What's up?

Mostly I just wanted to change the post that shows up at the top of my blog to be something different than an announcement that I pooped in a bucket... great, now I just mentioned it again...

So how are you, faithful reader (haha! do I have many of those?) doing? I'm ok. I have no tubes in me, I'm done with antibiotics, and just need to keep my wounds clean. Other than that, pretty busy these days. But managing it ok. I'm VERY glad to have a weekend and get to spend it with Hayley! How's your weekend going?

list of firsts

so through all this, i have had some crazy experiences. i thought i'd write a few things down. again, i'm on precocet, so some of this might not be impressive, or might be too much information... and feel free to check this one periodically. i'll probably add to it as i remember things.

first surgery (and first time i was nocked out all the way)
first overnight stay in a hospital (only ever came in for broken bones)
first time i've ever been delirious with pain
first time i've ever taken morphine, delotted, lortab, or percocet (delotted is better than morphine, two lortabs is better than one lortab, two percocet is better than two lortab, but sometimes percocet makes you have crazy dreams)
first time i've ever pooped in a bucket for doctors
first time i've been stabbed with a needle 14 times in the same arm (they got me one more time today for blood work)

not gonna say i loved any of those firsts, but hey, chalk it up as experience, huh?

my veins don't like appendicitis

I know, I didn't want to write much more about this kinda stuff, but really, that's all I've got going right now, and I also have more time to do blog posts, so here's a little somethin'.

So today, I was stuck 13 times in my left arm. My veins didn't seem to want to take a needle. I think they have retreated because they know they're going to have to stay open for extended periods of time if they can get an IV in me. The reason for all the sticking was partially for blood work, but mostly because the IV in my right hand stopped working. When the vein wouldn't take anymore, my hand got a bunch of the IV liquids, and got puffy. Check it out. (I hope you can tell from the picture.)


See how big it gets after the fingers?? My hand doesn't usually puff up like that... the hand part is usually level with the fingers... If you can't tell from that one, here is a picture of my hands side by side.


Crazy, huh? Just call me Popeye hand. (if this isn't that interesting, I'm sorry... I may or may not have had 2 percocet before writing this post.)

my own question of the day

another late night/early morning post from me. don't worry, i have been sleeping, it's just that i just got my vitals taken, a new IV complete with antibiotics, and more blood drawn, so i'm a little more awake than the normal late-night nurse visit. so i was feeling like checking email and other wonders brought to me by the world wide interwebs. while doing so, i thought i'd place a question, not unlike my friend tib's question of the day. so here goes.

Why do doctors, nurses, and the like, say, "you're going to feel a little pressure here." when really they mean anything from, "i'm about to stab you with a needle so don't even think about moving." to, "i'm about to inflict pain upon you the likes of which you may never have experienced before." Really? PRESSURE?? THAT'S what they've taught yo to say in all those years of medical school? I'll show you some pressure....

ok, now back to sleep.

seriously... gettin' sick of this

so here i am in the hospital again. after going in friday, the doc said that if i wasn't feeling better, that i should come in. even if i was feeling the same, i should come in for some more IV antibiotics. or better yet, just come in anyway as a precaution. well, i felt the same, and came back in.

so doc number two tells me on saturday that my white blood cell count hadn't gone down very much, so again, if i don't feel much improved, i should come back in. sunday afternoon was baby bradley's blessing day, so we went to lunch at jared and liz's, then to sacrament to the baby blessing. turns out i looked a little pale standing up in the circle, and after sitting in the hottest church ever (i made two fans for carter, who was freakin' funny as heck to watch waving in front of himself the thing just to watch it), and getting a little feverish, we decided to leave and just go lay down. i felt about the same as saturday, so we decided to go in for another IV. totally thinking alls i was gonna get was some more IV. well, the doc tells me she called my surgeon, and turns out 3rd time's a freakin' charm, and they want to admit me to the hospital to give me all sorts of IV antibiotics (through my hand this time, not the front side of the elbow), and make sure the infection is going away and not turning into an abscess. suck ass. when the doc left, hayley and i said if we'd known they were gonna do that, we might not have gone in! but really, if it makes me better, that's good, i guess. but i don't love that i'm getting to know all the hospital staff. they're friendly (except that one nurse from the first night), but i don't feel bad if i don't get to know them all personally.

so here i sit. giant IV bag slowly pumping into me, and waiting for a third CT or CAT scan in the morning. (turns out CT and CAT scans are the same thing...) please bless that i'm better tomorrow. i don't wanna continue with this nonsense. i just want to be better and sleep nights at home in my bed! missing hayley is the worst part. she's home without me. luckily we google chatted to pass the time until i don't get any more food or water (midnight). so again, here's hopin' this is the last of it. i want to post something that doesn't have to do with my guts rotting...

---------------3:18 a.m. update---------------

I CAN'T FRIGGIN' SLEEP. I'm sick of this place. I have tried reading, playing games on my phone watching TV, counted how many little tic tic tic tic tic tic tics, my IV makes before it makes the BRRRRRR sound (it's 30 if you're wondering), tried closing my eyes, emptying my head of thought, watching the black and red phase in and out when my eyes are closed, but I can't sleep. I am sick of the lady across the hall that can't hear. The nurses have asked her if she wants them to speak up--they must've said yes, because they yell at her so she can hear. She won't keep her stupid oxygen on right now, and she's getting some pain medication. They were moving her bed before. I'm sick of hearing her updates. I'm sick of the not-quite-dark of this room because the door is open. I don't want to close it because if I fall asleep, I don't want the nurse to wake me up when she comes in to change my IV. I just want to rest, but I'm not tired at all now. BAH!!! If anyone is online now, feel free to email me funny youtube videos or chat or whatever. I need to get tired enough to sleep!!!

---------------3:54 a.m. update---------------

Ok, now I feel bad... the lady across the hall is really struggling breathing and making some awful coughing and choking sounds, and I think they are helping her breathe because there's some sort of air compression sound and suction... sorry, lady across the hall. I hope you start feeling better...

appendicitis part deux

Ok, so you can't have appendicitis twice, but I was in the ER again last night. Rather than give a whole account, which would be duplicating effort, I'll just direct you to Hayley's post here........ even if it does risk showing horrible pictures of me and my hairy chest. If you're disinclined to see that, maybe don't click the link...