Guess what I needed a week before I'm supposed to move....

TO BE BACK IN THE HOSPITAL.

I started feeling pretty crappy on Saturday, so I went to the emergency room to try to fix the problem before it got as bad as it did before. I learned that making that move was completely pointless because apparently all of the weekend crew in the ER (we like to call them the B Squad) cares about is getting patients comfortable and making sure there are no appendix or gallbladder problems. Awesome. Came back on Sunday... same shit. They said my labs looked fine and I wasn't dehydrated. I kept telling them that this was exactly how I was feeling before I ended up being admitted as an in-patient last time. SO, I called my GI doctor Monday (which I was advised to do by the ER nurse) and he told me to go back to the ER while he attempted to get in touch with my surgeon. I got to the ER and my heartrate was out of control again.. like 188 bpm. The EMT that was working on admitting me and the triage nurse was looking at me like I shouldn't even be conscious. They rushed me back to a room and hooked me up to and EKG machine. Much to my dismay the same freaking doctor who gave me nausea, pain meds, and IV fluids the 2 days prior (which obviously wasn't working) walked in.. they finally admitted me though. Hopefully I am not here too long because I'm supposed to be leaving in 5-6 days and my dad is arriving in Reno from Las Vegas tomorrow evening. I just really wish that I could sleep. I am so tired, but my day consists of having blood drawn for labs between 5-6 AM, shift change at 7 AM, nutrition between 8-9 AM, doctors intermittently coming by all afternoon, Lunch between 12-1 PM, dinner between 4-5 PM, Shift change for nurses at 7 PM, I usually don't see a nurse until about 9 PM, Vitals somewhere between 9 and midnight, vitals around 3 AM.. REPEAT. I'm so tired. The doctor approved sleeping pills for me this time too, so hopefully that works tonight. I am BEAT. Having MRI's done is not something I would recommend for anyone who is even remotely claustrophobic, FYI. I spent about 20 minute in a tube about as spacious as a coffin today and can't believe I didn't have a panic attack.

Takedown

My 2nd (and hopefully final) surgery is scheduled for September 30th. I'll probably be arriving in Phoenix on September 27th for appointments at The Mayo Clinic on the 28th and 29th. I'm excited and nervous. Tired of to ileostomy bag, but have been enjoying the freedom of not having to run like hell for a toilet. I have about 10 more days left in Reno. Slowly working on packing little bits at a time.

As I Add More Music To My iTunes...

Well, I have learned a couple of things about my body since my surgery. 1. My cramps from my period are worse. I don't know if it has to do with not having a colon, being on a different type of birth control, or simply just getting older. That sucks. 2. When I drink, I get buzzed MUCH faster. 3. I've been oddly able to eat salad with no problems. The only foods that have made me sick since I had surgery are biscuits and gravy from Burger King and Cream of Chicken Soup. 4. My scarring is pretty minimal, the stretch marks (that I got prior to surgery due to prednisone) are much worse.

Some stupid bitch that I worked with came up to me to talk to me today. She ran her hand over my ileostomy bag and asked if I was pregnant. I'm not. Then she said "Oh, you're just fat!". Fucking awesome. I said, "Actually, I've lost about 15 pounds since my surgery, but thanks for letting me know I'm fat and look pregnant." God, I can't wait to get away from Reno people. I cut my hair and it looks awesome. I was finally starting to gain some of my confidence back about my body, so that didn't help. Whatever, she's a dumb hag. I get to taper down some more off of the prednisone in 4 days. YAY!

I have been slowly packing and getting my stuff ready to go back to Las Vegas. I've already donated 5 bags of clothes which, might I add, didn't put a dent into my wardrobe. I'm pretty excited about the new place my parents and I are moving into. It has an awesome gym and the pool is on the roof, so I won't be super self-conscious about my body if I decide I want to go swimming. Plus, the place just opened recently, so like less than 20 people live there so far. I kind of want to get on with the moving process. Being here everyday is just a constant reminder that I'm totally leaving my boyfriend high and dry and being kind of shitty about it.

I called The Mayo Clinic today to get the ball rolling on my takedown surgery. I'm hoping to have it done at the end of September or beginning of October. I would love to be feeling relatively normal by Thanksgiving. I can't get into the classes that I need to take for Fall '09 semester anyway, so now is probably the best time to have it done so I can work on healing for a few months and get back in the Spring time. I just want to finish college and have a career. It's driving me nuts that I should have my Bachelor's degree by now and I don't. LAME!

So, over the next few months I am shooting for having my second surgery, healing, getting back into school (Hoping to enter the nursing program by Fall '10, Spring '11 at the latest), losing some weight (preferably all the weight I've gained since the UC started about 30-50 more pounds), getting out of debt (with a little help from my dad). That's about it.

Round 2 at the Hospital/Update 2 Weeks After.

So, about 4 days after I was released from the hospital I ended up going back. I was still having problems retaining fluids. They put me on a dose of Imodium 2 pills 4 times per day. I have an adult dose of Pepto Bismol 3 times per day. (I do not suggest the cherry flavor. . gross). They recommended I drink pedialyte. I'm back on prednisone. That's pretty much it for medications, I think. I was there for about 4 days this time. I went home and flew to Las Vegas the next day to see my mom. Over the last couple of weeks I have made the decision to move back to Las Vegas. I can't go back to work and even if I could, my takedown is right around the corner and I'll have to take another leave of absence. I can't afford to pay my bills and feel bad having my dad do so. So, it's time to move back in with the parents. I have been being pretty careful about what I eat, but not 100% good all the time. So far nothing has bothered me too bad. I've found that starting the day with a bagel is usually a good idea. I drank a ton of fluids while I was there and took it easy, but I also went with my mom to find new places for us to move into. I went and saw some friends and despite the heat felt pretty good. I've been home for almost a week and I am still feeling pretty good. I haven't gotten fatigued the way I was when I ended up in the hospital. I guess my heartrate was out of control. SOOOO, I'll be back in Las Vegas at the end of August. I've been up and active cleaning and starting to pack and find things to donate before I move. I even managed to go out for a couple of drinks (with a ton of water) and felt fine. Still no regrets on the surgery. Also, my takedown is still up in the air.. It kind of depends on what kind of college classes I can squeeze into.