I'm 19 and fortunately have never had any major health problems. A cold every winter is the extent of any illness. This weekend, however, I had a major scare.
Thursday night I got dinner with my dad. He promised me Chinese, but went back on his word and took me to the most disappointing diner near my house. Three bites into my chef salad, I felt a sharp, gauging pain below the right side of my ribcage. I never felt such a horrible pain in my life. I couldn't breathe because my stomach expanding against this spot made it hurt that much more. I was hysterically crying, barely able to breathe, and causing a scene in the restaurant. My dad quickly paid the check and took me home.
I got into bed and the pain only got worse. I crawled to my bathroom and laid on the floor with my face pressed against the cold tile, hoping the cold might alleviate my pain. It did not. After an hour of writhing in pain, I cried out for my mom to drive me to the emergency room.
The seven minute drive to Bryn Mawr Hospital felt like it would never end. None of the cars ahead of us were driving fast enough, and i thought my insides would explode before I got there. Finally, as we were approaching the parking lot, the pain vanished. It was like nothing was ever wrong in the first place. I called my dad and he told me "it was probably gas, I think you'll be fine" and said for me to come home. I came home and felt fine for an hour, then a dull pain returned in the same spot as before. I went to sleep, hoping I'd feel better in the morning.
I woke up to the feeling of being stabbed in that spot under my ribcage again. This wasn't just a passing thing. At 7:30 a.m., I had my dad rush me back to the ER. I was admitted, hooked up to an IV, was given many tests (blood tests, x-rays, ultrasounds, the whole nine yards), and finally I had my result: I had gallstones.
The only solution for this problem is to get the gallbladder removed. This requires a laparoscopic procedure where they make four small incisions in the stomach, pump air into the stomach, then remove the gallbladder this way. I was scheduled to have this done the next morning at around 9 am.
Waiting from 2 p.m. the day before surgery until the actual surgery was agonizing. All I wanted was to go home. After many excruciating hours of waiting, it was finally time to have surgery.
Everything went well, I had anesthesia and painkillers, and didn't feel anything until a few hours after my surgery. I spent the rest of the day and night in the hospital, and was released the next day.
Having this minor medical scare was horrible for me, but as I sat in the hospital, I realized how fortunate I am. I am in great health, and as much as it sucks to be stuck in the hospital for a weekend, this is some people's lives. Our THON children, in addition to many other kids all over America and the rest of the world, the hospital is their home. They spend weeks in their hospital bed receiving treatment, completely unsure of when they will be going back home to their families and friends. Never take your health for granted. We often forget how lucky we are that we don't have medical conditions that impede our day-to-day life. Be thankful for every day you have.
