Because Purple EXTRAS - more Ed & Kate!

Hospital - part 1 of 2

Early Spring 2016

Something was definitely not right. I'd had a stomachache since late morning. It was just below and to the left of my belly button at first, and then it traveled right. Eating didn't help, and I was pretty sure it wasn't intestinal pain, either. Painkillers did nothing - it actually got worse as the day went on. It was unfamiliar to me - I'd never felt discomfort quite like it before.

We'd had plans to visit my parents that evening to celebrate my mom's birthday. I wasn't sure if I should cancel or not, or maybe just stay home and let Ed take the kids without me. But it was my mom's birthday, and I didn't want to miss it. So, I decided to suck it up and go. At about 4 pm we all piled into the car and made the short ride over to my parents' house.

My mother loves to cook. And even more than that, she loves to feed people. The old adage 'Food is Love' is a motto she lives by. Even though it was for her own birthday celebration, she happily spent all day preparing a most delectable feast for her loved ones. She said that seeing her family together around the table enjoying both each other's company and the meal she prepared for us was all she needed.

But not even my mom's amazing Mexican lasagna could bring me out of my funk. I didn't feel like I could keep much food down, so I just picked at it, taking a few small bites here and there. The pain was still getting worse.

Ed said I looked pale. He was concerned, as were my parents. My sister-in-law Amy, a nurse, was the first to mention that maybe I should go to the ER. After I started running to the bathroom to vomit every 10 minutes or so, I had to agree with her.

I apologized profusely to my mom for ruining her birthday, and she predictably hushed me, assuring me that my health was infinitely more important than a silly party.

The kids stayed with my parents while Ed took me to the hospital. We had no idea how long we'd be there, so figured it would be best if Nate and Lucy spent the night with them.

Ed had to pull the car over twice on the way to the hospital so I could throw up.

What is this?

Worry was etched all over his face as he drove us through the stop-and-go city traffic. We didn't talk much during the drive, but he kept his hand on my knee the whole time.

We were in the waiting room for over an hour before anyone saw me. It was a Saturday night - the busiest time of the week for an emergency room. I visited the bathroom no less than 6 times to vomit while we waited. Nothing was even coming out anymore - it was all just dry heaves. I was in significant pain, I was miserable, and I was baffled. I came back to our seats from one of those bathroom visits, shaking my head and shrugging, feeling discouraged.

"Have you ever felt anything like this before?" Ed asked softly, his voice laced with concern.

"No," I slowly shook my head. "I don't know what this could be...gallbladder, maybe? Appendix...?" I felt my eyes go wider as I thought of another possibility. I didn't voice it, though.

Which didn't matter in the least, since he'd apparently had the same thought.

"Could you be pregnant?"

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After just over an hour I was finally called back to triage, where I was asked a series of the usual questions:

Describe the abdominal pain. When did it begin? It started late this morning - dull, kind of centered, a little to the left. A few hours later it moved right and down and got worse - much more sharp.