The #GallbladderFree Club

Forgive me please. It’s been three weeks since I posted my last video. It was a goal for the new year that I post videos weekly. I think I was posting one every 10 days when my gallbladder had different plans.

I don’t often suffer a lot of abdominal pain. So when it did begin to hurt I actually thought that it was just my underwire digging into my ribs while I was curled up on the couch. When a change in position didn’t work, I thought, 'this is what heartburn feels like'. So I got up and moved around. When I touched my side I could feel the muscles in spasm. So my next thought was that I had been too aggressive in my ab workout that morning. LOL

...Five hours later the pain had escalated to worse than labour contractions and unrelenting. Exhausted, it was time for a visit to the emergency room.

Funny, my biggest worry was that I would have to convince the nurses and doctors that my pain level was a 10 out of 10. All through the three triage stations and registration, I was shocked at how easily the nurses understood exactly what I was going through. I was hooked up to an IV and the good drugs were in my system within 1 hr of arrival.

The ugly hospital quilt.

April it appears is gallbladder month. Even while I was sitting waiting for my ultrasound, I could see at least another three women arrive bent over in similar pain.  But I was special.

Before that moment I had had no idea that I had a 2 cm stone in my body. Now it was blocking my bile duct and I required immediate surgery.  Yay!

I was admitted and would have surgery before the end of the day. Or would I? I was the least acute of the emergency cases. So there was bursting appendices and rupture colons that kept taking my spot...but finally, on Sunday morning it was my turn. Last thing I remember before I went under was discussing the possible endings of Game of Thrones with my surgeon.

Fighting boredom waiting for surgery

I want to thank the staff of North York General and all their care. Dr Zhang and her team, my floor nurses on 5 North, Wendy, Ryan, Sandra, Fatima, Bashina, and Joanna...apologies to the emergency room staff for not getting any of your names but I am very grateful to you all.

My new gallbladder curtesy of my daughter

Now onto making my next video. Fingers crossed before the weekend.