Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Dinner, paramedics and pancreas

Sunday was the family dinner. I cook and bake for my children, their families, my mom, Rod's mom and my sister-in-law, at least once a month. That is usually 24 people.  I love it. I admit. It's stressful, but it's rewarding. In the summer I try to find recipes I can do on our barbecue. This Sunday was no exception.
I decided to rotisserie a chicken and a pork loin roast. I also cooked 10 pounds of roasted potatoes in two crock pots. And I baked the most amazing rolls, if I must say so, and two peach pies. I spent about five hours getting everything ready. The food was really yummy. My guests were entertaining and I felt as if the evening was a huge success.
I also drive to Ogden to get my mom from the assisted living place for these dinners. So she is my first guest to arrive and my last one to leave. 
On my way home, I began experiencing pain in my chest and my left arm went numb. I am driving and thinking, "This is heartburn." But the pain continued and wouldn't go away and was becoming intense. 
I said a prayer and thought,"If I get home, I will be OK." 
But I kept thinking I should pull over and I thought, "No, I don't want to. I don't want."
I tried moving my arm over my head in my car to move the "bubble." 

When I got home I thought once I walk around the pain will go away.
But it got worse. It knocked me on my butt. Rod wasn't home. He was out doing bishop stuff. When he got home, I was on the couch, crying. The pain was so bad. I thought it was my heart. It wasn't anything like I read about. He gave me an antacid and aspirin.
The decision was made to call for paramedics. Now, I was coherent enough to ask him not to call 911, but to just call Davis County Sheriff's Dispatch. I don't know why. I mean, looking back, he should have just called 911, especially if it was my heart. Silly me. 
Anyway, the paramedics showed up from the sheriff's office and from North Davis Fire District. The firemen come with an ambulance. 
Before they arrived, Rod was on the phone with the dispatcher and also picking up the toys scattered by grandkids. It made me laugh and that hurt, physically, not emotionally. I mean, why worry about our mess? 
Anyway, as they poked and prodded at me they said my heart looked good, but  I was still in pain. could barely stand up. 
One of the paramedics was worried that I would kick him out of my house because he yelled at me at a fire I covered several weeks ago. He yelled at me because I was in the way of the hoses. He was dong his job. No worries. 
Anyway, I end up  transported by ambulance with paramedics who kept making me laugh, even though I was in pain, and in the emergency room at 11 a.m. and for the next four hours, I was poked, prodded, heart checked and X-rayed.
Turns out my pancreas was infected. I hate to admit it, but I had no clue where my pancreas lived in my body until early Monday morning. And infected pancreas can cause pain in the chest, not just in the abdomen area.
Now I'm home. Drinking liquids. Taking meds. No food until Wednesday.
I saw my regular doctor Monday. It looks like I may have to change my diet. Less meat, more vegetables. Less fatty foods (ice cream, cream cheese, etc), and more healthy foods. I'm not too happy about that. But I'm alive.
Besides this weekend is the sleepover with my grandkids. I love having them over more than they like coming. Also one of my sisters-in-law is getting married. Not the one I cook for, another. I really want to be there.

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