Emma has been having stomach pains on and off for over a year. Looking back I can see they are related to what happened last week but at the time I thought they were nerves, hunger, digestion, etc. She'd call here and there from school saying her stomach her and it became more frequent this past fall but I never thought it was a physical problem.
The weekend before Thanksgiving she threw while I was at work. We kept her home for a couple of days and disinfected the house before company arrived. We thought it was a fluke stomach bug and was grateful no one else got sick. Every night that week at bedtime she'd come downstairs and complain about her stomach. Again we wrote it off as hunger or a ploy to stay up late because by morning she was fine.
Friday night after thanksgiving Emma complained again of her tummy hurting and threw up. Beckett also started complaining that his stomach hurt and threw up. So Amberli and I chalked it up to all the junk food that day or possibly another stomach bug. By Saturday morning both felt fine. They Vegas McCoy's left and we went to Emma's best friend Brynn's baptism.
That night she was back to being in a lot of pain. I was perplexed and exhausted. We finally got her to sleep so I went to bed. A few hours later she woke us up with vomiting and more pain. By morning I knew it wasn't the stomach flu and was sure it had to be her appendix. I text the surgeon that did her hernia repair and he thought the same thing. He wasn't on call but said he'd come in and remove it once we got the CT results.
Garlan stayed with the other girls and I headed to the ER with Emma. It was comforting to know the ER doctor very well and all the staff. They were awesome and quickly got her settled in with pain meds, labs and a CT. I was shocked with Dr Jones came in and told me it wasn't her appendix but her gallbladder that was enlarged with fluid around it. I quickly texted Dr Hill the surgeon and her pediatrician Dr Miller. Neither doctor was on call but both went out of the way to call and talk to me, Dr Jones and each other. At first we thought we could take a few days to rest the gallbladder and see if the inflammation was from an infection. After we got an ultrasound and saw it was completely full of stones Dr Miller decided to admit her. Once again it was so nice knowing all the staff and having so much kind attention given to Emma. Family took our kids and Garlan came to the hospital to be with us as we discussed and made the decision not to ship Emma to Primary Children's but to have Dr Hill do the surgery at Mt View. I was a bit nervous but also completely at peace. I just felt bad she was in so much pain and that it had been going on so long and I didn't catch it sooner.
Garlan went back home that night and I stayed with Emma. She was in pain on and off all night and needed several doses of pain meds to get some rest. By morning we were both exhausted and ready for her to be pain free. Garlan came back to the hospital and they took her to surgery. He and one of my coworkers gave her a blessing Sunday night but I still couldn't help shedding some tears as they wheeled her away. One of my besties Cherie was the nurse anethstatist during the surgery and kept us updated. I knew the whole staff and knew they'd do their best. My boss Gretchen came and sat with us for most of it. The best part was having Dr Hill walk out with a huge smile. Like a kid in a candy shop! So I knew it went well. He told us it went great and that the gallbladder was huge and full of cholesterol stones - very rare for a 7 year old. He asked if one of his medical students could write it up in a journal.
She stayed one more night and we were able to go home Tuesday. That Monday night several friends and family came to see her as well as a visit from Santa Clause. She was showered with gifts and felt very special. The best part is she was sore but not in pain!
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