Surprise: "It's Not Nice To Fool Mother Nature!"

Mother Nature needed a job back in the 60's, so she endorsed Chiffon Margarine.

And what was it that I was asking last Thursday with my post, "Autumn Venting"?  With my newly-diagnosed hypothyroidism, I was wondering just how many more spare body parts I had available in my "innards" for either "ceasing" function - as in my non-production of adult human growth hormone - or "malfunctioning," as in my thyroid. And that's just the tip of the malignant doings of the "evil prankster" commonly referred to as CFIDS/ME/CFS and fibromyalgia.

Well, I suppose that I should be thankful to Mother Nature. She seems to be the only "being" capable of any influence over me - as in forcing me to lie down and stay down when need be, keeping me away from my blog when it gets to be just too much for my health, or sending me to see a doctor when I just don't get the message by any other means.

But today she - Mother Nature, that is - and Clarence, my guardian angel, combined forces.  (Incidentally, I actually named my guardian angel "Clarence" back in the beginning of this blog, feeling he deserved a proper name of his own after everything I've put him through over the years.)   But I suppose I've proven to be a bit much for Clarence alone lately - "lately" as in "relatively speaking" - and he needed some additional, but very effective, help. After all, I can't walk?    Well, then that means I'll simply crawl!   Therefore, I suppose - and mind you, this is ONLY a working theory since I can't actually read Mother Nature's thoughts, not even Clarence's - but I surmise that Mother Nature was called in to help this hopeless cause, moi!

Furthermore, there ARE, evidently, more "spare" body parts that CAN go, as I learned early this morning.

Last night I fell asleep in huge pain, at a huge unusual 10.   I've used the number 10 only a handful of times in my 38-year history, reserving it because I know things can ALWAYS get worse - but for once hubby misread me and thought it the "usual."  I woke up a few hours later, however, not able to move around much, with even more extreme pain.  After an hour and a half of weakness, pain, a bunch of other cruddy feelings/symptoms which I've thankfully repressed, and unable to move whatsoever, I finally woke up hubby to tell him that I needed to be taken to the ER STAT, and that driving me there would not do, even if it WAS only a 10-minute ride.  It hurt so much just to breathe and standing without falling almost such an impossibility that I've been crawling in order to do almost everything I do - and yes, crawling is every bit degrading as it sounds.

I've also been experiencing frequent falls lately, but unlike any I've had before.  Yes, spots and stars in front of my eyes, vision problems galore, blacking out and then gracefully passing out, somewhat like when Marie Osmond so gracefully collapsed on "Dancing with the Stars."  Yes siree, Bob, all that and more.  Now it's also my veins feeling as if they will implode and explode, both at the same time.  I can hear my heart throbbing in my head and feeling like IT will explode, as well as a whole new set of new migraines going on which no meds are helping.  My legs give out, I fall out of bed, I can't breathe when I get out of bed, I start shaking, spastically...oh, the list goes on and on.

As it turns out the gall stones which were discovered about two years ago (see March 1 post) are in terrible shape with fluid around them, the bladder is inflamed and since it is almost non-functioning, it too will have to come out.

But the surprise of the day was that I have pneumonia on top of it all!  Evidently, the surgeons don't like to operate when there's any infection going on but feel that the situation is such that I need surgery ASAP.  All the OR's and their spots are completely filled up but everyone's keeping fingers crossed, hoping that somehow a vacant spot will become available at some point tomorrow.

Well, "SURPRISE! Surprise! Surprise!" as Gomer Pyle used to so famously say.   I suppose that all that coughing which has sounded so much like a seal, described back in July, and still showing up, wasn't croup after all, but the pneumonia.  Now it's no wonder why I was so weak getting out of bed, having so much trouble moving myself from one side to the other side in my bed, too often all too weak to even pick up a glass of water and other such nonsense.   On the other hand, who knows where the hypothyroidism, my recovery from the trip to Malaysia, gall bladder and gallstones, insomnia, fibromyalgia, migraines, nausea, sweats, swollen lumph nodes, pneumonia, the DD, and any other mysterious symptoms going on still not identified but being explored begin and end?   It's all tangled up together like spaghetti.

So, get pneumonia, add a funky gall bladder and really messed-up gall stones, then add CFIDS/ME/CFS and fibromyalgia to the mix and you come up with pretty much a nice disaster or even THE PERFECT STORM - I don't mean to shout, but my techno-skills fail again as I want to emphasize, but don't know how to "soften" it by italicizing on my iPad.

I must say that thus far, I'm so happy to be in one of our local hospitals. (UNDERSTATEMENT!!!)  With yet another new building, the ER was a pleasure with beautiful, spacious private rooms - no curtain jobs for so-called privacy where everyone within earshot can hear your entire medical history. The entire area was blissfully quiet, so important for those of us with sensitivity to sound.  All the patient rooms on the floors are now private, thanks to the HIPAA privacy rules, and almost lush.  The staff has been on time with my pain meds thus far (knock on wood! and tphoo! tphoo! tphoo!), very kind and understanding.

Now, I wouldn't mind something to eat since I last ate Wednesday evening and won't be able to eat until some time after surgery on Friday, but it IS a rather small price to pay in order to get this part of myself figured out and to be done with.

So, hopefully, tomorrow I'll be under the knife and soon this little medical matter will be out of the way so we can get on with my other problems!  Thanks, Mother Nature and Clarence for getting me to the ER for this much needed operation, one which I kept managing to put off for a more convenient time!  I just hope I've not jinxed myself!   No pictures today, alas, but I'll try to slip one in once I get home and can get around a bit.

Finally, I hope everyone out there is feeling their very best, only better!  Ciao and paka, from my hospital room and my iPad!