Hard Working Hands....

A girl who used to live in my ward, Sarah Carruth, is a photographer. A few weeks ago she posted some pictures of her father's hands and talked about them in a way I had never really thought about before. She described her father's hands by saying,

"if you want an example of strength, hard work, and love, look at my Dad's hands. You can literally tell how much life my dad has lived just by glancing at his hands. I remember being really little and holding his hands and marveling at how cracked and calloused they were. How they felt so scratchy to the touch and how his nails, even when very clean were always etched in black"

--http://sarahknightphotography.blogspot.com/2011/01/most-important-project-ill-ever-do.html

This post really tugged at my heart strings. As I read her post I imagined my own father's hands. I remember when I was younger my dad would trace my face with his fingers to help put me to sleep; his hands always so soft and gentle. My dad, like Sarah's, is such a hard worker. Always willing to put in the extra work to get something accomplished. He has used his hands to work in the yard, finish our basement,and comfort us when needed. Sarah's post inspired me to write down a poem about my dad's hands. It is not very well put together, but it is a start of something that I hope will be something I can cherish forever.



Hard Working Hands

Hands that was once beautiful and kind
Now bare the signs of daily grind.
Rigid, callused, and old
If you look closely a story is told.
Each wrinkle a chapter, each scar a test
That was written while doing their best.
They built a home, raised a family, and consoled neighbors
Now they are roadmaps of one’s own labors.
They taught, scolded, and were lifted in prayer
Always ready to dig, lift, or to share.
Now they remind us of life’s treasures
No two hands have brought so much pleasure.

Chronic Cholecystitis....

In other words a faulty gallbladder!

I had been waiting for my HIDA scan results for a few days, when I didn't hear back I called my dr. to find out what was going on. Of course they couldn't find my results, but Dr. Riggs had a note saying to contact a Dr. Joe Jensen and make an appointment.

My appointment with Dr. Jensen was today. After rushing from Weber State all the way to Davis Hospital, I got to sit in a room and wait...

Dr. Jensen finally came in, we discussed a few things (my symptoms, the test Dr. Riggs ordered, etc...). Then he started to look over my test results, 14%, that is what the HIDA scan said my gallbladder functions at. He explained that my gallbladder is not squeezing properly, the only solution, surgery.

Not the exact words I wanted to hear. So, I scheduled the day, February 4th. I am extremely nervous, I have never had surgery before. It is also the worst timing, why couldn't this have happened after I was finished with school?


Also, Dr. Jensen shared with me my results of the ultrasound...no gallstones were visible, however they did find some cysts on my left kidney. Wish I would have heard this from my primary care giver and not my surgeon, but oh well!

Life continued....

Friday was a very busy day. I went to class in the morning, then to my mom's uncle Stephen's funeral, and then to Davis hospital for the HIDA scan.

Stephen's funeral was really nice. I didn't really know Stephen that well, but I know how much he meant to my mom. It was nice to hear my grandpa talk about some of the memories he had of Stephen and how much he meant to him and my grandma. My family does not like to show their emotions that often, so it is nice when they actually do.

After the funeral part my dad and I had to leave for Davis Hospital. My appointment was scheduled at 1pm and I was taken back right away. They put an I.V. in my arm (which went smoother than I thought, my veins are really hard to find). The tech. injected a radioactive dye through the I.V., I had to wait a couple minutes before we could begin the rest of the process. After a few minutes I got onto a table (which was more like a board) to begin. The picture below is similar to what the machine looked like...



The tech. pushed some buttons and I began moving back towards the image zone. This is where the hard part began; I was not allowed to move anymore. In fact they put a wrap around my arms to keep them in place. On the right side of me I had two computer monitors where I could watch when an image was being taken and how long it would last. On the other monitor was the images that were being taken. It was cool to watch the dye move from my liver to eventually my gallbladder. This process took an hour. After this part the tech hooked up a drip into my I.V. that had a drug that would make my gallbladder contract. It was supposed to simulate my gallbladder releasing bile. This part was a bit painful, since it mimicked the pain that I have been having. During this time the machine would take an image every minute and lasted a full 30 minutes.

At 3:20pm the tech. happily stated, "okay we are all done now!"---music to my ears! I was so grateful to be able to move. After the 1.5 hours though I was pretty stiff. I should have the results either Tuesday or Wednesday. I will update then!!!

Life....

Things have been pretty busy for me the last few weeks. I started another semester of school and I am loving it. I have four wonderful classes that have opened me up to looking within myself more. One of my classes is a substance abuse class; we have an assignment to attend an AA or NA meeting. Since I had the first week of school off from work, I decided I would get a jump start on my assignment. I did a little research online and saw that there was an AA meeting being held in Roy, so I decided I would go to it.

I walked into the church building a little apprehensive, but left feeling very humble. As I listened to each person's stories of how they got to their own situation, how they fought against it, and how they started the recovery process I felt selfish for reacting the way I do to some of my so called "stresses". I learned a lot about life, God, trust, love, acceptance, and courage that night. It is something I will keep in my heart forever!

Besides going to school I have been working and studying a lot. I am determined to get straight A's this semester. I also switched doctors. I didn't feel like my old one really listened to me, everything that is wrong with me is due to my weight. Yes, I know I am fat and that I need to do something about it, but not all of my symptoms I am feeling is due to my weight. So, I switched! I went to my first appointment with Dr. Riggs on January 11th, because I have been experiencing a few things. The biggest concern I had was that I have had extreme pain (a sharp stabbing pain) near my sternum. I also have sharp stomach cramps, nausea, and diarrhea after everything I eat; it gets worse if it is greasy, spicy, or dairy products. When I discussed this with my doctor he seemed concerned that it is my gallbladder. He set up an appointment for an ultrasound to see if I have gallstones...it came back negative. Therefore, tomorrow I am having a Hida Scan done. I will lay on a table for an hour or so, they will inject a radioactive dye in my veins, a machine will take pictures as it follows the dye through my veins. This scan will tell them if I have gallstones, if my gallbladder is working properly, if there is any blockage in my bile ducts, etc... If this comes back negative my doctor wants to do a scope to see if I have ulcers.

Here is to hoping that everything is okay!!!