Yesterday, I went under the knife to have my gall bladder removed. It was a laproscopic procedure, meaning the doctor cut four small holes in me, filled my abdomen with gas (evidently using an industrial-strength leaf blower), stuck the organ in a bag, and pulled the bag out.
Simple, right?
Well, it started last Monday. I had a follow up visit with my internal medicine doctor to 
make sure I was properly recovering from sepsis in January and double back fusion in October, and a ureteroscopic kidney stone Roto-Rooter procedure, also in January.
As I was getting out of the car, I felt one or more kidney stones let loose (kind of like 20 electric shocks in the right kidney), and so I was sent for a CT scan on Tuesday.
The CT scan said nothing worth repeating about my kidney (which seems to be just fine) but found a possible infection in my gall bladder. This was so ambiguous, though, that I then had to have an ultrasound on the gall bladder. Which was also ambiguous.
And so they did a HIDA test, meaning they starved me, deprived me of caffeine and other essential nutrients, and then had me drink a cup of heavy cream — as in cream from a cow. The goal is to make you either throw up or suffer excruciating pain, which they don’t tell you until the test is over. I had neither — which I figured to be a good thing.
But the radioactive isotopes injected into my system as part of the process allowed them to see that the gall bladder was no longer working and had to be removed. I asked if the radioactive material would give me Amazing Spider-Man powers, but the nurse explained that only happened if a spider gets in the way of the needle. If only I had known to bring a spider!
So yesterday (Monday) my gall bladder was removed. I have pictures, but they’re not yet scanned into Facebook. It appears that the gall bladder really was pretty sick, and except for the intense, agonizing pain of the air in my abdomen, I’m feeling surprisingly well. I may develop an entirely new personality now that I’m no longer harboring an infected bladder of pus in my chest. Who knows?
So meanwhile, I’m taking these wonderful drugs and typing away, figuring I can say anything I want and have a doctor’s excuse for it all.
PS — By and large, I thought the discussion these last couple of days, with me absent, was pretty good. I may take a hint and absent myself some more. (Or it may be the drugs. Hard to tell.)
I’ve been working on a brief series on N. T. Wright’s book The Case for the Psalms: Why They Are Essential — and it’s just been so nice to read and comment on excellent theology. It was like waking up from a horrible dream after plowing through Muscle & Shovel all the way to the end. (Remember: Doctor’s excuse!) And I do need to take some time away from the comments to get back to writing posts.
Be good.
Be well soon.
“we feel your pain” praying that you will be well soon–cp
jay,
I pray God has healed you already. Have a blessed day.
Glad you are recovering. You had some gall, but no longer have a bladder to put it in.
Jay, I hope your recovery is as quick and painless as possible, but unlike HG I have doubts that my asking for a miracle would result in one. My brother – in -law once asked me to pray that he would get a specific job he wanted, I told him I couldn’t do that, he asked why? I told him if he did not get the job, he would blame God, and if he got the job and was a bad hand, God might blame me 🙂
Jay,
I had it three years a go and just watch what you eat. Tryout time as some can eat anything like me and others become more sensitive to certain things.
Knowing you are full of gas helps me understand how you disagree with me at times and I now have an explaination.
Jay, with the amount of work you have had done, surely some of this is covered under warranty?
“Well the unmitigated….” peace and blessings.
well J at least you don’t have what I had.
I went to the doctor 2 or 3 years ago. and after a day of prodthating and poking .He said that there is definitely something very wrong with me, I ask
exactly what it was ,and he responded
rich it seems you have a bad case of the wchancellors.
he also told me that he was going to give me some medication, although he didn’t seem to think that it would work but none-the-less to go ahead and take it for at least 3 months and then come back and see him.
I should feel better by then, if not, one of the side effects of the medication, that he was giving me, is that I will develop a raging case of hemorrhoids.
and don’t worry rich I will have no problems treating Your hemorrhoids!
in any case J things to be grateful about and smile about
get well soon J blessings rich