angledge: (Default)
Angela ([personal profile] angledge) wrote2004-02-02 02:42 pm

turns out I wasn't hungover on Friday

Hi gang! Wow, was this an exciting weekend. First off, let me apologize to everyone that I stood up this weekend: Iain, [profile] funkyplaid, the spatial analysis group, & the Super Bowl party. I can only hope that you find the rest of this entry to be an adequate explanation.

Now, referring back to my previous entry, I had reported that I was nauseated & hungover on Friday. In actual fact, I wrote that entry from the computer lab at the Geography Department. I had gotten nauseous while sitting in a lecture, excused myself, & thrown up in the bathroom. I was too embarrassed to go back into the lecture hall to get my books & coat, so I was waiting for the lecture to end. I was waiting in the computer lab, making trips to the bathroom every ten or fifteen minutes to throw up. When the lecture ended, I got my stuff & went home.

Where I continued to throw up for another two hours. My whole torso was hurting more than I thought it was possible to hurt without a visible injury. I decided to get a friend's opinion on whether or not I should go to the doctor for a mere hangover. When I stumbled out of my room into the dorm hallway, my neighbor Hsin-Yi saw me. She immediately said, "I will call the ambulance!!", so I'm guessing I looked rather unwell.

The ambulance arrived around 3:00 PM. The paramedics gave me an anti-nausea drug, which was fantastically effective & put an immediate stop to the vomiting. But that also let me notice just how much pain I was in. Worst. Pain. EVER. I have not the words.

I got to the hospital, & after waiting TWO HOURS for a doctor, I finally got an injection of 15 mg of morphine. Suddenly, my aching stomach was a distant, gauzy concern. Finally around 9:00 PM, a doctor told me that I'm having a gallstone attack.

What a friend we have in morphine
I had lots of visitors while I was ill. Which was very nice. And yes, I'm holding in my right arm Kanga, my stuffed animal. I was possibly the only patient outside of the pediatric wing to have one, but that's OK.

The rest of the weekend was much less exciting, mostly due to lots of drugs (I'm not very exciting when I'm tranquilized). But yesterday morning, my gall bladder was removed. And today, I'm home!! I'm sporting four little tiny laparoscopy scars on my belly, & some skanky-looking needle tracks on my arms from the IVs & various other injections. All things considered, I feel pretty damn good. I'm not even on any pain medicine right now.

So that's my weekend.

[identity profile] funkyplaid.livejournal.com 2004-02-02 04:04 pm (UTC)(link)
Well, I was going to hunt you down with swords and cannon, but you've sufficiently deterred my vengeful machinations with a very placating story, indeed!

All my hopes for a quick and complete recovery, and my heartfelt sympathy for such a tumultuous weekend.

*that'll teach ya to be a whisky swiller*

:)

Re:

[identity profile] angledge.livejournal.com 2004-02-02 04:31 pm (UTC)(link)
*that'll teach ya to be a whisky swiller*

The funny thing is, it was pride & embarrassment that kept me from seeking medical attention earlier. I didn't want to go to the hospital if if was "just a hangover". I kept asking the paramedics, "Do you think it's a hangover? Do you?" The one asked me, "What were you drinking?" I said, "Whisky." He said, "Then no lassie, I don't think yer hungover. A wee dram never hurt anybody."

...

...

Heh.

Re:

[identity profile] caesarsalad77.livejournal.com 2004-02-05 04:21 pm (UTC)(link)
Ah, the Scottish.

[identity profile] afterwards.livejournal.com 2004-02-02 04:47 pm (UTC)(link)
A gallstone attack? Poor you! *hugs* I agree, there aren't words to describe the kind of pain that causes. I was fortunate that my attack had abated by the time I had to wait four hours at the emergency room.

Re:

[identity profile] angledge.livejournal.com 2004-02-02 05:00 pm (UTC)(link)
It was the worst pain I've ever experienced. Happily, Mr. Gall Bladder won't be bothering me again. And I should hope that his summary ejection from my body will give my other organs something to think about, should they ever consider putting me in that much pain. You listening, Appendix?

Re:

[identity profile] d4b.livejournal.com 2004-02-05 08:37 pm (UTC)(link)
LOL!

Glad you're ok! {hugs}

[identity profile] effrontery.livejournal.com 2004-02-02 11:22 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm glad you survived it all and are feeling much better. Are you on whisky restriction for any length of time? ;)

(((((Ang)))))

Re:

[identity profile] angledge.livejournal.com 2004-02-03 12:17 pm (UTC)(link)
No, no drinking or eating restrictions imposed by the doctors. However, I'm still a wee bit unsteady on my feet when completely sober, so I probably won't be heading out on the town anytime soon.

jaw in my lap

[identity profile] kwokj.livejournal.com 2004-02-03 03:35 am (UTC)(link)
wow. what a harrowing introduction to my friends page (just noticed you added me this weekend.) glad it ended so well :)

Re: jaw in my lap

[identity profile] angledge.livejournal.com 2004-02-03 12:18 pm (UTC)(link)
Welcome to my LJ! I'll try to keep the drama quotient down to prevent further jaw dislocations. Also, I have a limited supply of disposable organs.
(deleted comment)

Re:

[identity profile] angledge.livejournal.com 2004-02-03 12:20 pm (UTC)(link)
Yeah, WTF? Your friends aren't drinking enough!

[identity profile] chaosvizier.livejournal.com 2004-02-03 01:42 pm (UTC)(link)
It's never simple with you, is it?

Hope you recover well, and hope your other organs learn their lesson well.

Sooooooo... how much of that morphine did you stash away?

Re:

[identity profile] angledge.livejournal.com 2004-02-03 01:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Actually, this was pretty simple. Remove gall bladder, problem over! And as for the morphine, they keep that shit locked up tighter than the President's Football.

Re:

[identity profile] chaosvizier.livejournal.com 2004-02-03 02:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Too bad about that morphine. On the other hand, I watched football the other day. Oooooh, superbowliciousness! Actually, I just ate and drank a lot at someone else's party, but hey, that's what it's all about.

Re:

[identity profile] angledge.livejournal.com 2004-02-03 03:02 pm (UTC)(link)
You ... watched a sporting event??

my pills ...

Re:

[identity profile] chaosvizier.livejournal.com 2004-02-05 03:33 pm (UTC)(link)
Indeed! I even applauded Carolina's repeated efforts to go for the two-point conversions after their touchdowns. Alas, they were foiled. And then I drank some more.

Nice picture, btw. Look, Kanga's there to back you up!

[identity profile] fizrep.livejournal.com 2004-02-05 03:35 pm (UTC)(link)
At first glance, you look like Gallagher.

[identity profile] thereject.livejournal.com 2004-02-05 07:30 pm (UTC)(link)
Did you have any hot nurses? That's why I always look forward to going to the hospital :)

Re:

[identity profile] angledge.livejournal.com 2004-02-05 09:38 pm (UTC)(link)
I did! There was quite an international selection of hot nurses, actually - Scots, a Swede, a Canadian, & tons of New Zelanders & Aussies.

is it a hangover???!!!

[identity profile] agntprovocateur.livejournal.com 2006-03-28 08:15 pm (UTC)(link)
don't make me come over!

Re: is it a hangover???!!!

[identity profile] angledge.livejournal.com 2006-03-28 09:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Check the date, lady. This happened two years ago!

Re: is it a hangover???!!!

[identity profile] agntprovocateur.livejournal.com 2006-03-28 09:49 pm (UTC)(link)
lol! and i had my calendar right in front of me too!