The Last Stand

Last week, physically, blew.  It totally, completely, sucked.  My gallbladder has apparently launched a last, vicious battle against me in the form of what I'm calling mini gallbladder attacks.  Basically, when I eat, I get some (or all) of the following symptoms.

• Moderate to severe abdominal pain (usually upper right)
• Moderate to moderately severe nausea; often spikes the next morning when I wake
• Moderate abdominal bloating
• Pressure under the right side of my ribs
• Feeling of something getting caught under my right ribs when I move
• Stabbing/burning pain under the right side of my ribs
• Diarrhea OR constipation (absolutely no pattern, rhyme, or reason for this one when they happen or which happens)
• Heartburn

I call them mini attacks as they aren't as severe as any gallbladder attack I can recall having; in retrospect, I had two that took me to my knees and absolutely incapacitated me for a day or two.  I literally could not eat a thing without nearly throwing up until it passed.  Though I'm not near that level, I'm having a rough go this week and last.

Basically, I'm eating a ton of plain rice (sometimes with a splash of vinegar on it for flavor), whatever steamed vegetables I have on hand that stay down, chicken or other white meats (all fat hacked off), and various fruit smoothies I can make from things in my freezer.  Hubster and I received a Ninja blender for Christmas that has absolutely been my BFF.  Almond milk is staying in me well, so I make whatever smoothies I can think of with it and fruits to supplement larger meals.  Any big meal I eat, I do so only at home where I am near a bathroom.

To complicate issues, I also got my period just in time for surgery.  It also decided to come with every horrific symptom it could bring with it, just for kicks and giggles.  Since surgery is in two days, I can't take anything but Tylenol for pain.  It's taking the edge off, but not very much.  I didn't sleep at all last night with the pain, though I did sleep a few hours this evening.  I'll be far enough along with Aunt Flo to barely notice it by Wednesday, thankfully, but it made this past weekend doubly hard to handle.

The hardest thing has been stepping back and accepting that I cannot do everything I normally do anymore.  I just don't have the physical ability to do so.