Gall (Bladder) Darn It

Thank you for all the very, very nice comments about my big hospital stay. No one except my family knows this all happened, so to have so many nice people say such nice things to me, really made my week. I appreciate it all so much!

Seasons of Cannon Falls bird from the $1.00 a bag Church Sale last Saturday.

I'd never had surgery before. It went well, and I am recovering quickly. But, I can't keep thinking about the fact that a piece of me is gone. I still have my first pair of baby shoes, my favorite doll, my toy toaster, my 7th grade report on monkeys, my high school newspapers, the keys to my first three cars, the key to my apartment and our first house as a married couple but, I lost an ORGAN. And where is it? where did it go? It is weird. Really weird.

Made in Japan Birthday Cake topper for a 4th birthday.

I am in love with this and now will be on the hunt for a set. Seriously!

Luckily, it is an organ that is easy to get by without. There a few expendable organs like oh, your heart and you liver than you need and then there are those extra organs like the gall bladder and appendix that are just extras. Maybe you need them, maybe you don't. Who knows. I'm just glad it was my gall bladder and not my heart!

A sweet little dress - I think for a bottle of dishwashing detergent.

Not that I have plans to dress my detergent. But, it's sweet.


I wanted to be sure to say that The Breadman stepped up, took over took care of everything including me and The Bean. He took two days off from work, which is simply unheard of where he works. He stayed at the hospital late and got there early in the morning. He cried and worried over me and about me. When we got home, he changed the litterboxes, did the laundry, washed the dishes, vacuumed, made the beds and everything else that needed to be done. I learned that he doesn't see the things that I see - he doesn't see the messy floors that need to be vacuumed. But, if I say, "Would you mind vacuuming?" he jumps up and vaccuums. I hate to be told what to do, he prefers it. He also has no idea about menu planning. When I was sick a few years ago, he ate a slice of bread and a Pop Tart for dinner. What the heck? So, I learned to suggest items to prepare, and between him and The Bean, they did it.

The Bean knows how I do things and to him, that is the right way to do it. He stood behind his Daddy and watched him make Ramen Noodles (We call them Big Noodles at our house) on Sunday before we even left for the hospital. Daddy measured the water careful to which The Bean rubbed his furrowed brow like "Come on just do it already!" I don't have to measure because I have made about a million Big Noodles in the same pot over the past few years. The point it, he helped me and most importantly, he apologized for not taking me seriously on Saturday when I said I was hurting. He thought it was just bout of indigestion. Not.

Small artisan hand-carved duck. I'm not a duck gal, but I love little bits of Folk Art.

The photo I took a few weeks ago - and where it all happened ths week.

And now, some humor from my stay. I never lose my sense of humor. Well, not for long anyway. I was pretty darn cranky on Monday. Sorry Mumsie, The Breadman and The Bean.

When they to me down for surgery, they took away my glasses. I am a -9.50, so I am blind as a bat. I couldn't see a thing, and I'm not sure if that made it worse or better. One lady came in and sat down, picked up this big blue folder with my information in it, clicked her tongue, looked at me and said, "You're not an 82 year old man" and left the room. Holy crap. I could have had my prostate removed!

After the initial surgery, they wheeled me in the room, apparently quite a bit later than promised, and my Mom said, "Where have you been?" And, according to her, I leaned over the bed and said in a very-high pitched loud voice, "I HAVE BEEN VERY BUSY!" Ah, gotta love that anesthesia. Lord knows what I talked bout while I was under. "Chippy old chair, white pottery, SHINY BRITES, Gurley candles, Tablecloths......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz." I bet they couldn't wait to cram that tube down my throat. I do remember as I was going under the anesthesia they asked what my husband does for his job. When I replied he drives a Wonder Bread truck, they all started talking about bread and cake and things to eat and I was like, "Woo-hoo - what about meeeeeeee?"

Late one night I had Cake Boss on the TV. My Swedish nurse came in and exclaimed, "Dat cakes luks Gooot!"

Another nurse came in and exclaimed, "Whew! What a day!" and flopped down in my recliner to a siesta. Then she said, "Oh yea, you didn't want to get cleaned up, did you?" Me thinks she was not Nurse of the Month.

As a girl wheeled me to surgery she said something to me, but since she was wheeling me rapidly on a hard floor from behind, I couldn't hear her. She repeated it four times and finally said, "ARE YOU WEARING YOUR PANTIES?" Well, sheesh, you didn't have to yell that!

My last day there I had a male nurse from England. He walked in, introduced himself and asked my to raise my gown. Excuse me. I usually like to get a cocktail first, thank you. Then he asked me if I was gassy. Well, that killed the mood, you know. Apparently when you have surgery they fill your abdomen with air and that air has to come out. He told me in his thick English accent to "faht no mahtt'r whose in the room." Righty-O Chap! I'll get right on that.

I'm feeling better and will be back to my old self, maybe even my better than old self any old day now. I will have to go out and find priceless treasures to sell on ebay because I have a $10,000 deductible on my insurance. Oye!

*I had eight pictures on my camera. These four Church Sale finds. And the stitches inside my belly button. Lucky you, I chose to post the Church Sale Finds!