under the knife

i've always been pretty healthy. i mean, i'll get a cold occasionally when seasons change too fast, but for the most part i rarely see the doctor. i've had my wisdom teeth taken out, but that's the extent of my surgeries. you can imagine when i started having random pain in my lower right abdomen i chalked it up to a pulled muscle from working out or dance rehearsal.

when the pain worstened & spread all the way up under my ribcage on the right side i thought i should maybe head to the doctor. one thing you probably know about me - i HATE doctor's visits, needles, shots, etc etc. i mean, hate. the fact that i decided i needed to go to the doctor was a big deal in itself. my mom was like, dang, it must be bad pain for you to actually want to make an appointment.

i finally got worked in to see the GYN bc my regular doctor couldn't see me til 4 days later. they took my blood pressure, said it was low, & then did an ultrasound. the lady said all chipper "no wonder you're in pain, sweetie. you're little tummy is tiny & you have a 7cm ovarian cyst taking over in there." um, gross/yikes/whattheheck/etc.

after asking a billion questions, i was told that those are actually pretty normal/frequent for women & lots of times run in the family. (thanks, mom) haha. my mom & aunts have all had them, so that's probably what happened to me. it happens to women of various ages- lots of times if you take birth control that helps keep them from forming, but since i've never had a reason to take that stuff, well, yep. here i am.

surgery was scheduled for 4 days later. fastforward: surgery went super well. i forced the anesthesiologist to numb my hand with lidocane before giving me my iv. haha. they totally did so it wasn't too bad. i didn't get any nausea or anything. mom took a HILARIOUS video of me coming out of surgery. i have crazy eyes, but i'm totally smiling & saying hey like nothing happened. it's great. i headed home & began the recovery process.

things were going well until about wednesday. i noticed some swelling & pain near my belly button (incision site). the doctor worked me in & said that i may have a hernia. she sent me over for an emergency catscan. that junk is not fun. you have to drink a bunch of this NASTY "lemonade" yeah right radioactive doo doo juice & THEN they told me i had to get another iv. there was no one to give me lidocane this time so i literally almost cried in the ladies face. ok, i did. i cried. i can't help it!! it's my worst fear & my vagal nerve goes crazy & makes me panic & pass out.

miraculously i survived & we got a call that evening that the catscan was normal. i didn't have a hernia, but i did have a hematoma (aka pretty bad blood clot) by the incision site. i'm still in pain, not working this week, on pain meds, etc. they want me under a heating pad & are hoping that my body will naturally reabsorb the blood. if not, i may have a giant needle stuck in there to drain it (nooooooooo) or possibly another surgery. please please pray for the natural dissolving of the hematoma.

the good news is that i'm feeling better today. i still can't drive or do much, but i'm finally feeling a little bit more like myself. and i have the most incredible friends & family on planet earth!! my parents & sister have taken care of me like you wouldn't imagine. i've had calls & texts & messages from a zillion friends, family members, coworkers & even some of the families i work with! friends have brought me meals, i've received 2 edible fruit flower baskets, flowers, cards, etc. geez, could i be any more blessed? it's redic. God is good & even though this hasn't been the best 2 weeks, it's taught me that He is in control & that I have to trust Him through everything.

just praying for continued healing, no more doctor's visits or surprise surgeries, & my strength back. i'd love to get back to work next week & be ok to start getting back to rehearsals for hsm2 asap. feeling a little better every day. thank you, God!

and just for giggles & because i love you...
you're welcome: