So, Steve and I had been planning a little Vegas excursion with part of our tax refund to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday. The rooms were booked, the tickets for shows bought, and the schedules had been set. I was looking forward to a little sun and some fun.
Turns out my body had other plans. After two and a half days of severe pain, I was worried I had appendicitis. I decided that we should probably go to the ER, because the sooner it was taken care of, the sooner we could go to Vegas without pain.
Well, it wasn't appendicitis. There were two endometriotic cysts - and one was so large that it was causing the pain. They said I would be in the hospital overnight, and maybe even through Monday. Needless to say, Vegas was canceled and we couldn't recoup the cost of our show tickets, but the Bellagio was nice to refund the amount of our room deposit, even without 24 hours notice. We'll go back there again, definitely.
When I think about how long the whole process took, I'm kind of shocked - it was a 2:30 in the morning when I checked in, and I had a diagnosis by 6:00 am. I had the cyst drained without having a scope or surgery (I love radiology!) around noon, and around 8:40 pm they determined there was no infection and no need for further surgery. Until that time I was on "NDO" (no food or drink), and I don't think I ever craved water so much in my life. By 9:00 pm, they gave me a percocet and authorized some food, and before I could finish my meal, I was falling asleep. Between the relief that everything was going to be OK, the sheer exhaustion, my sensitivity to narcotics (they work really, really well on me), and the sandwich I ate, everything hit me at once and I couldn't keep my eyes open.
I have to say I was very impressed with the staff at IMC. Every single person I had to work with was professional and very descriptive in every way. They must have some great training and skilled staff there, because they put me at ease every step of the way. They controlled my pain, took the right steps to make sure I was safe, and based on this hospital trip, I would recommend them to anyone!
My mom came to help us out so Steve could take a break. Her many years of nursing experience sure come in handy - but it seems that she felt she could never do enough. Just having my mommy there so my husband didn't have to bear the full burden was much more than I could ask for.
I also can't say how much I appreciate my husband. I know this is hard to believe, but a hospital trip can be a sick kind of romantic situation: every time he could be, he was right there with me. Getting back to my room after the drain, it was his face I looked for first - and was happy to see it. Any need I had, he was right there to help me. Sadly, I even needed help to use the restroom (they had me "wired for sound, cable, and satellite," he said,) so it was nice not to have to call a nurse every time.
The next morning was our anniversary. I woke up and said, "happy anniversary. Sorry we're stuck in a hospital." His response was "It doesn't matter that we're here. What matters is that we're together." Tonight we're planning pizza and a movie. After 14 years of marriage, that's what we both really want to do after this trip - just hang out in our own home, with each other.
Every year we're married, I think we have the best anniversary - then I realize it's not what we're doing, but who we're with that makes it special. I think this year is the best anniversary yet.
