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blogging101, Creative Writing, Family, Memories, Memories & Reflections, Sandbox Writing Challenge, Writing 101, Writing Prompts
So this week’s Sandbox Writing Challenge wants to know, what is one of the worst emotional storms we’ve weathered in our life.
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Gosh, there are so many to choose from. We’ve lost all four parents and that was traumatic, but it was also the way life is. Perhaps for me most difficult times fall into that category. But there was one crisis for us that lasted a whole year and pretty much wore us out.
Lord Drollery had been up in the mountains hunting with his brothers in the fall (November ’76). I got a phone call from them saying he was in horrific pain in his side and they were bringing him down to the hospital. The first thing that went through my mind was cancer. It turned out, however, he had diverticulitis, a condition where bulging pouches in your lower intestines can become inflamed and infected and be very dangerous.
And this was. His intestine had ruptured and the doctors had to go in and cut the intestine and insert a colostomy (with a bag) while they tried to drain all the infection. So they closed him up with the bag on and it was going to be a few months before they would proceed with the next surgery. Learning to care for that kind of wound was scary as hell. It had to be cleaned and irrigated regularly. But we learned how to do it.
Things were going well. In fact, after six years of trying to get pregnant, I did! When it was time for Drollery’s second surgery where the doctors would remove the dead parts of his bowels, I was four months pregnant. We waited in the waiting room while the surgery was going on. Usually the doc always just stepped out to the desk when he was finished to tell the family how it went. That’s what they had done before. But this time we were asked to go into this little room behind the desk where we waited and waited and waited for over an hour.
By the time my dad finally went looking for someone to ask what was going on, I was sure Drollery was dead. As it turned out, they’d just forgotten we were there! But days later I started having a lot of pain and I lost the baby. We were devastated. And to this day I blame that snafu at the hospital for the loss of that child.
Two months later Drollery went back into surgery to have the colostomy removed and his bowels reattached. At the same time, against the doc’s advice that I not try to get pregnant for awhile, I said what the heck and it was full speed ahead. The surgery went well as did the healing process, and the day before Christmas I made a fast visit to my doctor’s on a hunch. and Lo! and Behold! (no pun intended) I WAS pregnant with Bran.
So that year turned out to be one of the most difficult ones in our life, but also the most joyous with no cancer and a baby on the way!
Picture Credits
Ogden Regional Medical Center — ogdenregional.com
baby bump — www.viralspell.com
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Goodness Gracious Green! What a year that was 😦 Though In the end, there was balance. Wow. This was a difficult challenge. But they’re supposed to push us out of our comfort zone, so I think it’s doing the job.
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It’s interesting to get that peek into other folks’ lives. I loved yours. Can’t even begin to imagine that.
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It really gives us a chance to realize we’re really not alone.
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Diverticulitis is a horrible thing. A baby is a lovely thing – although babies have a disturbing tendency to grow up…
Neil is awesome. He talks about colostomy as if he’s discussing something as everyday as fishing flies or home decorating. There’s no embarrassnent, no serecy. He’s a real ambassador…
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You had a really tough time, and I imagine you were on edge until Bran was born. So glad there was a happy ending…
One of my nephews had a colostomy when he was in his twenties. After he left hospital he and his girlfriend got married. He now has two children and his colostomy has not been reversed. He’s a bit of a hero – he started selling colostomy products, because the ones that were available in this country were terrible. He’s campaigned for impovements in colostomy care in the National Health Service – there were some dodgy deals going on with the major companies – and he’s now selling fashion for people with colostomies and raising awareness at the same time. He’s made a lot of difference to people with colostomies, increasing raising their self-esteem and confidence, and I’m proud of him.
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That’s a pretty awesome thing your nephew is doing. It does corrode their self-confidence so much. You know I think both of us felt like if Drollery hadn’t had this problem we might never have gotten pregnant at all. It sure was a mixed blessing.
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