Much Needed Update

What a busy and chaotic month August has turned out to be. I can honestly say we are looking forward to seeing the month come to an end and to begin a new one. We did get fully moved into our new house and are loving it! The neighborhood is excellent and the people so far have proved to be wonderful! We both like this area so much more than anywhere else we have lived, especially out here. The girls started school yesterday and are now riding the school bus. They love it! We are waiting on the Internet to be connected at our house right now. As soon as it is we will be updating with some pictures! There are quite a few to add! Hopefully soon.

Thank you so much to everyone for all the prayers, love, and support. We cannot thank everyone enough. I guess now is a good time to update you all on the medical hell experienced this month. I went in on August 9 for surgery at William Beaumony Army Medical Center. Due to many years of female problems and the fact that the partial hysterectomy didn't correct the problems, I had to have my ovaries and tubes surgically removed through a laparoscopy. Now, for those of you who may not be aware of the ins and outs of this procedure, it a very common one! So, we go in early to prepare for this surgery, it lasted a little over an hour. I spent over two hours in the OR recovery area because they could not get me to wake up, then spent a little over an hour in another recovery area before being sent home. In the second recovery area as they were sending me home I kept telling them I was unable to urinate. I was in a lot of pain and there was an enormous amount of pressure. I was told to go home and take it easy. Let me stop right there for a brief moment. They cannot send home a patient that cannot willingly urinate on their own following a surgery. If you cannot urinate within six hours following the operation you have to have a catheter placed in and be admitted. Now that I said all of that, you heard right when I said they sent me home WITHOUT being able to urinate. I also collapsed in the restroom while Kevin was getting the truck because of the pain and pressure. I had never hadthat feeling following a surgery. We got home and for the life of me I could find no comfort at all. I slept on the couch, well spent the night on it. Kevin was absolutely amazing! He grabbed a sleeping bag and slept on the floor next to me, never leaving my side. By Tuesday afternoon 24 hours had passed and I had yet to urinate and felt the pressure from needing to. Kevin had to take me to the ER at Providence. Not the military one. They had to catheterize me, which helped the pressure and pain a little but I still did not feel right. We were sent home because my urine was the rich color and they said it was probably my body reacting to the anesthesia. Which, can typically slow a persons system at times, only as temporarily. The following days were the worst I have ever been faced with. Ive never felt the pain I endured and pray I never do again. It made labor feel like the easiest thing ever. We had no idea what was going on. I couldn't urinate at all, I could barely move. I tried different positions on the toilet just trying to make myself go, never any luck. I had Kevin run water and even attempted to sit in like two inches of warm water. We tried so much and Kevin did anything he could to try to help me. It was so frustrating, plus the pain just got worse and worse. From the time I could stand, I could never stand up straight because I was hurting so badly. It was unreal, I had never gone through anything like this after a surgery or period in life. On Thursday evening I began feeling sick to my stomach, which didn't help the situation. Friday I was actually vomiting at everything. Throughout the entire week I could never really eat, which really had Kevin concerned with all the pain meds I was taking. I went through so many just trying to eliviate the pain. I tried a heating pad, nothing worked. I don't think I slept much at all either that week. The final straw was Friday night. I was upstairs in our room and couldn't move and could barely breathe. I had to send Kevin a text message telling him I needed him. Thankfully he came right up. When he got upstairs I was doubled over on the floor, vomiting into a bucket, tears rolling down my face, struggling to catch my breath. I had him rub my lower back because the pain was unbearable. I couldn't move my arms much because the pain that was in my shoulders. None of this pain made sense! Kevin called the nurses at Beaumont to inform them of what was going on. They told him to rush me to the ER. Of course wanting me to go there and Kev let them know that was not happening. Thank God he didn't take me back there. When we arrived at Providence the waiting room was packed. Kev went inside to find out how long I'd have to wait. There was no way I could sit in the chairs. They told him to bring me in and they'd take me back next. He helped me get out of the truck and I must have looked as horrible as I felt when we walked in. He asked me if I wanted to sit, I said no because I didn't want anyone to hit me or bump into me. I'd rather stand because that was somehow easier than sitting down and getting back up. As soon as I said that some guy rushed over with a chair for me, like I said I must have looked terrible. For all of y'all that know me and know I rarely even leave my room without a bra, I was standing in the er without one on and a tank top that didn't match my sweats....and I didn't care at all! Hair a mess with no makeup. As soon as I sat down they called me back. They took my vitals, which were so high for me! My bp was 135/88 and hb was 130...both are very high for me. Of course that registered as there was something wrong. Oh, and over the week my stomach made me look pregnant! It was huge, hard and real tight. Oh and it hurt. I couldn't do anything. After vitals I was taken to a room. The nurse walked in and I started to beg her to put a catheter in, to please help relieve the pain and pressure. She put one in and not much at all came out. What did was a real dark, almost coke color filled with blood. Very scary to see. They immediately ordered labs due to this. A little over an hour later the doctor walked in and sat down next to me. He had a look that Kevin nor I liked. A look as in you could tell this was not going to be good news. The excellent er doctor I had then started explaining my kidneys had failed. Talk about a lot to take in and process. I was in acute renal failure and they had no idea what we could expect or what the outcome would be. So there we were at 130 in the morning, 330 for you guys on the east coast, calling the parents to let them know the bad news. I've never been so scared. All I could think is I have a husband and kids I have to be at home with. They had to pump me full of insulin and a few other things. All through my IV, two of the medications burned and each took about 5 or so minutes to push through. I was terrible! I had to be hooked up to machines monitoring my heart because of everything. It was crazy! I broke down talking to my dad that night, and many more times following. After this, I was admitted. The following day I was notified that my kidneys were functioning again due to all the meds and the kidney specialist and internal meds doctors tried to send me home. The kidney specialist told me that because my blood test came back in the high, but normal range I should be okay. I told him if I always believed blood tests results I'd be dead by now. (meaning my thyroid issues). I was still in the same pain and my urine was red from the blood. Not normal! The internal meds doc came in, let's just say we didn't hit it off. Kevin nor I liked this woman at all! She twisted me and popped the incision back open. When I snapped at her because of the pain, she informed me that it was just a little stab wound. Okay, then let me put you through this, then tell me that! She asked me if I had ever had kids and I quickly made her aware this was so much worse than being in labor. There was no comparison! I made her so irritated she spitefully let me know I would be there another night and she was putting in for a CT scan and ultrasound. I did the CT at 9 that night, which led to a 130am visit from my nurse. Once she had me awake she explained I would be going into emergency surgery at 630 that morning. The surgeon came in a little after 6 and let me know there was a lot of fluid picked up by the CT. At 645 I was being wheeled out for surgery. The procedure was once again done laparoscoply. At the end of the surgery I had six incision sites, three lower and three upper on my abdomen and had a a JP drain also attached to me through one site. Come to find out Beaumont had caused everything because of their negligence to perform a surgery correctly! They did not cauterize the areas that they removed my ovaries which led to internal bleeding. How does one miss this step??? It is a necessity! Following the surgery we found out the internal bleeding had filed my abdominal cavity, chest and was up through my shoulders. Hence the reason for the pain in these areas as well as the kidney failure. I lost a lot of blood and was in need of a blood transfusion. However, the surgeon said it would take quite awhile, but I could recover from the blood loss. So many of my levels were all over the place at this point! I stayed in the hospital for two more days following the surgery. I'm still severaly anemic and have to be very careful with what I do and eat. I have to watch for signs of kidney failure because I now stand a higher chance of kidney issues. I am on a minimum three month recovery and not sure of permanent damage at this point. The doctors all informed me that I have a very high pain tolorance and strong will to live, I shouldn't still be here. Most would not have survived. My hard head and stubbornness saved my life. They were amazed I survived it all. Here I am now, a week after being released and I'm alive and happier than I've ever been. This experience was all an eye opener. I should not be here, yet God gave me another chance at life, and living it and enjoying it is what I plan to do. This made me put things into perspective and made memorialize just how lucky I truly am. I have three amazing and beautiful kids that I have been blessed with. We came close to losing them when I was pregnant and we went through hell to get them here, but I could be any happier. I know people were worried and not happy with Kev and I having them so young, but inwouldnt change a thing. Everything happens for a reason and had they not come when they did, we wod have never had kids. Thank you God. I have been blessed with an exceptionally amazing husband that I'd be lost without. I'm so thankful for another chance at life. The recovery has been rough, but we are getting through. Not only am I recovering from the surgeries and complications, but I am now also going through surgical menopause. Which, is by the way, insane! Emotions and hot flashes all over the place! Thank you Kevin for continuing to always stand beside me. You and the kids are my life! Things could have easily gone the other way. I've let go of a lot of anger and any grudges. Life is just too short. There is no way to put everything into words. This has been a real difficult time for us as well as an eye opener.

Thank you to everyone that visited me or called while I was in the hospital. Thank you so much for the prayers. Thank you to F Co. 123 BSB. Y'all are absolutely amazing! This has been the best company Kevin has been in while in the army. They have supported us through this time, called, brought flowers and cards, and let us know they are here for us. Kevin was able to take time off work, including an additional week without the headaches and only sincere concern. It has been amazing to see the amount of concern and people that have been here for us. Thank you!

Not it is time for me to wrap this post up. I'm writing from my cell phone. Hopefully we will have the net soon! We love you all. No worries, I promise I'm taking this recovery one day at a time and taking it easy. I'm not over doing it or doing more than I should. I plan on sticking around for quite awhile longer....