If you are a subscriber to my blog, you may have noticed I haven't published any new posts in over a month and wondered why. Well, I had a medical emergency and needed all my energy and attention for that. This blog post is about what happened.
I had a sudden onset of low abdominal pain. It was pretty strong pain, but I was hoping it would resolve if I gave it some time. I had prenatals scheduled for that day and decided I would finish them. The pain kept gradually increasing and after I finished my last appointment, my husband took me to the Emergency Room. Once I was seen in the ER, they did a few tests and diagnosed a perforated colon. The hospital I went to could not take care of me so they sent me to Stormont-Vail in Topeka.
When I got to Topeka, the doctors there decided the best course of action was to monitor me and hope things calmed down so I could have a planned surgery instead of having an emergency surgery. About 18 hours after I arrived, my heart decided it was time to make it clear I needed emergency surgery. I do not know how long I was in surgery, but when I came around after the emergency surgery, the surgeon told me I was the second worst case he's seen. He had found a 4 inch hole in my colon. The surgeon had to remove my entire Sigmoid colon and he gave me a colostomy.
I spent 5 days in the ICU because I had become severely septic. My heart continued to have issues ranging from a dangerously high heart rate to a dangerously slow heart rate. My labs showed really high white blood cell counts and I kept running fevers. After 5 days I went to the post surgical wing in the hospital. This was where I started walking again using a walker, and could finally eat what few food options were available for me. Just walking down the hall and back to my room would make me so tired I had to take a nap. When I came home after 10 days in the hospital, all I did for the first 3 weeks was sleep up to 16 hours a day. I was anemic so I started Floradix to get my hemoglobin into a good place, I went for walks with the hubby who encouraged me to walk a little farther every day, and I worked on increasing flexibility and mobility.
It's been a few weeks and each day I notice improvement. I'm able to move easier, and I'm walking faster. Some days I still need a nap, and other days I just need to take a break and rest in the afternoon. As part of my health journey, I will have surgery in a few months to reverse the colostomy.
I'm so thankful for the midwives who were willing to step in and take care of my clients, and for my client's understanding of my situation. I'm thankful for my family who has been incredibly supportive and helpful as I work on recovering. I'm thankful for the medical care I received. Most of all, I am thankful that I am here to enjoy my family, my work, and my life.
I had a sudden onset of low abdominal pain. It was pretty strong pain, but I was hoping it would resolve if I gave it some time. I had prenatals scheduled for that day and decided I would finish them. The pain kept gradually increasing and after I finished my last appointment, my husband took me to the Emergency Room. Once I was seen in the ER, they did a few tests and diagnosed a perforated colon. The hospital I went to could not take care of me so they sent me to Stormont-Vail in Topeka.
When I got to Topeka, the doctors there decided the best course of action was to monitor me and hope things calmed down so I could have a planned surgery instead of having an emergency surgery. About 18 hours after I arrived, my heart decided it was time to make it clear I needed emergency surgery. I do not know how long I was in surgery, but when I came around after the emergency surgery, the surgeon told me I was the second worst case he's seen. He had found a 4 inch hole in my colon. The surgeon had to remove my entire Sigmoid colon and he gave me a colostomy.
I spent 5 days in the ICU because I had become severely septic. My heart continued to have issues ranging from a dangerously high heart rate to a dangerously slow heart rate. My labs showed really high white blood cell counts and I kept running fevers. After 5 days I went to the post surgical wing in the hospital. This was where I started walking again using a walker, and could finally eat what few food options were available for me. Just walking down the hall and back to my room would make me so tired I had to take a nap. When I came home after 10 days in the hospital, all I did for the first 3 weeks was sleep up to 16 hours a day. I was anemic so I started Floradix to get my hemoglobin into a good place, I went for walks with the hubby who encouraged me to walk a little farther every day, and I worked on increasing flexibility and mobility.
It's been a few weeks and each day I notice improvement. I'm able to move easier, and I'm walking faster. Some days I still need a nap, and other days I just need to take a break and rest in the afternoon. As part of my health journey, I will have surgery in a few months to reverse the colostomy.
I'm so thankful for the midwives who were willing to step in and take care of my clients, and for my client's understanding of my situation. I'm thankful for my family who has been incredibly supportive and helpful as I work on recovering. I'm thankful for the medical care I received. Most of all, I am thankful that I am here to enjoy my family, my work, and my life.
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