Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Home Again

We are back home. The trip sure flew by. We had a great time visiting with family. It's a good thing we didn't have too many excursions planned. Especially during the first few days. As most of you know, I had surgery to remove my gall bladder on Aug 5. We took 2 days to drive up since we didn't know how Lily would do on the long drive. By the time we got to Oregon last Wednesday, I was not feeling quite right. As soon as we arrived I called the doctor-on-call back home and explained some of my symptoms. He suggested I get to the ER. The attack I had experienced the night prior to traveling was not the upset stomach I had hoped it was. It seems one of the gall stones escaped the gall bladder prior to the first surgery and was stuck in my bile duct which was hindering the function of my liver. I was yellow with jaundice as a result. Here's a rundown of my first few days in Oregon:

Day 1: Upon arrival I promptly headed to the ER for a 5 hour stay.
Day 2: Met with a Gastroenterologist and scheduled surgery for the next day.
Day 3: Checked into the hospital (outpatient) for an endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)

The procedure was really quite interesting. Since they went in through my mouth, no new incisions were needed. I felt better almost immediately. And since I'm almost back to normal from my first surgery, I should be able to start working out again next week!

I did manage to shoot a few hundred pictures which I'll load and start editing tonight. So unless you want a picture of my gall stone, I have nothing for you tonight. Look for some fun shots from the vacation beginning tomorrow. It's nice to be home. :)

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, when you decide to have an adventure you go for it big time! Welcome home and I am glad you are well.

Raven said...

Wow. What an adventure for all of you. Glad it had a happy ending and you are feeling better. Looking forward to those hundreds of pictures.

karly said...

My goodness! I am glad you are finally really well and back home safe and sound. Praise God!! And, only you would have a picture of your gall stone. :)

Can't wait to see the pictures!

Minkydo said...

Glad you are feeling better. Prayers for your recovery.

Carletta said...

Yeah, Robert's back!!!

So sorry about those first few hours; but I'm glad you are FINALLY getting back to normal.
Looking forward to the photos and all the Lily stories.

You have been missed my friend.

Robin said...

Yikes! That certainly wasn't the trip you'd planned. I'm glad you're finally feeling better again and were able to salvage some of your trip.

I'll be looking forward to seeing your pictures once you're up to it.

PS Thought of you guys tonight when we saw Livingston Taylor (brother of) in concert :-).

Anonymous said...

Needing medical attention while away from home is daunting on multiple levels. Glad all went well and that you were able to enjoy your trip afterwards!

Unknown said...

Wow, it sounds like you had quite the vacation! I'm glad to hear that you're feeling better (isn't it wonderful when surgery makes you feel better?)! Looking forward to seeing you pictures. I don't think you missed much of mine...

Yes, I've become enamored of the new Macs as well. I think I will end up giving this laptop one more try, but the next time a major problem comes up, I'm switching. In the meantime, I'll try to save up for the inevitable...

Lacey Lichi said...

OH MY GOODNESS! Vacation is supposed to be exciting- but not THAT exciting. I'm glad you're back. Take it easy! Well, don't take it too easy- I want to see some pictures!

Erin Faye said...

Welcome home! That totally sucks that you had to spend part of your vacation in the ER and having surgery.
Glad to hear you are healing and can't wait to see those pictures!!

Jeanne Damoff said...

Oh my goodness! I'm so glad you're okay! Not the way anyone wants to start vacation, but you seem to have a great attitude about it all. Welcome back. I look forward to the pictures.

Anonymous said...

And I thought it was just us who knew what the emergency room looked like in every town we ever stayed!

Welcome to the club!

Happy to hear you are feeling much better and the trip was a success!

Horsoon said...

Gone through all that ordeal while traveling, and yet you "did manage to shoot a few hundred pictures"... You are the man, Robert :)

Shelly said...

Whoa...that's quite an adventure. Sounds like you found good care, not always an easy thing while on the road. Glad you're home safe and healing.

Dillo said...

I agree with Horsoon....can't believe you still shot hundreds of pictures!

Hey, I hope you took some self portraits in-case we go to PROJECT YELLOW in Sept! Kidding, I'm kidding.

Welcome back. We're back too. And back to school for all of us!