gallbladder – Dawn. The Sparkle Diaries.

For all my positivity I have to admit Monday was pretty dreadful. The effects of the anaesthetic were just awful. I had injections in my legs and my tummy and just kept getting sick until the night nurse gave me nothing short of a miracle drug at 1 am and I started getting better from there.

In order to stop me shaking and warm me up (veins had gone into hiding) the anaesthetist got me singing – the team got a rendition of “Rose Garden” – a first, no-one has ever sang in that room before. It wasn’t how I expected my first public performance to be but somehow through the nerves and anxiety I managed to sing.

I’m home, I’m sore and I can’t move very much. It hurts to hold the iPad! The consultant said the operation was a success. About a month until full sparkle powers will be restored 💫✨🌟 He did an amazing job, very tidy and my four scars are small.

I survived and I’m healing. I’m finding it hard to adjust to not moving around at high speed. Lifting a cup or a plate hurts. Laughing hurts, a lot! Deep breathing hurts. Peppermint Tea and Extra Strong Mints are helping with the wind (they blow your tummy up with air in order to reach your organs). Thankfully so far I have not suffered too badly with this displaced air.

I have very little appetite at the moment which won’t do me any harm at all. I had far too much appetite beforehand. So far I have managed toast, soup, plain biscuits and fruit. I need to eat the food which will aid recovery and although I don’t need to avoid fats and dairy, it is better I don’t introduce them straight away.

At the moment I can’t sit properly, I sit at an angle and lie in bed propped up at an angle as I can’t lie flat just yet. This is steadily improving, I’m down from four to three pillows. As long as I follow instructions I will heal properly and be back to full health so I am taking this opportunity to start again with the health and fitness. There is no better time than now.

Picture via Pinterest

I am feeling very lucky. I have received so many get well messages, cards and the most beautiful flowers which have cheered me up. Friends have called in to say hello and between us, my parents and I are working out how we do things within the house. Thankfully there isn’t much apart from daily cooking really as I had everything else done pre operation.

My beautiful flowers.

Gall bladders – what a pain in the ass – actually that’s about the only place I didn’t have a pain 😉Thank goodness for painkillers.

Have you had any surgery similar to mine? Do you have any tips for recovery? What to eat? How long your recovery took? Tomorrow I hope to feel well enough to study, I’ve an assignment due in two weeks…

look-for-the-positive

“Our Gallbladder is a 4 inch pear-shaped organ positioned under your liver in the upper right section of the abdomen. The Gallbladder stores bile, a combination of fluids, fat and cholesterol. The bile helps break down fat from the food in our intestine”. (www.healthline.com).

It appears that I have chronic (long-term) inflammation of the gallbladder. This has recently come to a head in the last two months after I experienced two bouts of pain like never before. I couldn’t sit, stand, lie down – I just had to keep walking and no relief from the pain for hours. After ultrasounds, blood tests and Dr’s appointments it was decided that to save further attacks and to prevent further damage to surrounding organs, I am to have the gallbladder removed. Oh joy!

As a carer, this news put me into stress city. I would be out of action for some weeks post operation. The consultant said I would have to stay in hospital overnight – further stress, how can I leave my parents alone overnight?!!! I can’t just bring strangers in to the home?

And therein is the dilemma of millions of carers the world over. Who cares for the carer? There is no way I can put off the operation, apart from the constant pain and other symptoms which I have daily, (pain in the left side which radiates through the to back to up to the shoulder, heartburn, hot flushes and sometimes a chronic attack of pain and swollen tummy). things could take a nasty turn if left unattended. Which would untimely means further pressure on my caring responsibilities.

Therefore I have just had to plan around this. I have worked like a demon for the last three or so weeks, getting the house clean, shopping in advance, getting up to date and prepared for a handover in the day job. I can use my post operation time off to study, I have another assignment due on 16th March. I won’t be able to sing for a little while until my muscles regain their strength but I can check out backing tracks and lyrics. The way I see it is that I have been given a period of enforced rest, thinking time, sorting out time, regain health and fitness time – really, a time to start again, a new page, a new phase of life.

I am thankful to God that he sent me a wonderful boyfriend who has rearranged his caring responsibilities in order to come over to stay with my parents the night I am in hospital. This removes the bulk of my stress and I will not be trying to walk home with my drip attached during the evening or overnight to ensure they are ok. Anxiety can make you irrational!

I will be away from the day job for at least two, possibly three weeks depending on my healing and I intend to use this time wisely. There are so many things I want to investigate for my studies, health and social care, carers, mental health first aid. Then there is my passion for singing and researching music, recordings and video’s. I’ve ordered the box set of “Nashville” as I will be off to see the show in June. This will also be a great opportunity to get my healthy eating, diet and fitness back into harness. A chance to start over. I can also blog a little more, I really enjoy blogging, very therapeutic and I love to read other blogs. People lead such interesting lives, have wonderful talents and some have difficult lives and their words give you an understanding of other aspects of our world.

My thought to leave you with today is to check out any symptoms, pains and aches you may be experiencing, your body has a way of letting you know something isn’t right, don’t leave them unattended. Look for the positives in your situation, grab your opportunities and make the most of each moment.

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