Bump in the Road...

You had better grab a cup of coffee, this is going to be a long one! Most of you already know about my recent health scare, but I wanted to document the details of it all so that I can look back on it one day.

So, we hit a little bump in the road a few weeks ago with my health. It came completely out of the blue, and was so bizarre! It happened on Saturday, August 22. I had been very active all day long and felt fine, but after dinner I started having some intense stomach pain. I won't give any gory details, but by 10:30 that night, I ended up being taken by ambulance to the hospital for internal bleeding, low blood pressure, shortness of breath, and dizziness. I begged Ben not to call the ambulance, but he insisted, as I was about to pass out and my blood pressure had drastically dropped. Chrissie, being the awesome friend that she is, rushed over to stay with Caroline and prayed with me as we waited for the ambulance.

I heard the sirens and just prayed that Caroline would not wake up, knowing she would be so frightened to see me taken away. The next part is comical when I think about it now. Seven firemen burst into my bedroom with all this equipment and started taking my blood pressure. I kept telling them that I was fine, and could walk down the stairs assisted. I couldn't avoid being put on the stretcher (complete with oxygen) , and was so embarrassed to see several spectators watching me being put into the ambulance! Later, I was so thankful that I arrived at the hospital via ambulance because things took a turn for the worse after we got there. I think I would have passed out in the waiting room for sure! Ben and I were so scared and were not getting much support or information from the nurses or doctors in the ER. My hemoglobin dropped from 9 (which is already low) to 6, and a blood transfusion was necessary. I ended up having to have 2 pints of blood.

In the midst of our fear, Ben and I paused to pray and ask for God's peace and provision throughout this situation. We honestly felt calmer after praying and just took things moment by moment. My poor parents ended up leaving at 1 a.m. Little Rock time and drove straight through to get to Charlotte.

Over the next 2 days, I went through a host of tests including an endoscopy and colonoscopy (boy, the prep for that one is no fun!) What did the tests show? Absolutely nothing! They were expecting to find either a bleeding ulcer or tumor, possibly diverticulitis. My symptoms went away by Monday, though I was still extremely tired from all the blood loss. The doc was still not satisfied, but he sent me home on that Tuesday with the instructions to rest and come back for more tests outpatient. The 3 weeks I had to wait between being discharged from the hospital and finding out the actual results were so long. Once again, I prayed for peace, and God really gave me that peace that passes all understanding. If I allowed myself to think about it all, I would become anxious, so I dismissed those thoughts as soon as they would occur. God's grace is sufficient, and it is only by His grace that I was able to stay calm.

One of the most interesting tests I had done was the capsule endoscopy (in layman terms, "camera in a pill test"). I actually had to swallow a camera the size of a vitamin (saw the flashing lights and all before I put it in my mouth), and wear sensors on my belly which then would transmit images every second to this recorder. It made a dvd of my intestines for the doctor to watch. I didn't realize the "walkman" I had to wear would be so large! I looked like a suicide bomber leaving the hospital. Good thing I wasn't planning on flying that day- I'd never make it through security with that thing on! Ben joked that I should go into a bank and ask for a large withdrawal.

Very few people saw me with this contraption on, only Ben, Caroline, and one of my friends in the neighborhood. Ben did take a picture to document this. People have told me they have seen this on Oprah presented by Dr. Oz. Aren't I special? :) Here goes, the picture taken during the long 8 hour wait:

And no, I did not have to return the camera, just the equipment!

Praise God, the test results from this and another scan I had done the previous day were completely normal! So glad my intestines were photogenic! The doctor is guessing that I had a blood vessel that ruptured and healed itself, and told me it is unlikely to happen again. So I am putting this ordeal behind me and thanking God.

This was really an eye opener to Ben and I. Most of you know what all we went through trying to get Caroline here. The reality is we are only guaranteed today and need to live each day to the fullest. Each day is a gift from God. So Ben and I are counting our blessings and are so thankful that things turned out the way they did. We have such wonderful, supportive family and friends. I can't thank everyone enough for the flowers, notes of encouragement, phone calls, and dinners!