When Gallstones Attack.

[baratron]

Eurgh. Gallstones started irritating me on Thursday. Yesterday I woke up panicky and in pain, but we'd arranged to go out with hatter & bfo to celebrate Richard's birthday, and I didn't want to miss that. Plus, I'm experienced enough in The Way of the Gallstones to know that, even if I spent the evening eating nothing more exciting than breakfast cereal, it wouldn't actually help. So we went to the Riverside Vegetaria, and I had sensible low-fat food, and came home, and then the gallstones attacked in earnest. Stupid things. It was the kind of attack where Tramadol wasn't actually strong enough to help, so I was lying in bed crying with the pain & trying to debug my Sims 2 game... very very slowly.

So between pain and all-over itchiness, I got all of 2 hours sleep last night. Slept from maybe 7.20-9.20am, woke up to ring work, and then stark raving insomnia set in, and although I was too tired to move, I couldn't sleep either. Joy and bliss. Eventually drifted off again sometime this afternoon.

I desperately need to do something about the gallstones, but not only do I have my initial fear of the operation to deal with, I have all the traumatic stuff that happened last time, which I'm really not dealing with. Need to get my head fixed before I can get the gallstones fixed, but I still don't know how to get my head fixed :/ Blah.

Comments

[ailbhe]

Talk to your doctor about the possibility of having the pre-med destressing drug before you actually arrive in hospital. I've never heard of it happening, but I don't see why it shouldn't, especially in a case like yours where you will not get to hospital without something drastic like that.

Or, you know, *A* pre-med destressing drug, even if it's not one like the usual in-hospital one.

Talk to your doctor about going private somewhere that will let you have someone administer the pre-med at home and take you in in a private ambulance? I'm guessing madly here.

I think talking to your GP is key though. Your GP wants you well - no tjust degallstoned, but well.

[baratron.livejournal.com]

Valium? :D

Yeah, I just... I dunno.

[karen2205]

Maybe start with working out why you fear the operation in the first place/asking questions where that'll help reduce your fear? I think some fear of surgery is rational (my own personal fears are of waking up in the middle of the operation, of dying during it due to complications with the anasethetic and of waking up and not being able to open my eyes 'cos they're covered in tape) because there are some risks involved in it. Doctors ought to be very used to talking to people about their fears of surgery and may be able to provide reassurance on some bits and pieces.

[baratron.livejournal.com]

They ought to be, but they weren't, and now I have some kind of post-traumatic stress thing going on. That's all I'm going to say about it in public.

What happened was bad enough that people think I should write stiff letters of complaint to the hospital to stop them doing that to anyone else, but right now I only care about getting my own head in order.