* warning,this contains graphic and humorous comments on diverticulitus;hey,if I lost my sense of humor,there was going to be a problem!*
Well,it's been a whole four weeks since I had a little vacation in the hospital.I woke up on a Saturday morning to get ready for work and had a cup of coffee.Same day as always,you know?
Within an hour,I had the worst abdominal pain [well,pain in general] that I have ever felt,and I have a very high tolerance to pain.Dentists don't scare me.. but I knew this wasn't normal for me,so after literally crawling up the stairs to wake my husband [I could not even yell;couldn't draw a deep enough breath],it was off to the Doc In A Box [one of those immediate medical places] a mile up the street.
You know,I found out real fast that people can really be ...uh...incredibly rude and selfish.I was literally laying on the floor,moaning like a porn star and other people are in there with the sniffles,reading "Woman's Day" and just glaring at me.Think anyone said "Do you want to go first?" Of course not...Strike One for my faith in humanity.
Husband got me in before three people,though...so in I went.
Long story short,they thought it was either gall stones or my appendix.So they call the hospital and tell them that I'll be there shortly.
After 14 hours,tests,lots of drugs [which didn't make a dent in the pain] and a temp of 102 and vomiting the whole time [NEVER get sick in a CAT scan!]..oh,and basically hallucinating for about half of it,I found out they were going to operate.Cool...let's get it done and make me better.
I wake up to find out that my colon ruptured and I had already been septic for a few hours before I even got to the hospital.How did that happen? Well,it was a fluke...could have been something as simple as a sunflower seed husk that ripped it open like the hull of the Titanic.Seems I was also close to dying were it not for the fact that they operated when they did.They also removed a foot of my colon.
yup,that's a sobering thought.
But the worst was yet to come: I then get told that I have a colostomy bag and will have it for up to six months until I heal and then have another surgery to reverse it around December.
Jesus,I'm a healthy 35 year old woman...how did I get a freaking colostomy bag?! That was a hard one to deal with...it really messes with your head for a bit.
And then six weeks off from work...oh kill me.Even after three days off I'm ready to go back.
Four days in the hospital,no solid food for nearly 8 days [meds made me really sick..lots of fun with 14 surgical staples going down your gut,too!],post-op depression,no sleep...just generally a horrible experience.Being home was worse than the hospital,because all the things that normally comfort you become an unpleasant reminder of how awful you feel.I slept on the couch for two weeks..hated it.
But I'm doing better;still slightly stooped over because walking is kinda rough on me.Eating has become unpleasant simply because it is a ritual in itself: I have to be sitting up straight and I feel every bite of food travel through me and sometimes it just hurts.I'm guessing that the weakened state of my abs has me feeling sensations that normally I would not have.And after that,I have to go for a walk and drink some mint tea [seems to settle things].
and it's the only time I regret having a Mustang...jesus,getting in and out of that thing for the next few weeks is gonna be rough!
Then 14 hours goes by and I get to deal with the bag...look,all of you who can have a normal bathroom visit,rejoice...because with this ostomy,it's the first two to three hours of your day and it involves quite a bit of waiting for your system to get done.THEN you can leave the house or get on with your day until 24 hours later.It isn't fun.It also involves gloves,soapy water and being on your knees in front of the toilet.
But I'm alive and it's temporary...some people have this for the rest of their lives and I can't fathom that at all.
I go back to work in a couple of weeks and am going to have to be careful,obviously.I've never had anything happen to me that I couldn't just take an Advil and go back at it...abdominal surgery is different.I'm guessing at least another couple of months before I'm close to where I was,but then I have the other surgery in December and more illness-inducing meds,surgical staples and six weeks off again...so I'll get better to get right back to where I was!
Can't be fired for poor job performance because then I could sue my employer for medical discrimination...
.I have the scar and the bag to prove it,too.
But as soon as I'm well,I'll be moving on elsewhere because no one [and I mean NO ONE] called,sent flowers,even made the token gesture of "Can we do anything for you?" Yes,my two friends there helped me and visited,but nothing from my two chefs above me or from the company itself.I've been in this business 18 years and have never seen such a lack of caring,but there seems to be a lot of that in this world.Strike Two for humanity.
They love you on the clock,but off the clock,you're on your own.Corporate B.S.
But I'll have the fastest colon in the south,**** it..it's practically new!
So,I hope everyone is in good health at this time! I need to go start the eating ritual now...
My adventure with emergency surgery 
) I wish you all the best for a quick passage of time for you. Hang in there!
That's a lot to have thrown at you out of the blue. A friend of ours suffered years of ulcerated colitis and finally had the first of several surgeries and has had a temporary bag for nearly a year. He didn't do any where near as well as you. It sounds like your humor and fabulous attitude as well as your health got you through the worst of it.
