ruptured appendix HURTS

   Last Monday, I started getting some bad stomach aches, which I thought was the flu that's been going around. So I just took it easy on the couch with the heating pad and let Cory take over the family for the night. It was getting worse and worse and I started to think maybe it was food poisoning. I banished Cory to the living room because I didn't want to keep him up all night and tried to get some sleep myself. Didn't happen. Then I started throwing up. Over and over. I found that while I was throwing up I would forget the pain for a minute while I threw up, but as soon as I was done it would be just as bad. After a while I didn't have anything left to puke up and it was pure misery while I hacked and coughed with dry heaves. I was thinking to myself, "Wow, this is the worst flu I've ever had. Good thing Cory's in the living room or I'd be keeping him awake all night." when morning FINALLY arrived, I was throwing up a greenish substance and every time I opened my eyes, the room just kind of swirled around. I knew I was very dehydrated. I also noticed that the pain was on the right side especially bad. When I talked to Cory about it, he couldn't believe I hadn't woken him up. He reluctantly left for work but made me promise to call him if it got too bad. He figured I had the same flu his friend had recently had. He apparently had experienced stomach aches that just doubled him over in pain. So before Cory left, he called my mom to come over and help with the kids. By noon I wasn't getting any better and it felt like had fiery knives in my stomach. There was no let up and I felt like it was getting worse. I was reaching the end of my endurance so I finally called Mom into my room and asked her if she thought it could be appendicitis. ( she had it years ago.) She asked where it hurt, and if it was the lower right side. I affirmed, and she asked if I pushed the spot gently and let go if it hurt a lot more. I tried it and nearly went through the roof. That's when mom started getting a worried look. "Maybe it's time to call Cory," she said. She went and made the call, since I wasn't talking too well at this point.
  Cory said that as soon as he got the call from mom he knew it wasn't good, so he left work right away, and brought me to the nearest hospital. NOT my favorite hospital but it was the closest and at that point I didn't much care. We got there and it's kind of a blur in my memory at that point. All I remember is crying and gasping with pain, and telling Cory to make them give me something for the pain. Oh, yeah, and there was a nurse I really liked named Reggi, with pretty hair. I know Cory was trying to reassure me that they were getting me some morphine as fast as they could. It was really only about 20 minutes from the time I got there and the Dr. examined me and they came in with the pain meds, but then we ran into a new problem. I was so dehydrated that they couldn't get a vein for the IV. Terrible! The weird thing was, I couldn't even feel them poking me because my arms were almost completely numb. I could barely move my fingers. The nurse gave up and went and got an older nurse and she finally got the IV in. Then, oh, wonderful, blessed relief. The pain was still there, but I could at least relax and it didn't feel like hot knives of fire twisting in my gut. And I could breathe too. That was nice. I got a cat scan and blood drawn and a all that good stuff, and the doctor came in shortly and said, He thought it was appendicitis but needed to check the cat scan results. Cory made the phone calls to family and they were all praying. Carter specifically wanted Daddy to know he was praying for his mommy.
   The doctor came back in then and told us not only did I have appendicitis but that it had ruptured and looked very bad. He said we'd need to operate right away, and explained that they would try and do I think it was called "laroscopic" surgery, but if the appendix was twisted behind the colen it would have to be much more extensive. My response was,"good! Then I'll never have to go through this again." I had been so afraid it was just a kidney stone or flu.
I used the bathroom before the anesthesiologists came and I couldn't believe it when I looked in the mirror. My face was dead white like I've never seen it before. I guess that's when it sunk in that I really was in a serious way.
 Next thing I knew I was waking up. I was so glad it was over, but I felt so weak and...heavy. It was strange. Then Cory came, and that was good. Very good. The Dr. explained that they had been able to do the laroscopic surgery, but that it had been a very bad rupture and that the infection was wide spread. I was informed that I would have a fever that night and the nurses would check on me every hour. This was apparently a crucial time to be watched. They had me on a lot of morphine though, so I didn't actually feel that bad. Other than the fact that I had a nose tube thing and it hurt to breathe, and a catheter and an IV, and I was SO thirsty and could only have ice chips. It was almost kind of humorous. Then Cory said my face was getting red, and that I looked more flushed than he'd ever seen me, and sure enough, my temp was spiking.
 

Christmas was surprisingly low-key and relaxed this year. I was surprised. Usually I look forward to Christmas with a kind of excitement mixed with dread. We began the festivities with a trip to the cities caroling with my cousins and their kids and my fam. First to grandma and then to their local neighborhood. Then we stayed overnight and had a great time talking with my cousin Marisha and her husband after the kids went to bed (not to sleep, just to bed). Then we had out little family Christmas. The night before, Cory and I were trying to watch a movie and all we could hear was a shower of pine needles raining down on the presents. The next day our presents were buried and the tree was half bald. So right away in the morning we did the presents and then got rid of the infamous tree. Talk about getting stabbed with multiple pine needles from the tree and the carpet on our way out. Cory got it out the door as pine needles exploded from it in every direction, and chucked it right down our front porch. Neighbors probably got a chuckle out of seeing the bald tree in front of our house the day before Christmas. Then we had our annual Christmas feast with fancy dishes and all. Then we had story time, first the Christmas story which we (helped) the kids tell us, and we told them stories of Christmases we had as kids. It was so much fun.
   Next day we had Christmas at Cory's mom's. The kids were amazingly good.
   Christmas day we had church an hour early. The kids all sang some Christmas carols they'd been working on in Sunday School. We then went to mom's for Christmas. Their 1st Christmas at their new house. We had some rousing conversations, and once again the kids were amazingly good.
   Then we took another trip to the cities and went out for lunch with my grandma, aunts and uncle. It was a special time.
   New Years we celebrated Christmas with Cory's Dad's side.
   This weekend we have a Christmas party with all Cory's extended family on his Dad's side. Whew! I guess that doesn't sound very relaxing, but it was more spread out than it usually is, and we were able to enjoy things rather than just a huge hectic rush. Now we're almost done and I feel...relieved! =) It went well and the kids were the best they've ever been and amazingly no one got sick!
Oh, and did I mention...my brother just got engaged...
   Once again it was good to look back on the years hardships and blessings and be thankful for the Lord's faithfulness and His gift of love to us.