This is the first year that I have not dressed up for Halloween. It's one of my favorite holidays and the idea of dressing up and having fun one day of the year is thrilling to me. Some of the costumes I remember wearing when I was a kid and teen were: Princess, Germ, Gypsy lady, and Ghost. As an adult I have been Cruella D'vil, Snow White's queen mother, Pirate, Jockey riding a penguin, Fairy, Olive Oyle, Mortisha Addams, and many more.
So with my clear appreciation and love of this dressing up and fun filled holiday, you might ask why I did not dress up this year. I'll tell you, but beware, it's a long story.
The date: October 31st.
Time: 4am
I awoke at 4am with some minor discomfort. This is not unusual, as pregnant women all over the world wake to find that their bodies are in pain and sleep is difficult. After doing the usual routine of fixing the problem (walk around, get a drink, stretch, use the facilities), the discomfort did not go away. In fact, the discomfort was turning into a painful annoyance (as just about everything is at 4am). I tried to sleep, but the pain was getting steadily worse. By 10am, I was beginning to realize that something terrible must be happening, and I quickly called my dad to get his advice. His advice was to contact my Doctor. Why didn't I call my doctor first? Simply because I didn't know if the pain would be something stupid and ridiculous, like gas or dehydration. Lets face it, no one wants to go to the doctor in pain and later be told that you're just fine and that the gas will clear out on it's own. How humiliating!! But rest assured, my problem was not that simple and embarrassing.
I made the call to my OB Doctor, and she wanted me to come in immediately for some tests. I get there and end up waiting 15 minutes in the waiting room for my name to be called. Anyone who's been in pain knows that 15 minutes is a lifetime wait. In that time, my daughter was making a point to entertain every person the waiting room. She also did a fabulous job of scattering toys everywhere. I was trying to sit still and not faint or vomit, as the pain had gone from a 5 to 10 in the short time it took to get to the doctor's office.
After my exam, it was declared that my pain was being caused by a kidney stone. My first thought was, "Are you kidding? Only old people get those!" Guess what, it looks like I'm getting old. I was given a prescription for the pain and nausea, and told to go to the hospital for additional tests. At this point I was laying on the floor and was having a hard time concentrating on all the instructions I was given. I asked the Doctor to have my hubby called to come get me, as I couldn't move.
20 minutes later, my Knight in Shinning Armor showed up and quickly assessed the situation. Anna had cleverly emptied the contents of my purse over the room, and I was lying on the floor weeping from the pain. My Knight quickly fixed the purse problem, and somehow managed to get me on my feet. He rushed to get my prescriptions filled, and even ran into and out of the store. He then drove me to the nearest resting place (my dad's house) where I could lay down until the pain killers kicked in. He made the arrangements with the hospital to get me seen asap and handled everything. The ultrasound confirmed the doctor's diagnosis. By 4pm, my pain had doubled. If I thought it was a 10 before when I was at the Doctor's office, I was mistaken on how much pain a person could endure, as this doubled. I became aware of true agony!
My Knight truly saved the day. He took care of me and Anna, and did it expertly. He missed 1/2 a day of work, but didn't complain (he's a work-a-holic in case you didn't know). He also missed one of his classes.
There is no way I could have done everything alone and I'm so thankful that Levi was my lifesaver.
The kidney stone is still there, but it's no longer causing the painful blockage. The short break from the pain has been great, but I know that at any moment I could be on the floor whimpering once again. I hope the stone passes quickly.
I'm still trying to get access to some of my old Halloween pictures, but until then, here are a few from last year. Our family went as Popeye, Olive Oyle and Sweet Pea.
