Storm Damage

What do you think of when you hear of storm damage? Limbs and debris in your yard after a thunderstorm? Or, maybe you think of a winter storm with ice and snow. Many people, especially those on the East Coast and the Gulf Coast, think of hurricanes when they hear of storm damage. As I write this post, I’m watching coverage of Hurricane Ida in Louisiana. This is also the 16th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.

On the day that Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, I was facing my own storm. I was admitted to UNC Hospitals for a bowel obstruction. I was there for 17 days. It was one of the scariest times of my life. I was also 28 weeks pregnant with my daughter.

Many times in life we face crises of one type or another and call them storms. At no other time in my life was it more evident. As I lied in a hospital bed, listening to the TV and trying to watch some of the coverage of Katrina, I was trying to count my blessings. Yes, I was in the hospital. Yes, I was in a lot of pain. Yes, I was pregnant and losing weight because I couldn’t eat or keep anything down. But, I still had a home and all my family. I have learned that perspective is important.

So, more on my storm from August 2005 . . . I was 28 weeks pregnant with my second child. Everything was going great. I was feeling great. All was good. Then, I started having back pain and nausea out of nowhere. I had not had any morning sickness prior to this. I had a gut feeling that my issue was more Crohn’s related and not just a pregnant issue. I tried to eat and just kept feeling worse. I ended up going to the ER at my local hospital. I was admitted and stayed through the weekend. I was basically given nausea meds and advised to rest. I was told that what I was experiencing was just part of being pregnant. Not satisfied with that answer and still feeling sick, I called my doctor at UNC Hospital in Chapel Hill.

Monday, August 29, 2005, I spent most of the day lying on the couch in pain. I could not eat or ate very little. I was nauseous and vomiting. And, I had been five days without a bowel movement. This was huge for someone with Crohn’s whose normal day means going ten times a day. The call to my nurse at UNC GI Medicine was key to turning my storm around. She was able to tell from my description over the phone that I probably had a bowel obstruction. We immediately made arrangements with the grandparents for our son and drove the hour and twenty minutes to Chapel Hill. I started having contractions on the ride because I was so dehydrated. When we got to the ER, I was immediately admitted and given fluids. I spent ten days on the GI floor of the hospital and seven days on the OB floor.

I have been blessed that my husband has always stood beside me and supported me on my health journey. But, everything he saw me go through during this long hospitalization was eye-opening. I had a nasogastric tube (ng tube) inserted twice. The tube is inserted through the nose and goes to the stomach. You literally have to swallow the tube. This is put in to help remove the blockage. It is NOT fun to do.

Once the blockage was resolved and I was able to eat, I was transferred to the OB floor to monitor the baby. Our daughter was not the only addition coming that year. While I was in the hospital, my husband was also adding a family room and a laundry room to our house. 2005 was a big year for us.

I had a 20 day roller coaster ride of hospital stays in two hospitals. I was at one of the lowest points of my disease journey and scared of losing my baby. But, by a miracle and lots of prayer, I avoided surgery (that time) and have a beautiful daughter who turns 16 in a few months.

Each year on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, my reflections turn to my storm of 2005.

Reflection: What kind of storm damage do you have? Share your storms and let others help with your “clean-up”.