Notes from a Gallbladder Removal

You know, one if the things 'they' don't tell you but 'they' should is...

How the fark do you wear a seat belt over all the incisions from gall bladder removal?

Or is the idea that by the time you're off the pain killers they'll be healed enough not to bother you when you drive?

I've been sitting in the back seat. The idea of a seat belt makes me cringe.

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Hubby: Don't be a hero. Take the Percocet.

Me: I'm not trying to be a hero, I'm trying to poop.

Advil works really well until I hit the daily limit for what you can take, then I have to switch to Percocet because the pain is still significant. I thought it would be better by now, but no, not happening.

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Speaking of Percocet, it works well this time. The last (and only) time I had it (also post-op), I just had weird dreams. This time I do get some pain relief. It destroys my appetite though. I went all adrenal yesterday and started to panic about my cortisol level until I realized that dizziness, weakness and zero appetite can be attributed to Percocet.

It takes about 12 hours from my last dose to wear off and the malaise until that point is rather debilitating. Then, when the fog lifts, I'm ravenous, but afraid to eat too much.

You should try it. It's FUN! My husband even helpfully eats food I don't dare touch (wings, nachos, ice cream) in front of me. I kind of hate wings, and nachos are iffy for me at best, but I'm so damn hungry once the Percoset wears off, I feel like an angry bear about to snap.

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My right kidney still hurts as does my flank. I'm peeing okay and I don't have a fever so...I wonder if I got plunked down harder on one side when they transferred me from table to table while I was out. Or does the gallbladder bang against internal organs on its way out? I can't figure it out.

I know for the ERCP they seemed to have dropped me. I had a sense of blunt force soreness in my upper back, as if someone had just let me drop back onto the bed. That left me sore along my spine and across my shoulder blades. I also had a big bloody gash next to my shoulder blade that should not have happened.

The time before that, I ended up with a bloody fat lip after anesthesia.

Who knows where your body goes when you're not there?

It's not like they're going to tell you.

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Work-wise, things are not going well. My assistant and business partner managed to muck up some things while I was down for the count. Other tasks I assigned are equally mucked up. The latest project launched the day after surgery and it's a multi-author gig which also has not gone well.

I finally started taking the initiative to salvage my latest project last night. It's not on me to do that, but no one else was stepping up and I have no problem being bossy, especially when it's looking like I'll lose money. I booked some marketing, proposed some changes to the group plan, brought up the idea of a cover re-do and other things that may or may not save the sinking ship.

And I don't feel like writing anything. I'm hoping these blog posts will get the juices flowing again.

I've been having some neat plot bunny type dreams though, I assume from the Percocet. Maybe something will come out of that.