a very yucky weekend

I wanted to go ahead and get this up so that everyone is in the know about why I have been and am laying low...very, very low.

Friday morning, I woke up feeling not the greatest, but I was okay. I got Kaleb to school, and spent a quiet day at home with Gabe and Shiloh, who cooperated with me beautifully. But, my stomach was hurting worse and worse. So badly was it hurting, in fact, that I called Mom, asking her to leave work early to pick Kaleb up from school, which is not something I ever ask her to do. She did, because she is wonderful, and then offered to take him to the park to play for a while to let me rest before having all three of the kids at home again.

I agreed, but was soon hurting so badly that I couldn't stand up straight and was in tears, so I called Mom and pretty much said "I need my Mommy." So, she came to my house with Kaleb. She sat with me for a while and after watching me and talking to me, told me that if I was feeling that badly, I needed to see somebody. After first trying and Urgent Care Clinic, she ended up taking me to the E.R. and then taking the kids to the park to get some energy out. This was a huge blessing. While I would have liked to have someone with me in the E.R., having the kids there would have been so distracting, it was just better that way, knowing that the kids were with her, and that I didn't have to worry about them.

The doctor's were very kind and took me seriously, and after much poking, prodding, and testing, they determined that I had appendicitis. From there, things moved rather quickly, and to be completely honest, I am a little hazy on alot of it, because the seriously strong pain meds that started coming my way, but I was able to talk to Tyrone, who was worried but, even all the way from Iraq, was an incredible calming influence for me, as he always is (he is a rock for me!) I called Mom several times to let her know what the latest was, and she was comforting and let me know that all I had to worry about was getting me better, that my kids were in good hands. I did not want to be alone, so I called Melissa. I love my best friend. She has worked everyday this past week, but when she answered the phone and I said "I need you in Savannah, I'm about to have surgery" what she said was "I'm on my way."

We did the pre-op, where I had gathered a small fan club of people who knew me as "the red headed girl with 3 babies whose husband is in Iraq" Anyhow, that was all that I remember until I came out of surgery.

When I woke up, I was incredibly anxious and scared, irrationally so, as the anesthesia still had a pretty good grip on me. I don't remember everything that I said or did, but I remember the feeling, and it was horrible. But, Melissa was there when I woke up, and she was an absolutely tireless advocate for me. She knows me well, and she knew what I needed, and when, and from whom. She was everywhere that I needed her to be, even making sure that I got to talk to Tyrone when he called before they gave me Morphine, so that I would be somewhat lucid while talking to him. Then, she slept beside my bed for the rest of the night in a recliner, holding my hand when I kept waking up from nightmares.

The next morning went better, although I was still in a good amount of pain. Mom still had the kids, and, again, this was so wonderful. I cannot stress enough what a relief it was to know they were with my Mom, whom I trust with everything! This was such an incredible, selfless thing that Mom did for me. That night (Sat.)my friend Erica came and sat with me at the hospital for several hours, easing my lonliness. Even when I would drift off, she would sit and read quietly until I was awake and chatting again. This warmed my heart!

Even my new friend Salina offered to do anything she could to help, and her daughter is sick! Also, my neighbor Rita brought me some girly gifts to cheer me up and is taking Kaleb to school for me in the morning. I was discharged from the hospital this afternoon, and am glad to be home. I am still in some pain, and feeling sick from my meds. I am also missing my husband incredibly right now. More than I can say.

But, through this very yucky weekend, My friends and family have shown me an amazing amount of love, and I just wanted to thank them all. You all mean the world to me, and I am so blessed to have you in my life. Thank you.