Friday night was a fun night. We were all gathered together at Thayne and Angels having a pool party, dinner, and lots of laughing. Brent had flown in the night before to drive home with us. It was almost a perfect day. It would have been PERFECT with Micah's family there. But almost perfect was good enough.
The girls took our normal time out and went to a craft store, went to Sally's Beauty, and just enjoyed each other's company. The understanding was the guys then got to go to a movie. I think they chose "Salt". Of course they did...it had Angelina Jolie. Am I right??? :)
Before the movie was even over dad got horibbly sick. Now we know that he had been feeling slightly ill all day, but nothing that he felt he had to mention. By the time the guys got back from the movie he was violently throwing up, had diarhea, and suffering major chills.
Thankfully for the Priesthood in the family, Brent, Jeff, and Thayne were able to administer to him a blessing of healing. Then he began the long night of pain. Saturday was tolerable, even Sunday was okay. But it was Sunday night that the attacks came on again. So horribly painful through the abdomen, his back, down his right side. He couldn't stand up, he couldn't sit down, he couldn't find comfort in anything. So he checked himself into the Emergency Room. There he was injected with multiple doses of morphine, they took x-rays, and blood labs.
Source of the problem....the gallbladder
It was determined quickly that he needed the organ out. The surgery was set for a week later. Keep in mind my parents live in a community of 3500 people(on a good year, probably). What was he to do for a week? He was to not eat spicy food, fatty food, or basically anything with taste(hehe). He had to go off some of his medications, including his blood thinners. You see, my dad has major heart issues. He takes blood thinners so he doesn't clot. Clotting is a bad thing for people with clogged arteries :) There were a few other medications that he wasn't taking given the circumstance.
So back to "happening onto the information"...on our route home, Jeff, my brother called me to ask about the fantastic GPS I had just purchased from him and then worked it into the conversation that he had spoken to mom earlier....I immediatly called her; my mother was in somewhat of a frantic state of shock/torn emotional state of mind. She was scheduled to leave the next day for Washington to be with her mother who was undergoing cancer surgery. But it wasn't really an option given multiple circumstances to have dad by himself for the week before his surgery. Why was it not an option?? Because in my HEART and in my HEAD it did NOT feel right. It felt terribly dangerous. And my husband obviously felt the same so without even batting an eye, we turned around in Mesquite, Neveda and headed north again. Thankfully this gave mom the peace of mind that she needed to be able to go take care of her mother. And we are so grateful she was able to be there for Grandma Hill - bless her heart! We love Grandma Hill so much!
TUESDAY - got Brent on an airplane, drove to Soda Springs. Got there in time to get instructions from mom, kids played with Grandma and then drove to Pocatello with her. They stayed with Aunt Cynthia and "Grandma" Ruchti for the night. Yes...it was a lifesaver to us all. I will never be able to thank them enough!! AND, Cynthia discovered that she is good to go to have SEVEN kids!
- Dad suffered horribly through the day, downing pain medication that was perscribed by the doctor the day before. His consultion with the surgeon was later in the day. We were hoping for an increase in speed/urgency for his surgery. NO SUCH LUCK...apparantly he was not an "emergency case".
**I will be the first to admit that I love my hometown. That my heart lies there and will always lie there! But when you are SOLE care taker for a family member that is ailing, the last thing you want to hear is that he/she is not an "emergency case".
- So we continued through the day/night. Not a good night. More pain than one can imagine. Up all night with abdomen burning, bloating, hurting so bad he couldn't breath, sit, stand. It was touch and go but no emergency room visit that night.
WEDNESDAY - I'm frustrated....I see my own father in so much pain that I can start feeling the pain myself. I'm nervous because he's afraid to eat anything for fear that it will bring on another "episode". I'm convinced that his surgery is going to happen today. Quick thinking...hurry to Pocatello, gather kids, and be back in town by the time dad talks to doctor and a time is set for his surgery.
- While I'm picking up the kids at 9:15am I get the most frustrating call from dad. "Doctor still doesn't consider me a problem...not moving surgery up. I just need to figure out a way to keep myself comfortable." ENTER FLAMES OUT THE EARS AND TEARS DOWN THE CHEEKS!
- Spent the rest of the day monitoring his pain, medication intake, and meals eaten, or lack thereof. I tried to keep it simple, but I'm not an expert dietician. My idea of eating healthier is smaller portions and less carbs. Unfortunately I still probably cooked with a little too much spice. But, by evening he was comfortable enough that I took the kids to the traveling circus. WOW...that's all I can say! The kids had fun, it was really good comedy relief on so many levels. And I even had "words" with a local - I mean who parks their car in the middle of the road blocking any chance for the other cars to get out of the parking lot???
pony rides at the circus
And slides - four trips down(specifically)...wierd
Waiting to go under the big top!
They caged the lion and tiger act. Good thing cuz Brian was totally freaked that they would get him...look how these eyes flashed...
THURSDAY - Surprisingly good. Dad felt better than he had all week. He was feeling a bit of relief and not having to take his pain medication QUITE as often. He even chanced the ladders and did a little bit of work on the roof. Of course he monitored himself very well, and I was an overbearing daughter that monitored him too. An overall good day, considering the circumstances.
- I feel that it is in reflection that I can honestly say that Heavenly Father was definitely with the family. You see, my grandmother had gone in for a mastectomy. The test results came back that they lymph nodes were also positive for cancer, therefore all the lymph nodes under the left arm were removed. As if that wasn't enough for one family to go through, to feel, to mourn, to worry, word was received that another family member suffered a most emotional tragedy. One of such nature that it's enough to just say that the emotion, pain, suffering, and heartache were great for the Rigby family on Thursday.
- But it so happens that there was much fasting, much prayer scheduled specifically for that day. And specifically that day dad felt strength, Grandma had the comfort of all three of her children by her side, and a mourning brother and sister-in-law were able to find peace and love together and with their family. The Lord works sometimes in not so mysterious ways. Each individual ailing that day was surrounded by loved ones and given the peace and strength that they needed to be able to withstand the bad news, the loss, and even physical pain.
- By Thursday night dad was in terrible pain again. I took him to the Emergency Room at 4:00am. By 6:00am he called and said they were sending him home. After three shots of morphine the nurse decided he was better. Unfortunately, no doctor ever came in to see him and even that much medication didn't relieve the pain. I'm still scratching my head on why they sent him home without a visit from the doctor or even lab workup.
FRIDAY - IT WAS TIME TO TAKE MATTERS INTO MY OWN HANDS....Dad is very loyal to his doctor, his community, and to his friends. So the last thing he wanted his daughter to do was cause a ruccus. But it just wasn't right that I called the surgeon...NOT AVAILABLE. Called his doctor...NOT AVAILABLE. Called his doctor's P.A...with a patient BUT his nurse was the most helpful of them all! For the third time that morning and to the third person I explained the pain, the drama, the point that even after multiple shots of morphine he was still in terrible pain. I told her I wasn't going to accept nothing, something had to be done. And she was the first one to help me! Thank you soooo much KIM! She ordered outpatient labs for dad, assured me that as soon as they were completed she would give them to the P.A. and send them to the surgeon.
And without getting into too much detail - his surgery was scheduled for later that day. The surgeon did, in fact, come to town for the surgery. His doctor did, in fact, scrub in, and by the time they got his gallbladder out of his system it was gangrened...rotten. They had to take it out in pieces because it was so rotten. He had gone into the hospital with a fever of 104 degrees, he had the chills, his passage from the gallblader was so inflamed that they had to cut a 10 inch incision across his gut to perform the surgery in order to avoid damage to other organs. He was in "recovery" all night due to fever and oxygen levels.
I explain the whole story because it was emotional. It was tiring. It was my experience of being so incredibly worried about my father that I never want to forget those feelings. I don't want to forget sneaking downstairs and hovering over my dad just to make sure he wasn't whincing in his sleep. That he was breathing(of course he was breathing), and that he had sufficient for his needs. I don't want to forget that I held my breath every time he picked up the hose to water the garden, or that I was afraid he would pass out and I wouldn't be able to catch him. I don't want to forget, because for 23 years of my life he did the same for me-he watched over me, protected me, worried about me. And even in the last nine years he's taken care of me...maybe not in the physical sense. But I know that he prays for me, he worries about me, and he cares about me.
It was the most humbling experience on so many levels. One - I love my parents so much and appreciate more the sacrifices, the worry, and of course the peaceful moments of parenting. Two - I realize that young or old we need our parents and they need us. Three - Heavenly Father is mindful of us and answers our prayers. Four - when the spirit whispers, LISTEN. Five-though I didn't fully agree with the way my father's situation was handled, I do have a greater respect for doctors in a small community; for the sacrifce they make to ultimately take care of their patients. Because as much as I wanted my father to be thought of as an "emergency case", I also realize that their own families are emergent cases and for them to take care of my family meant sacrificing time with theirs. Six, seven, up to one THOUSAND....so much was learned in a short week.
Now for the lighter parts of the week...running through the sprinker, the circus(which we've talked about), trusting a babysitter that I didn't know from Adam, Madelyn in charge of the tomato picking, Marcus flying through the sky on the swings, Brian so tired that he sucked his thumb for nearly the entire week-nonstop.
And my personal favorite....in the confusion from getting test results to running home on Friday for an overnight bag to take to the hospital and getting a babysitter, I asked dad to go downstairs and gather up anything important and any toiletries that he would need - toothbrush, toothpaste, comb...etc. On Saturday when I opened his bag for him I found the most hilarious thing...
THE TV REMOTE!!! I laughed so hard and asked dad, "did you think you were going to be able to bring FoxNews to you??" In all the confusion, and keep in mind the doctors had him on some pretty heavy pain killers, so for those of you that have had to use pain medicine you know that sometimes it can make you a little....LOOPY :) It was so funny and I will always laugh at that. He assures me that he "thought" he was grabbing his razor. OK, dad...I'll let you "think" that. :)
AN IMPORTANT LESSON - we know our bodies. We know the normal pains and aches, the creeks and grinds. When you genuinely FEEL that something is wrong, it probably is. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful to his doctors for taking out the rotten gallbladder, I just want to stress my point of NOT WAITING. If somethings is wrong, get it fixed, seek another opinion, or be forceful enough to get results. This story has a happy ending, but what would have happened had he waited the extra five days until his scheduled surgery? Maybe nothing...maybe something...
Sounds like quite the week! I'm glad your dad is okay and that you were able to be there for him!
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