Alright, alright. It's 2014 and I haven't written a post in months. Horrible. Well, it's a new year, but not a new me. Yes, you heard that right. I'm still the same DIY, gardening, writing, photographer person.
2013 did not end well starting in October. The lovely government furlough hit (hubby is a government employee) and since hubby would be off a few days, we decided to take our Kindergartener out of school a couple days and go up to the in-laws. While there our dog Frankie had an emergency surgery on his foot- he got a foxtail embedded between his toes that first weekend. During that weekend, hubby didn't feel well. As in his food would return where it entered after every meal.
We drove home to Bako, thinking it was just queasiness. He would bring his meal back up and he felt fine. We figured it was no big deal. So Monday rolls around, I get my food box, found I had 6 heads of lettuce and a bazillion pomegranates, so I ask the neighbor if she would like them. She agreed and I ran them over to her. Well, I didn't run, but you get the picture.
We chatted and I left to get the Kindergartener from school and walked back home to find hubby vomitting non-stop for over an hour, knowing he didn't eat much earlier and nothing was in his stomach. Trying not to panic, I called my neighbor (and it seems the world stops whenever there's an emergency over the phone) who I gave the food to and I tell her what was happening and if she could watch the kids. She said she could and I ran hubby to the Urgent Care.
After waiting nearly 30 minutes in the urgent care, they gave him fluids and other meds, only to send him home with a prescription and still hurting. I mean his pain was a 10 out of 10. Fortunately they ran blood tests and called me later.
I ran to Walgreens to fill his prescription, and since I had to wait I figured I would go to the grocery store next door and get some broth (since that's what the doctor said to feed him). I parked the car in the parking stall when my phone rang. It was the doctor from the Urgent Care telling me to drop everything and get hubby to the Emergency Room immediately. There was something majorly wrong with his pancreas.
I called my neighbor, and thank God, she kept the kids. Flying down the road, trying to avoid bumps, dips, and any movement, hubby clutched his abdomen awaiting an explosion inside.
Needless to say, I took hubby to the Southwest Mercy and was there all night, transfered to Mercy Downtown and spent his furlough, plus 23 days there. Hubby was discharged October 30 and when his JP drain stopped draining, we drove to UCLA (Ronald Reagan) hospital and spent our 8th anniversary and Thanksgiving there, November 18-December 17. Forgive me if the dates are wrong. Either way, it was a long time to be in the big city, missing our kids, getting drains, incisions, and prodding surgeons all over your husband. I was lucky in that UCLA has all private rooms and was able to shower everyday and walk to grocery stores. All while the kids had numerous babysitters and family members for the rest of the year.
Miss L, our kindergartener, missed 17 days of school, but was able to do an independent study so none of those days she was absent. We could have made it through the past 4 months with our Bako jewels and family members.
I thank God each day I have with my kids, family, and home. There really is no place like home.
