Finally, Week 11

My absence in the blogosphere can be blamed on MNN, morning-noon-night sickness. I'm not going to call it morning sickness anymore because it just makes me upset to think I should be feeling better by noon each day.

Most of the week is a blur, but let me see if I can recall enough about each day to officially put it behind me and say I really don't ever want to have another week like Week 10. Ever. I'm just glad that the Olympics are going on because it gives me something to look forward to.

On Wednesday, after two straight days of struggling with liquids and liquid-like substances (yogurt), I called my doctor's office. I considered going there, but I didn't think they'd like it if I just walked in and started vomiting in their office. After patiently waiting on hold, the nurse asked me a handful of questions and told me to try Jell-O and Pedialyte. I had my list and was still staring at it when she called back to ask one more (and seemingly critical) question... What color is your pee? TMI? Maybe TMI for a blog, but I'm not afraid to share... there are a lot of other things worse than pee-hue that will likely be around the corner, right? The nurse was quiet for a second when I told her the little pee I'd seen that day was more like honey than apple juice. Yes, giant red flag-- and a ticket to the hospital. I guess it was my little whimper for help. After packing a few books, I was on my way to the emergency room.

I waited for about an hour in the United Nations of ERs, listening and watching my fellow patients in between chapters on beekeeping (I managed to finish the beekeeping book-- we can talk bees some other time). I got through after they called "Kelly"-- confused? Yep. I asked, "First name or last name?" A volunteer checked my wristband and said it was indeed my turn. Yay! A nice nurse my age named Liz gave me some warm blankets and hooked me up to a bag of fluids and drew some blood. A doctor came in and asked me some questions and then Liz returned with a little vial that turned out to be my salvation!

After another bag of fluid (I still hadn't peed, but I eventually did before I left), I was told my blood work looked borderline in some areas (potassium) but good enough to send me on my way. So I walked out feeling like a new woman and went straight to the pharmacy to fill the script for my new wonder drug, Zofran.

I resisted taking it until I could Google it a few times and it seemed like the benefits outweighed the misery, lack of sleep, and being in the hospital again so I took the medicine. I'm not myself, but I certainly am BETTER, and I'll settle for that.