Well, after 5 days in the hospital with gallbladder issues, I got back home last night and got caught up on missing sleep. I still have a bunch of marks all over my arms from blood tests, but those will heal fairly quickly.
Thursday night I was getting ready for bed and started feeling pain under my breast bone in the center. I was afraid it was from my heart, so had my wife call 911 and get the ambulance to take me in. They fairly quickly determined that my heart was fine (whew) but weren't sure what was going on. The pain, which was pretty intense, eventually moved down and to the right and they determined it was from my gall bladder. Meanwhile I had xrays and a CT scan as well as a number of blood tests. They made the decision to admit me as the pain wasn't going away. They also put me on a liquids only diet.
Over the next few days, that liquids only diet gave me continual diarrhea and held me into bed while they tried to figure out the cause and best solution. I spent over 24 hours just waiting for a spot to open up for an MRI which could tell the doctors what they were dealing with. They then noted that while my bile ducts appeared fine, the gallbladder itself was "angry". Then began the negotiations between the GI team and the surgical team on what to do. Since there were no gallstones involved, the surgical team declined to actually remove my bladder, so the GI team decided that they would handle everything internally and put a stent between the gallbladder and my duodenam. So that is what they did. So I still have my gallbladder, but it can now drain internally - pain gone!
Another day or so in the hospital, on day 5 they finally agreed to take me off the liquids only diet and get me on something else which would eliminate the diarrhea. I had to actually refuse my last breakfast before they took me seriously and then sign a release form so they would turn off the bed alarm so I could go the bathroom when I wanted instead of calling the nurse. So late Tuesday I finally got released so I could sleep in my own bed without all the vital checks, finger sticks before every meal, and lack of meaningful sleep.
Since then I have already seen my endocrinologist (scheduled prior) and have new appointments for a followup with my PCP and a quick ultrasound of my thyroid (which was not included in my MRI), and a 6-week followup with the GI surgeon. I've also got 3 days of anti-biotic pills for ensuring I'm healing properly.
The good news out of this is not only a release of the pain, but because of the constant checking of my blood sugars, I am paused in taking Farxiga (daily pill), Metformin (2 pills in the morning, 2 more in the evening), Mounjaro (weekly injection) and my Lantus (insulin) dosage is down to just 15 units/day (mostly due to the 40 pounds I've taken off in the past year). Fewer pills is good!
While I wouldn't wish this type of thing on anyone else, it's good to now have it behind me. Thanks for all who were praying for me over the past week - your prayers are what kept me going when the pain was worst and the diarrhea was causing me to mess my bed and PJs all day long.
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