Stone(s), Part II

They say a picture's worth a thousand words. We'll see how many I can get into this post.

The above picture you see if Julie's Gallbladder...and the lone stone that was inside.

The surgery went well. She was in the OR Monday for about a half hour, in recovery for another 45 minutes before she was wheeled back to the room where Jess, Curtis and I were waiting. Jess had to leave after a few minutes, leaving me with Julie...who was in a lot of pain. They tried to give her morphine into the IV drip, but it was to no avail. Only after consulting with the anesthesiologist and giving her dopamine was she able to sleep. She slept for about 3 hours before they let her go home.

Yep. Laparoscopic Cholecystemectomy is considered outpatient surgery, kids.

The first couple days have been hard for her. I sincerely doubt she expected the level of pain this would cause, but then, having part of your insides removed will have that effect. Still, as her brother put it, she did lose weight.

Every day she's a little better. She's still having trouble bending and standing for extended periods. She's off work for the week: Originally, she was supposed to go back this (Friday) afternoon, but given her level of pain, she called work and they agreed she should take the weekend.

I'm thankful my boss was understanding enough to let me take the week off, and another tech was able to take my installs in San Antonio. Yeah, it would've been cool to see the city (never been there), but maybe some day.

Julie and I thank everyone for the kind words, prayers and well-wishes. They've meant a lot. The hardest part for her, now, is the diet change. Without the gallbladder containing the bile, everything flows straight into the liver and that means she'll have to watch what she eats. Try to maintain a low-fat diet. Nothing to greasy or spicy lest she have to run to the bathroom.

Everything will be fine, though. My love is a strong woman. I'm just glad I've been here to help her. She is my heart, my angel. There's nowhere else I'd rather be but by her side.

For the record, this post contains 394 words. Okay, so it's not a thousand. I'll try harder in the future.