But I Want BBQ!!!

Sunday, we had a full day planned. After church, we were going to go to the Maltose Falcons (our new homebrew club) meeting at noon. Then at 4, was a Faculty/Staff BBQ at Curtis's school.

After church and brunch, I had this weird stomachache. I didn't want to miss our first homebrew club meeting and the pain was subsiding, so off we went. The meeting was lots of fun. Met some really nice people and no one minded the baby. There were even a few who wanted to hold him and make him laugh. The club even has a BBQ as part of the meeting. It was a good-looking menu for only $5, but we were going to the free school BBQ right afterwards. We had just gotten to the part of the meeting that involves sampling some beers, when my stomach started to hurt again. Curtis said that he didn't mind leaving and I thought that maybe if I laid down and took it easy, that it would be better in time for the BBQ.

On the way home, it kept hurting worse. It was weird, no nausea or anything, just lots of pain high up on my stomach. Curtis decided that I should call the Advice Nurse since I'd never had this before. I do, and she says I should go to the E.R. in case it's something serious. I say, well how about urgent care, since I know where that is. Curtis drops me off at urgent care, but they look at me doubled up in pain and say that they aren't equipped to handle abdominal pain and that I should go to the E.R.

Yay, the E.R. Again, Curtis drops me off (to try to avoid exposing the baby to whatever everyone else has). I sign in doubled over in pain and take the first seat available. Two and a half hours later, I'm still in the waiting room, but Thomas needs fed. They come and go, and I keep waiting. Of course, by this time, the pain has receded somewhat, then I'm finally called. Triage nurse, then waiting room, registration, then waiting room, at last there's a bed free. I give samples and get a port in my arm. It hurts to be poked in the stomach, so the P.A. orders an ultrasound of my gallbladder.

I had told the triage nurse that nothing made the pain better, but that straightening up and taking deeper breaths made it worse. The first thing the ultrasound tech tells me is to lie flat and take a deep breath. After an eternity of pain right up there with labor pain, the ultrasound reveals . . . nothing. But I finally get a shot of pain medicine through my port. Yay! Then I get chest x-rays that reveal . . . nothing. At this point, I've been at the hospital for 7 hours, the P.A. has no clue what's wrong, the pain medicine has kicked in, and I'm sleepy. So they send me home. I have wonderful discharge papers that basically say, "We have no idea why you were in pain, but it seems better now. Come back if it gets worse again." I also have a souvenir bracelet.

But I'd much rather have had barbecue!