Friday July 31 st , a night to remember.

Back to normal, unpacked, did laundry and went to work in the afternoon, all the regular things in my life...On Friday nights I go and babysit at Bonnie's bible study group at the Baptist church. I show up and we have a pot luck dinner.Usually there are only 4 or 5 kids, all over the age of 8 and we watch a movie while the parents study the bible. I really enjoy the night and I get paid too. Why was this night any different? well.....Around 7:45 pm I was feeling a little bit uncomfortable, like I had eaten too much, I tried to relieve the pressure by throwing up, It did not work, and sitting down made it worse. By 9 pm I was sweating so bad my clothes were soaked, I couldn't take a full breath and I was very light headed. As soon as the study group was over I went to leave but was told I looked too bad to drive and they insisted I sit back down for a few minutes. That's when all the pain came to the surface and I was in such agony I remember making very unladylike guttural noises. I could not get comfortable and the pain was constant with very intense spasms every 3 or 4 minutes. The E.M.S (emergency medical services) were called and an ambulance, and I hear the police were there also, but I don't remember that. They did all the usual evaluating, blood pressure (very high), blood sugar(normal), temperature(low) blood oxygen(low)EKG(normal) and I was taken to Hospital. Oh joy....all I could think about was getting rid of this pain. I didn't care what they had to do. I was strapped in to the upright wheelie stretcher and put into the ambulance. Not the most comfortable ride I have ever had, and I was trying to suppress the urge to dry heave from the pain..not too successful with that.

Not the actual ambulance.

At about 10:00pm We arrived at the Northeast Methodist hospital, still in major gut wrenching pain, and they asked me to 'slide' from my upright stretcher to the hospital bed, are you kidding. Fat people don't 'slide' and I just didn't want to do it, so I told them I wanted to roll..I was so happy to not be in the upright sitting position anymore and I laid down on my side for a few minutes....I began feeling better almost immediately....They came into evaluate me and ask me where the pain was, and I couldn't find it. At this point I was feeling a little bit embarrassed. The color had returned to my face, I could breathe normally and I had NO PAIN. Are you ready for the diagnosis?


Well, apparently I had a gall bladder blockage, And when I changed positions on the bed by rolling, I unblocked it. If I had SLID across I would have still been in pain. Go figure that one.

So, having been rushed to the hospital, and now having 7 friends and 1 husband in the hall waiting for the results of my illness, I was feeling like a right Yetty.


Let's assume now that the 'emergency' is over. 10:30 pm would have been an OK time to check out wouldn't it. But nay, the party was just beginning.. I had a rookie nurse/man try to put in an IV to take blood samples, after 2 or 3 tries he called for the good nurse, she did it in one poke. They wouldn't let me have anything to drink until after I had an ultrasound to see if I needed surgery, I could have told them that was not going to happen. I didn't even need a Tylenol. I had NO pain. I was still feeling a bit guilty taking up a hospital room in the emergency department of the Methodist hospital on a Friday night.


Ginger took this picture by climbing up on a chair. I was faking pain for re-enacting purposes.


The Doctor came in and told me if this pain comes back in the future, to go roll around the backyard, and see what happens.I wonder how much that diagnosis will cost me.

Meanwhile, Bonnie, Sheila, Zee, Bozo and his wife left when we got the good news and Folau and Ginger stayed.





Folau was very tired from working 16 hours before he got the urgent call, and Ginger had taken a nap, so we were full of beans and boredom. We were laughing and making jokes and taking pictures, and generally having a really nice bonding moment. I still was desperate for a drink so they gave me a wet washcloth to suck on. Charming.

Self portrait...



I went for the ultrasound at 1:15 a..m and the results were good. Blood pressure back to normal, all is fine. So now all we had to do was wait to be discharged.


Feigning pain again.


We finally left at 2:30 am.

What a night to remember. I was so glad that everything was OK, and I am so happy Ginger stayed until the bitter end. I am so blessed she was there. I know It gave Folau a bit of a shock, but luckily he arrived after the big Roll, and the pain had gone. I had also been getting texts and messages from many people who had heard of the emergency, thanks to all who said prayers and worried for me, I promise next time I will make it worthwhile and maybe get a surgical scar out of it.