How to Survive Gallbladder Attacks

Since dedicating myself to writing this blog with the intention of keeping my loved ones in Texas caught up on my life in St. Louis, I understood that I would need to write about the ups and the downs that we experience here.  As a general rule, I do not like to write about the "downs," simply because usually being negative does nothing but bring others around you down.  In this case, however, I aim to fulfill a better purpose: to inform.

On February 2, 2014, Peyton Manning's Broncos lost to the Seattle Seahawks and my gallbladder decided to attack me.  Yes, you read that correctly.  This has only happened to me once before when I was about 20 years old and on vacation in San Antonio with my family.  At around 10pm, I awoke to excruciating pain that nothing, and I mean nothing, could dampen. I tried Pepto Bismol, a hot bath, Advil, a back rub, etc to no avail.  This lasted on into the morning for a total of about 6.5 hours.  To describe the pain, the best version I've come up with is it felt like my stomach was literally on fire, burning from the inside out and radiating into my back.  I even called a 24 hour nurse hotline and she didn't have any advice.  The only reason I didn't go to the ER was the fact that it happened to me once before and only time took the pain away, and I am very frugal and didn't want to pay $100 for someone to tell me that time is all it would take.

After the initial attack, I convinced myself that I had a stomach ulcer. I put myself on the BRAT diet  and went to my primary care physician who recommended a gallbladder ultrasound and an appointment with a GI physician.  I ended up postponing the gallbladder ultrasound on the fact that I truly believed it was an ulcer.  When I went to the GI doc, he rescheduled my ultrasound and also scheduled me for an upper endoscopy.

Within a week of seeing the doctor, but prior to having any tests done, I had another attack.  After eating a peanut butter sandwich (only peanut butter on wheat toast), I threw everything up for 24 hours. The next day got even worse.  Every few minutes I would get a stabbing, sharp pain in the middle of my stomach (above my belly button but below my rib cage) that lasted around 15-20 seconds.  This happened all day, and it took everything in me to continue to maintain professionalism with patients and physicians at work.  I even had a friend run and get me water in the middle of an implant because I felt so lightheaded and about to faint. On top of the pain and nausea, I also ran a low grade fever for days.

I called my GI doc who encouraged me to get the tests done (scheduled for 2 days later) or go to the ER if I couldn't stand the pain... so I waited it out until I got to my ultrasound.  Within that appointment, I knew it was my gallbladder.  It was a shocking diagnosis to be honest.  I clearly did not expect it to be my gallbladder.

My GI doc called to confirm and told me that he felt I needed to have it removed as soon as possible.  So, I was referred to a fantastic surgeon who ended up taking out my gallbladder this past Monday evening.  I have four incisions, one at my bellybutton, two more toward the right of my bellybutton, and one in the center just under my ribcage.  They are healing well and basically just feel sore more than anything else. 

Me pre-surgery. That gown was made of paper and could blow air of any temp through it... it was pretty sweet, especially when I vaso-vagaled during my IV placement :/

A pic of me post-surgery that I don't really remember taking haha

Since then, my recovery has been a little rough.  Two days ago, I had a severe reaction to my nausea medicine: prochlorperazine.  Apparently this is a drug that is used less often for nausea due to its known (but not to me) side effect of dystonia.  For me, this meant I rolled my eyes to the back of my head and stretched my neck as far back as it could go.  I truly looked demon-possessed and scared the living daylights out of Darren, Carissa, and Brian who all went to the ER with me.  Fortunately, IV Benadryl fixed the issue... but I really wish someone had mentioned this crazy potential side effect to keep us from getting so scared.

Me in the ER ~1 am AFTER the IV Benadryl

Since then, things have been much better. I am blessed by the outpouring of love shown by my friends from church, friends and coworkers from work, and family members.  Hopefully this is all a solution to the problem and will be a thing of the past very soon.

So, I write to inform you.  Inform you of what to look for in gallbladder attacks, what to expect if you need to have yours out, and which medicine to avoid afterward!

Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers. I hope very soon that I can eat normally again!

Visiting the Capitol in the Capital

Darren and I have made it a goal to visit all 50 state capitals throughout our lifetime.  So far, I believe that we've only been to Austin, Oklahoma City, and Springfield (IL) together... so we have a long way to go. For Valentine's Day weekend, we felt like exploring something new.  What better than to take the short 2 hour drive over to Jefferson City, MO and cross another capital off our list?

To be completely honest, when I answered the usual "What are you doing for Valentine's Day?" question asked by my coworkers with "Exploring Jefferson City," I was met with some interesting looks.  Apparently, nobody goes there unless they have to.  But, if you know Darren and me, you know that we can take any small town and turn it into an adventure to remember.

So, Saturday morning we set out for mid-Missouri's forgotten city.  We have a few road trip traditions, including purchasing scratch off lottery tickets (our overall winnings are about even with the cost of the tickets, so it's just a fun game to play on our rare road trips).  We've also made a habit of listening to NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me along some portion of the drive (I love the Limerick game!). It was nice to leave the city behind, just to take a step away from our usual sights and go somewhere new.

Upon entering Jeff City, we were immediately greeted with a view of the Capitol building, which lives up to your usual expectations of ornate architecture with a domed roof.

Prior to exploring the building, we decided to get brunch at the Downtown Diner.  The food was cheap but delicious, and we explored a few of the little shops along the main street downtown. They even gave us free chocolate covered strawberries to celebrate Valentine's Day!

After that, it was time for the main attraction: the Capitol!  Inside it's as beautiful as you would imagine.  Intricate details on the ceilings, ornate light fixtures, echo-y hallways... there were a few museums of Missouri state history and Missouri's involvement in the Civil War.  Both of those were really fun to explore, especially since Darren and I grew up learning Texas history.  It wasn't all new to us, but learning about the different cultures that occupied Missouri over the course of history was neat.

Walking up to the building

Inside the dome

The MO state seal

One of the museums

Another view of the dome

One of the many skylights

Darren and Jefferson

Darren's favorite portion was an area put together by World War Veterans from Missouri that included this replica of the USS Missouri.

Up on the higher floors, we snuck peaks inside the rooms where the Senate and Legislature meet.

Another cool spot was the Hall of Busts, which housed busts of famous people either from Missouri or who became famous in Missouri.  We had fun posing with the busts and learning about people who we didn't realize had ties to MO!

Some of the many famous people from MO

Lewis and Clark

As always, we found a couple of cannons to pose with, and were tempted to buy these "Cannon Crew" t-shirts for future use... maybe we will still make our own.

Cannon #1

Cannon #2

The awesome T-shirt

After exploring the Capitol for about 3 hours (now that's what I call free entertainment!), we decided to check into our hotel across town.  To be honest, there wasn't much to the rest of the city (your usual chain restaurants and shopping spots).  Fortunately, we had planned to just relax and didn't need any more attractions.

We selected a local Italian restaurant, Domenico's, for dinner that evening.  It had the quaint atmosphere of a family business and delicious toasted ravioli (we had to!).  We split a yummy grilled chicken dish with sides of pasta and salad.  It was just enough food to be full, and we were pleased with our experience.

Can you spot our after dinner mints in our cheeks?

Sunday morning we made one stop at the infamous Ozarkland after having seen signs for it over the past few years.  It is a novelty store with aisles upon aisles of interesting treasures.  We didn't buy anything or even sample the fudge, but could see how it would be fun to stop there with a bus group.

As a whole, we enjoyed our mini getaway to the MO state capital and are glad to have one more down, 47 to go!

How to Change Your Name on Your Passport

For a long time I've toyed with the idea of creating a blog focused on how to...well, be an adult.  Sounds kinda silly, but I've realized that most "adult" things (like paying taxes and officially changing your last name on legal documents) are not exactly straightforward/intuitive and require quite a bit of research to figure out just how to get it done.  If I were to start this "How to be an adult" blog, I would regularly tackle such painful processes and organize them in a way that would prove useful to anyone else who needs to learn how to get things done.  However, my time is currently being used up on learning how to effectively clean the litter box, organize my office, plan our weekly meals, and be a good wife.  The idea is still there, though...

For today, I figured I'd give it a go.  So, how does one change her last name on her passport?

First, if you received your passport within one calendar year, congratulations! You get to skip the fee and go straight to filling out DS-5504 found here.

If it has been over a year but you were at least 16 when you got your first passport (but not over 15 years ago), you get to fill out DS-82 (also found here) and submit it along with a new picture (that meets requirements), your current passport, a certified copy of your marriage license, and $110 check made out to the Department of State.  You will then mail this to the National Passport Processing Center at PO Box 90155 Philadelphia, PA 19190-0155.

Now, where does one get a certified copy of your marriage license?  Great question! You need to return to the county that issued your marriage license, and request a certified copy from them.  For us, we got ours from Dallas County. If that's the case for you, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.  You can download the form and fill it out, then print it before mailing it along with a $10 Money Order made out to the Dallas County Clerk. Send it off to Dallas County Clerk's Office ATTN: Marriage License 509 Main St Suite #200 Dallas, TX 75202.

If, like me, you have a Southwest Rapid Rewards membership, they also require a written letter with proof of your name change (a copy of your marriage certificate) mailed to them at PO Box 36657 Dallas, TX 75235.

Why am I just now making all of these changes after having been married almost two years?  Well, that brings me to the real point of this blog post.  Darren and I are excited to announce that we plan to travel to GERMANY this year (along with Darren's brother, Chris, and his lovely wife Krista) to visit some of Darren's side of the family.  EEEK! We are just so excited about this!!!!

The Polar Vortex

Well, Darren and I survived our first "polar vortex!"  If you haven't heard that term, it's what they called the storm of sub-zero temperatures and almost foot of snow that was dumped on us a couple of weekends ago.  Fortunately, the snow came over the weekend (when I was not on call and Darren was not at work), so we were able to snuggle up inside playing Ticket to Ride and watching Redbox movies.

The wind helped push the snow up against the back door

This is what we had to dig my car out of

We took this picture a couple of hours before the snow finally stopped

Darren's car and our bushes (close to the window)

I bought these snow boots during my first winter here and HIGHLY recommend them (they are Keens and they ROCK)

When we finally did step outside, we spent about an hour digging my car out from the snow so I could drive to work on Monday, but other than that couldn't really play in the snow because it was just too cold... You only have to warn me once that -30 degree windchills can cause frostbite in 10 minutes!

As a whole, Missouri is better prepared for winter than Texas... which makes sense.  When the threat of snow/ice comes (and it comes frequently), there is an army of salt trucks that prepares the roads and another army of snow plows that follow the fluffy white stuff around, clearing necessary paths.  Unfortunately, the chemistry of the salt mix has no effect on ice/snow below 0 degrees & the amount of plowing that needed to be done following Sunday's snow fall was overwhelming for the city.  Plenty of neighborhoods were left unplowed and people were stuck at home.  I knew I didn't have a choice and would have to find some way to get to work, so I am very grateful that our streets were plowed.

Usually it's not that cold here.  We hover in the 20's on average, with overnight lows dipping into single digits and daily highs sometimes coming up to 40's or even 50's (on a good day).  That's probably why bald eagles come here to winter, which is pretty cool.  If you take the scenic drive north to Alton, IL (about 30 minutes away) and drive along the well-known Great River Road, you can spot the bald eagles resting on the ice that is the Mississippi River.  Last weekend we went with some friends up to Pere Marquette State Park, which is known for its beautiful views, to attempt to see some of these eagles. While we were up there, we also made an unplanned stop at the Melvin Price Locks and Dam and explored the museum there (you know we're suckers for small museums of any kind).

A view of the lock

The barge

Charity with a long-nosed Gar in the museum

Following all of this wintery fun, we ate at Fast Eddie's.  This place has a huge reputation for cheap, greasy food and a one-of-a-kind experience.  I would say they nailed it right on the head.  First of all, you have to be 21 to go to the restaurant... which seems odd at first but once you get inside you realize, it's like one big bar.  Each customer is required to make at least one drink purchase (it can be soda), probably to offset the extremely cheap prices on their food (1/2 pound hamburgers for 99 cents, etc).  The pavilion has a live band performing (when we went they played Zach Brown Band covers!) and the chairs and tables are what you'd expect at a cheap bar.  There are slot machines and free popcorn all over the place.  Darren and I  got burgers while also sampling the Elwood on a Stick and bratwurst (the menu has literally like 6 things on it). It was great fun to finally eat at a place we'd always heard about but never been to!

Photo credit: Charity Queen

Holidays in Review

What's not to love about the magical month and a half between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day?  Everybody you meet seems to be excited about something- whether a child anticipating a visit from Santa, young parents ready to show off their baby to extended family, or grandparents excited at the thought of their offspring gathering together to visit them... The whole world is seen through holly lenses with tinkling jingle bell background sounds, even down to the commercials on TV.

I enjoy this time of year immensely, especially since Darren and I are figuring out our own traditions. Since attending Texas A&M, we haven't made it a ritual to go home for Thanksgiving only because we often spent the Friday after screaming our hearts out and freezing our fingers off at the A&M-tu rivalry game.  When we moved up to STL, the cost of the plane ticket solidified the fact that we would be spending Christmas' stepchild of a holiday in Missouri.  Fortunately, we have been lucky enough to either have friends come visit (last Thanksgiving), or another family to join (this Thanksgiving).  There was enough turkey, football, and dominoes to go around...twice!

I was on call for Christmas this year, which opened my eyes to a whole other dimension of the holiday.  Suddenly I found myself being thankful to every person who has ever had to spend Christmas morning apart from his or her own family in order to service someone else.  That could be your friendly Starbucks barista, Walmart cashier, local policeman, news anchor, soldier abroad, or medical personnel.  There are thousands of people every year who wake up and go to work on Christmas, just like every other ordinary day.  I didn't realize it until it was me, which just speaks to how self-centered my world can be sometimes.  To each and every person who has ever worked on Christmas, no matter the job and no matter the circumstance, thank you!!!

My call wasn't terrible, but I did have to go in.  I decided to be as joyful as possible to every nurse I spoke with, patient I saw, and person I encountered.  It made the experience a pleasant one, and I hope to approach every call weekend during this upcoming year with the same attitude.

Our sweet family and friends FaceTime'd us in to help us celebrate the holiday even while we were away from them.  The Cannons have a tradition of reading 'Twas the Night Before Christmas, one page per person, before opening one gift each on Christmas Eve.  Since they had given us our own copy of the book last year, we were able to participate! My family opened one gift each on Christmas day, saving the "Christmas experience" until the 26th (when we would arrive by plane).  What a kind and selfless act for each of them to do, to sit on Christmas day and stare at the unopened gifts and wait patiently for a grown married couple to come home.

We spent our four days in Texas with so much joy and love that I almost felt as if I was in a dream.  We had the pleasure of seeing my grandmother and cousins, Darren's aunt and cousins, our friends from college, and my best friend from my childhood. We ate Springcreek BBQ, Bluebell ice cream, and mom's homemade chicken spaghetti.  We played a fierce number of board games, including multiple rounds of the Guess Who game I had put together for the Cannons.  We went to a shooting range and tried out several guns and even made it a competition. We watched home videos of our first Christmases and snuggled up together outside a new fire pit.

Basically, we had a fantastic time.  Living far away from home seems to have brought one huge blessing: when we do go home, it is such a cherished time that all of the small things that would usually cause us to quarrel or make someone upset just disappear.  What we are left with is a condensed weekend of quality time making wonderful happy memories.