pastor prayed with all of us in the hallway. We had NINE people in the waiting room at the hospital....Jennifer's parents (2), our pastor(3), our music minister and his wife(5), our best friends from church Clint and Crystal (7), and Jennifer's Aunt Susan and Uncle Mark(9). My dad and mom also came up again this morning....since we didn't think Madi should be in the waiting room, Mama kept Madilyn all day at our house....you know what a burden that was for her!! :) Mama also cleaned a little....and cooked a LOT! We have some good, good homecooked food to eat!! When Daddy wasn't helping Mama with Madi, he worked on my truck and figured out what was wrong with it....and that took a LONG time! (I still have to take it to the shop because he didn't have all the right tools to fix it, but at least I know it's not going to be beyond repair!) Jennifer's Aunt Susan and best friend Crystal each did a couple of loads of laundry for us and brought them to the house. Janée is fine...baby is moving and nothing seems to be wrong! And we had numerous calls, emails, facebook well-wishes and offers to help from many people who live around us. To help me with Jen and Madi, Jennifer's mom is staying with us tonight and tomorrow and her grandmother will be here tomorrow night through whenever Jennifer needs her. But I am most thankful that my sweetie made it through the surgery with no problems! She'll be sore for a little while, but she won't have those blasted attacks anymore!! :) We both feel that, even though this was a crazy week...especially the last 3 days, we are SO BLESSED to have so many people to care for us and help us! And we thank God for all our wonderful family, church family and friends!

Whew....now that I've relived all that...I think it's time for bed! :) (Despite what the post time says, it is now 9:07 pm as I finish.) I hope it makes sense....and that I didn't leave anything/anybody out! :)