Worst Night Ever

[GriffsMommy]

Lord, I am so tired I'm surprised that I have the engery to type.

As some of you may remember my husband Shane was having some really horrible stomach pains right in the area of his gallbladder. His dr ordered a test that is supposed to tell them if his gallbladder is failing or if it's okay a month or two back. The test came back completely normal and the dr said he had no idea what was causing this horrible pain. Well the pains stopped so we didn't really worry much about it.

Last night it came back and boy did it come back strong. I have never seen my husband in so much pain. I was really scared for him. Usually he agrues with me and doesn't want to go to the ER because of how crappy our insurance is and how much it will cost us. He didn't even argue with me last night so I knew he was in a lot of pain and I took him to the ER around 8 I think.

They said because his pain was so bad he was the highest prioriety and would get the next bed available. They were right, it didn't take them long to get him back there. They started an IV and once the dr saw him for only a minute they agreed to give him something for the pain and the neasea that comes along with this horrible stomach pain. They had to give him two doses of diludid, which some of you may know is some pretty strong stuff, to be able to get his pain under control.

So they took blood and told us they would have to wait for those results to come back and then the dr would come back and talk to us. They also said they needed a urine sample but since he hadn't had anything to drink in awhile no matter how hard he tried he couldn't pee. They had to cath him. I have never seen a man cathed before and I hope I never have to again. It hurt him so bad I wanted to cry for him. I asked the nurse if they could give him a pyridium or something for the pain that the cath caused and she said the diludid should help that as well and they wouldn't give him anything else.

Shane was finally able to fall asleep and get some rest after all of this was over which was good. I started to get more annoyed as time went on though because nobody was coming back to talk to us, to check on him or anything. They didn't even give him a pillow and everytime I left the room there were no nurses at the nurses station. I had to take a pillow from the top of a cabinet in his room that didn't even have a pillowcase on it and give it to him so he would have one. We were there for 5 hours and they never once asked if he was cold or if he needed a blanket. It wasn't until the end that he actually was cold and I was so angry that these nurses were not taking care of him. There were only like 2 other patients in the area that we were in, how hard is it to make sure your patient has a pillow and a blanket.

The nurse that was on when he came in and gave him his pain meds was nice. She said she thought that if the blood work came back normal they would probably do another ultrasound of his gallbladder considering where the pain was. Well she was wrong. By the time the dr finally came back to see him that nurse was gone and another nurse had taken over. I know she was ****** at me because I was crying and yelling that it was ridiculous that he wasn't being treated right.

Anyway, since all of the tests he had done for his gallbladder were done through the hospital and their health campus the dr had access to them. He said everything looked fine and they weren't going to do anything else for him tonight except give him the name of a surgeon and give him a script for pain in case it happened again. We asked over and over again if a surgeon was going to remove his gallbladder when all of the tests came back negative for his gallbladder being a problem. He said he has known of patients that had the symptoms but didn't have the tests show anything and have had their gallbladders out and it stopped their problem.

It was so frustrating, it felt like nothing was getting done and they are just pushing us off on someone else who may or may not help us. The thing that really gets me is that they had to give him two doses of diludid to get his pain under control last night but the script they gave him was for the lowest dose of vicoden. If it took that much diludid to get his pain under control why in the world would they think vicoden at such a low dose would work if he has the same problem again.

So we didn't get home until about 1:30 in the morning. I was so tired but so stressed that I stayed up for about another hour until I could unwind enough to go to sleep. Shane also wanted me to sit up with him for awhile because he was still upset from the whole situation.

My poor bladder knows how much stress I was under last night. I woke up at 6 really having to pee with horrible bladder pain. To add to the fun my dr told me I should get one more period before the Lupron stops them all together which means I should get it any day now. I swear the fun never ends. I feel like I need a big hug and a good long cry.

I am more concerned about Shane's health more than anything else but on top of everything else he is supposed to be getting a job since I'm off from work and obviously that is going to be pushed back by alot if he has to have his gallbladder out. Right now though I don't even care about the money as long as they take care of him and he never has to go through that horrible pain again. Ugh :dizzy: :(

[stacey79]

Christine,

I'm so sorry that you and your husband are having such a difficult time right now. The hits just keep on coming... I will be praying for you guys. Hopefully he can get some answers soon. As we all know, there is nothing more frustrating than having unexplained pain that no one seems to care about.

Hang in there and try to take care of yourself as much as you can. Maybe the two of you can settle in on the couch today for a DVD or something and just take it easy. Sending lots of hugs your way! :grouphug::grouphug::kissing::grouphug::grouphug:

[humpieumpumkin]

I m so sorry you guys had to go through all that Christine! I hope your husband feels better soon and they get to the bottom of this.

Erika:hi:

[traceann]

Wow, you did have a horrible night!!! That made me tired and frustrated for you just reading what you two went through!! I hope you both are getting some rest today - just taking it as easy as you can to recover from last night!! Sending lots of prayers and hugs your way :)

[lisabar36]

Christine, I am so sorry you and your husband are going through this. I really hope you can get some rest today, I know your exhausted. I am here for you 24-7 if you need me. I hope your husbands pain stays away, and its very true that gallbladders can cause pain and tests be negative. Gallbladders can contract, causing lots of pain and then stop. They usually can pick that up on a hyda scan but not always. But I am suprised they didn't do other tests to rule out anything else? I would make an appointment with your doctor. Have more testing done. I am very sorry for the way you were treated in the hospital, you know my feeling on that. I would be giving the hospital a phone call to voice my opinion. I hope your husbands pain stays away and I hope you can both get some rest. I am thinking of you and praying for you both. :pray: :grouphug:

[SharonA]

It is so true that, when someone you love so much isn't getting the proper care, it is such a frustrating ordeal. The least they could have done was give him a pillow and blanket when he was first admitted to a room.

(((Hugs)))

[patricia1]

Sometimes the lack of compassion, care and help in the ER is so frustrating it is madding. No wonder we dont go when we need it. Is is obvious your hubby has something wrong. They did not even consider admitting him to find out what was wrong?? Im really sorry that they did not help him. Nor give him adequate pain meds.

:pray:That you find out soon what is causing the pain and get it taken care of.:pray:to your hubby that he feels better soon and :pray:to you that you start feeling better soon,

[ICNDonna]

I absolutely agree that he needs to see his regular doctor and get to the root of the problem. It's no fun to keep repeating this.

Many times once the pain is under control, it takes far less medication to keep it there. And do call your doctor.

Warm hugs,
Donna

[jen74]

Hi Christine.
I am sorry for what your hubby is going through. I have ALOT of stomach issues as well, and have seen alot of specialists for it. I am just wondering if maybe your husbands pain has to do with a sphincter of oddi dysfunction. It can cause the kind of pain your hubby is getting. The way they check for this is with a ERCP test. I am not exactly sure how this test goes, though I have had friends who have had it, they sedate you so he wont have any pain from it. They check the bile ducts during this test. With the spinchter of oddi dysfunction the ducts sometimes do not open well, or they spasm and this can cause BAd pain/nausea. If I were you, I would look into getting him to see a Gastroenterologist, mainly one who specializes in motility disorders. I hope he starts feeling better soon.
Jen

[Claredale]

The doctors tested me for something like that before. Splincter Amensis (spelling???) It was on my left side and hurt really bad and I had nausea especially after I ate fried foods. My doctor said it was where my intestines went up and the gas got trapped at times. I would make me feel sick to my stomach and hurt for several days. It was right under my rib cage.

ERs are notorious for being understaffed and the personel losing their focus, especially the ones in the middle of the night. It certainly isn't fair! My little DIL's best friend recently started working at the ER at a hospital and has said many times it seems like the senior nurses (disappear) way too often. My mom was a nurse at the VA in the surgical ICU area and believe me, she barely had time to even use the bathroom during her 12 hour shift.

Hugs, Tracey

I hope your husband finds out what is going on!

[GriffsMommy]

Thanks for the concern everyone. I really appreciate it. I am so worn out and exhausted from all of this. I can't wait until I can put Griffin to bed so I can put myself to bed as well.

Shane called the GI's office today and asked that the NP who has seen him each time he has gone there give him a call back. Well the scheduler called him back and said the dr wanted him to go and get xrays done of his stomach right away. I was actually out at Walgreen's getting his vicoden filled when they called so I had to leave there and run home, get Griffin dressed and ready and run him out to get the xrays. They made as wait for the results of them and of course they were normal. They told him that the dr was going to review his info and he would be hearing from them.

Someone called him from the GI office though I'm not sure who because I had just gotten out of the shower. She didn't seem to understand how serious this was and how much pain he was in so I got on the phone and tried to explain how he was acting and the severe pain he was in. She said that he should take the pain meds he was given and to still do basically a liquid diet with some really bland food and that she would give the info to the NP tomorrow for her to review and go from there.

I told her that I really am upset with myself that I didn't insist that they do another ultrasound on his gallbladder. Our GP had him have one but this was months ago and obviously things can change alot in that amount of time. He had some small polopys or however you spell it in his gallbladder then but they said back then that they were so small they shouldn't be causing a problem. I want him to have another ultrasound. The woman from the GI's office said if the pain gets bad like that again before we hear back from them then I am to take him back to the ER, which of course I would do anyway.

I really think his gallbladder needs to come out but obviously I am not a dr so we'll wait and see what happens. I just really hope he doesn't have any more painful attacks like that one last night, I was really scared for him.

Yet again, you guys are always here when I need you, thank you so much and I'll keep everyone posted once I know more.

[tigger_gal]

:pray:

[leelee88]

Sounds pretty scary.. Prayers headed his way..:pray:

[runningemiles]

Oh Christine, I just saw this and am sooooo sorry for our long night and Shane's pain. I know this is so hard on you too. I am praying the doctors get back quickly w/ you tomorrow and find out what is going on. I hope you all can get some good rest tonight. Let me know if you need ANYTHING!

[GriffsMommy]

Thanks Cindy, Ronda and Emily.
Emily, believe me, I just did a rescue instill and am actually headed up to bed right now. Between my MIL coming home from having a total knee replacement on Friday, picking up scripts like mad and Shane and I both not feeling well I feel like I could sleep for a month. Hopefully I'll get a good eight hours and feel better tomorrow.

[ICNJess]

OMG Christine!!!!! How horrible!!!!!! Gallbladder problems are awful. I have had a ton. Hugs to you and hubby...

[Bessie]

Christine,
I am so sorry you all are going through so much right now. I hope that they find out what is causing the pain and that Shane will not have to keep dealing with such terrible pain. I know it is hard seeing your husband hurting and then to have deal with your own pain too. I will be praying for all of your family and please know that I am here for you if you need to talk :pray::pray::pray:

[Sally939]

What an experience. I would go see your FP and push untill he finds out what is causing this. It sure sounds like gallblader to me. I had mine removed about six years ago. For me it was a breeze having it out. I moved myself one week after I had it out. So what ever it is, he needs to know so he can get it done and get on with it. There is no reason why he should have to have another night like last night. I guess if he starts to feel bad he needs to take his meds and get control of his pain early. That way they will help being a low dose and all. I sure hope they figure it all out soon.

[kuntrygurl78]

Holy moly! Here I was compaining about a cold and here you are going thru this! Goodness! I would be raising all heck if this continues. I hope you get answers soon! Send Shane our love and prayers:angel:

[runningemiles]

Christine
How was your night and how is Shane. Sure am thinking about you!!!!!

[Want2BPainFree]

This sounds an awful lot like the experiences my father was having. It was not his gall bladder, but his pancreas. He had pancreatitis and whenever they looked at his GB everything looked fine. I do believe it ended up being pancreatitis caused by gallstones that were getting caught inside the very small passageway between the GB and pancreas. He was in tremendous pain, and he was very sick. Please insist that he be seen. Do not give up.

:pray:

[GriffsMommy]

I'm okay. I got some decent sleep but then that darn heating pad from Walgreen's turned off after two hours and I couldn't get it to turn back on. Smart me tried to unplug it and plug it back in while still in bed because the plug is right behind my bed. Of course I fell out of bed and most of my weight landed on my left knee. I am not able to do anything lately without being a total clutz. It is really sore this morning but lucky I don't have to do anything today except maybe take Shane to an appointment or test once the GI place calls.
Shane seemed to have an okay night. He is terrified to eat because everytime he has had an attack it has been after he has eaten. The GI place told him to stay on a liquid diet. I did give him some toast last night since that is so bland. I'm hoping the NP that he really likes and trusts from the GI place will call today. They said they were going to leave his chart out for her to review today. At the moment we're not going back to our GP because he started having these attacks a year ago and they really haven't done much. They did order the hyda scan which checks to see if your gallbladder is going back but when that came back negative they pretty much just shrugged their shoulders at him so he feels like they are not going to do anything for him.
Believe you me, I am not going to let this go. If I have to be the mean nasty wife to these dr's then I will be. They need to figure out if it's his gallbladder and if it is then they need to take it out. I will keep everyone posted once I know more. Thanks again for all of the support.

[GriffsMommy]

Thanks for the info Sonja, I will keep that in mind. Like I said, they will get to the bottom of it because I'm not going to leave them alone until they do. I will have to keep that in mind about the pancreas.

[lisabar36]

Hi Christine, keep on top of them, tell them you want further testing. Hope you husband is feeling better. Keep us posted and you hang in there. :grouphug: Try and rest as much as you can. :) Lisa

[GriffsMommy]

Haha, resting with a three year old and a MIL who is at home recovering from a total knee replacement, that's funny Lisa :lmao: I will try though. I made a trip out to Kmart yesterday even though I was exhausted because we were just about out of toilet paper just so I wouldn't have to go out today. The only reason I would have to go out today is if they actually schedule more tests for Shane today and then of course I'll go with him. I always say I'll go and lay down on the love seat and it never happens. I always end up doing something else.

[runningemiles]

Christine
I am right there w/ you....no rest with a three year old!!!!! Hang in there and maybe he will take a long nap! Do you have a sitter that can help or a friend so you and Shane could take it easy. I am afraid this is really going to flare you up!

[charmedx3]

hey christine! I hope you husband is feeling better and of course you too! Hang in there!

[GriffsMommy]

Real quick update. Shane had another attack last night but it was no where near as bad as the one he had on Monday night. He took a shower and had the first bowel movement (sorry tmi) since his scope test he had done Monday morning and it seemed to subside.
The NP from the GI's office that he has seen several times called him yesterday. She said the ER dr was wrong and that his blood work was not normal. His liver enzymes were in the mid 60's when they should be 18 when they are normal. She said previous blood work had come back normal so this means there is a problem. She believes he has a blockage in his gallbladder or bile duct, weather that be a stone or something else.
Since he did have an ulcer in the past they scheduled him for an endoscope to be done on the 28th to rule out that the ulcer is not acting up again. They are also in the process of scheduling him for surgery for a date after the 28th so if they don't see anything with the endoscope then everything will be set up already to go and get the blockage out wherever that may be, which will probably mean his gallbladder will come out.
The NP said that if the pain gets as bad as it was on Monday night then the only thing they can do for him at this point is have him go back to the ER to get pain meds again until it passes. They did suggest that he takes the vicoden the ER dr prescribed so hopefully the pain won't get out of control and he won't have to go to the ER.
I am very happy that they are taking this seriously and are going to get to the bottom of it one way or another. He hasn't been eating as much lately though because he always gets an attack after eating and he is worried another one is going to come on.
I probably won't have anything else to report until after he has the endoscope on the 28th, but I will report after that to let everyone know what they found. I appreciate the concern that everyone has shown for my dear husband.

[patricia1]

I hate that he keeps having attacks. I will keep him and you in my prayers. Sounds as though you have your hands full right now.