POTATOES

"Mash 'em, boil 'em, stick 'em in a stew!" (Dusty and Ross should catch this reference)  I LOVE mashed potatoes... they are my absolute favorite part of holiday meals with my family.  When I was a kid (and younger adult!), I would always have to sit right next to my Aunt Bonnie at holiday meals, since we both loved mashed potatoes... this way, we could strategically position the mashed potatoes right in front of us, so we could be sure to be the first ones to partake in their goodness.  This Thanksgiving I will NOT be eating mashed potatoes, and probably not even seeing my family.  Unfortunately, mashed potatoes (at least the good, real kind) are FULL of fat, which is why they are so delicious.  Fatty foods trigger gallbladder attacks, and no matter how much I love mashed potatoes, they are not worth hours of excruciating pain followed by vomiting.  Sad day.

I met with a surgeon today.  It was kind of strange, but weirdly exciting at the same time (I watch a lot of medical dramas on TV, or at least, I used to).  He was very kind and spoke to me about my symptoms before just saying he needed to cut me open.  He explained how gallbladder stones and kidney stones were like "apples and oranges".  He said you can't just go in and blast out gallbladder stones like you can with the kidney. He said there is no way to keep stones in the gallbladder from returning, so they always come back.  He said that once you have gallbladder disease, that's kind of it, and surgery is the only option to solve it.  He said that it's best to do the surgery as soon as possible when you are still feeling "fairly good", as if you wait too long, it could become much more complex.  He said the stones can pass into other organs, and if left untreated, I would continue to have "attacks" (HOURS of pain so horrible I'm literally doubled over, rocking, hoping it will pass... but it doesn't, then I get nauseous and throw up).  He also said that if you don't remove it, it could eventually rupture, which obviously would be a MUCH bigger problem.  SO, I am scheduled to have it ripped out on 11/29/11.  It's done laparoscopically in an out-patient procedure (barring any unforeseen complications) which totally blows my mind.  He's going to cut out my organ, and send me home the same day.  Crazy, right?!  The fantastic thing is that since he's doing it in November, it's pretty much going to be free!  We have met my deductible and are close to meeting my out of pocket expense with my insurance from prenatal and labor/delivery charges, so this one is pretty much on the house.  Too bad he can't do any other elective surgeries while he's in there.  ;)