Catching up #7---An unexpected surgery while pregnant

On May 30, I went to "Moms in the Park", through our church, with the boys.  I felt fine, GREAT, actually, as the little bit of nausea and general lack of motivation and fatigue from early pregnancy were wearing off.  By that afternoon, I felt terrible.  The upper part of my abdomen was full of pressure and discomfort and pain but more than anything, something just felt wrong.  The only thing I could compare it to was the epigastric pain I experienced with HELLP syndrome when I was pregnant with David.  Naturally, I was concerned that the "wrong" feeling was pregnancy related, so after telling Peter what was going on, I called my OB's nurse, who assured me that 14 weeks was too early for preeclampsia or HELLP syndrome.  Praise the Lord!  She did, however ask me if I still had my appendix.  Yep, I still had it...hmmmm...I should go to the ER if I started feeling worse.

By 5pm, I knew there was no way I could sleep through the discomfort, and that I may as well go to the ER sooner rather than at midnight!  Peter called his brother and sister-in-law, who generously and quickly gave up their evening to come unexpectedly stay with the boys for an indefinite period of time!

Before we headed to the ER, Peter did a little bit of appendicitis research.  It presents weird in young kids, elderly adults, and pregnant women.  Well, being 14 weeks pregnant, I presented weird!  Pain in all the wrong places...not the lower right abdomen.  Long story short, the ER doc ruled out gallbladder and pelvic infection after seeing the lab results of high white blood cell count.  Radiation is usually the way to go to get appendix imaging, but that was a no go for baby and me!  

After being in the ER for about 10 hours, we agreed to an MRI since we didn't really have any other option.  Have to admit, I thought I was a model MRI patient!  I had never had one before, knew and was told that I had to keep still, and I kept SO still that I was sure I would get a star to put on my chart or something!!!!  I had to keep my arms above my head for an hour.  I didn't even FLINCH my right arm, which was slowly and agonizingly falling asleep; or TWITCH my left arm, which had an IV in it...and the IV was right at the inside bendy elbow part (getting the IV in, and letting it stay in my arm was by far the worst part of the whole experience...I LOATHE IV's, I LOATHE getting them put in, and I HATE the drugs they always want to give you through them)!  The surgeon came to my room after the radiologist in Minneapolis read and told him the results, "It was hard to see, because you moved a little during the MRI, but you have appendicitis!"  Honestly, I was at first more disappointed that I had lost my imagined MRI star sticker in my chart that I was that I needed surgery!:)  Just tellin' ya how my brain works:)  

Of course, there is always some extra trepidation in entering surgery while pregnant, as there is a chance of miscarriage.  I felt very comfortable and at peace that God was in control and whatever the outcome, I didn't need to worry about it!  The surgeons went about the surgery a little differently than they would with a non-pregnant woman, but they were able to do it laparoscopically so I didn't need to have a large incision. We listened to baby's heartbeat in recovery and again the next day before going home...strong fast heartbeat, that baby is a trooper!  

A verse that I read the morning of the day I started feeling lousy was:

 "Do not say, 'Why is it that the former days were better than these?' For it is not from wisdom that you ask about this."  Ecclesiastes 7:10.  

The Lord had this verse catch my attention.  At the time, I was thinking about it in relation to contentment.  That the Lord picked exactly the time in history in which we would live and that we should be content in that!  Not wishing or romanticizing in our heads for 'simpler days' or even a time in the future we imagine would be better than now.  Later, as I was waiting in the ER for the solution to my problem, I was so comforted by this verse!  I was thinking what would happen to me if I was born a century or more ago.  I would be on my deathbed! And it was the second time in my life that myself, and the unborn child inside me, would be on our deathbeds!  Praise you Lord, for You put me and my babies here, now, to protect and provide for us!

On a last side note, I would say, while it wasn't exactly fun to get my appendix removed, I didn't at all mind the getting-taken-care-of-by-my-wonderful-husband part!  It was like a mini-vacation to sleep in while he fed the boys breakfast and take naps or read while he took the boys on outings so the house would be quiet and I could rest!  The having him home more and going out to eat as a family when my appetite returned part was actually quite wonderful!