Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Stoned Gall

Hi guys.
I finally know that I got Gall Stones, which will require a minor surgery to remove. Doc will set up a date and let me know when.

I am so thankful it's not a big deal. Thank you, my friends for your prayers and encouraging words.
Once I get this taken care of I will feel much better and get my appetite back.
Plus, I'll get to eat bacon again, can I hear a hallelujah?

I did lose 15 pounds and can now see the long lost six pack I thought had gone awol. While it's nice to lose that fat I don't recommend the gall stone diet.
Still, it's nice to see somethin' good come out of all that sufferin' those Gall Stone Cold Stoners put me through.

The lady who did the ultrasound was very nice. She likes dachsies too so we talked about our dogs, then she showed me all my internal organs which is kinda cool.
The VA is lucky to have such a cheerful, friendly ultrasound technician, and so are us veterans. She did a superb job.

My biggest surprise is that they can now heat up the jelly stuff they put on you. I was expecting cold jelly stuff 'cause that's always what I got before, but it's been years since my last ultrasound.
Warm jelly stuff is much better I think.

My thanks to God that this wasn't cancer or one of the other heavy hitters. And for warm jelly stuff. :)
When this is all over I'm gonna have me a nice cold one and raise my can to you guys for helpin' me through this.
Thank you.

19 comments:

julie said...

Glad to hear it - I was just about to ask :)

I hope everything goes smoothly, and that you're back to eating bacon very soon!

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Thanks, Julie.
I'm lookin' forward to not being gallable anymore. :)

Leslie Godwin said...

Great news! Keep us posted re the surgery, and enjoy the bacon!

John Lien said...

Good news Ben! Praise the Lord and pass the bacon!

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Hi Leslie,
It's kind of funny because when the technician noticed the gall stones I said that's great news!
Relatively speaking of course, and much better than the alternatives. :)

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Hi John,
I eagerly await the day that bacon and me are reunited.
Just learned that the radiologist wants to do a CT scan, so hope that doesn't delay getting the gall stones out.
Haven't heard from the surgery guys yet.

robinstarfish said...

Gall durn it, that's good news. It occurred to me that Dylan's Rainy Day Women #12 & 35 is actually about gallstones. Makes much more sense now.

Here's to bacon futures.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Always happy to report good news, Don.
I had no idea Dylan sang about this. Now I gotta go give it a listen.
:)

mushroom said...

That is good news, and I am glad to hear about the warm jelly. I've never had either, but I have seen the reaction to the cold stuff.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Hi Mushroom,
Actually, the cold jelly stuff wasn't horrible, it was only cold temporarily, but in contrast the warm jelly stuff was a pleasant surprise.

julie said...

Hi Ben, I've been meaning to ask - is your surgery coming up? I hope you're holding out alright!

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Hi Julie,
Well, I had a CT Scan which showed a rolling stone in the cystic duct between the gallbladder and the liver, as well as other stones in the usual places.

They wanna do one more test which involves an endoscopy plus xrays to see if there are any in the main bile duct that goes to theupper intestines.

After that I get either the minor surgery or the one where they hafta cut me open, depending on how difficult it is to get the damn rolling stones out off my stage.
I tell ya, I can't get no satisfaction.

Thankfully, a diet of blueberries, veggies and non-fatty meat (and no beer :( or bacon) has kept the nausea down to the occasional flare-up instead of an everyday occurance and the pain ebbs and flows.

I will be very relieved when this is finally done. It's really harshing my jib.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Also, a mixture of ginger ale or sprite mixed with seltzer water helps a lot to make me burp more which relieves the pressure and pain.
And gatorade because it's got electrolytes man.

julie said...

Man, that sounds wretched. I was very fortunate, in a way, when I had mine out, because the problem was acute. A few too many Mystic Monk chocolate-covered espresso beans, and my pancreas (blocked by a big stone) almost choked itself in one fell swoop. I actually think they were blessed, as it all worked out in the best awful way it could. The worst agony was only for a day or so, and dietary restrictions didn't last long.

It's good that they're trying to be thorough, but sucks that you have to wait. I hope it all happens quickly.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Doesit hafta be Mystic Monk chocolate covered expresso beans? :)

julie said...

It might work with lesser beans, but I think the blessing part is key. Unblessed beans might send your pancreas too far over the edge, and lord knows you don't need that on top of everything else, lol. Little known bonus: if you plant them under the light of a blue moon and water with unicorn tears, they'll sprout a beanstalk that leads directly to the most awesome coffee shop in the unknown universe.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Ha! That's good to know. I imagine blessed beans are effective against vampires too.

Do the Mystic Monks sell Costa Rican coffee perchance?
Our loco walmart quit selling it so If they do I'll order from them.

julie said...

They don't appear to. They have some of the best coffee I've ever tasted, but we haven't bought in a while because a big bag of Dunkin Donuts coffee from Costco is a lot less expensive on a regular basis. But for special occasions, it's definitely worth it.

USS Ben USN (Ret) said...

Thanks for checkin', Julie.
I'll keep the Monks in mind if I ever get a hankerin' for something else.