We were all set for the week ahead. I headed out the door on Monday morning to go to work. Jason hadn’t gotten out of bed just yet as he and the girls often wake up when I am leaving. We had plans for different holiday events this week. Everything went out the window after my husband messaged me to come home immediately and take him to the hospital. Something was up.
Jason had messaged me earlier saying his stomach was hurting, I thought he was just getting the flu. When I got home, I realized right away something was not right. He was admitted into emergency quickly. I had dropped him at the doors so I could go and find parking. Made things interesting when I had to go and find him when they rushed him back so fast.
I don’t know if it’s because of having had cancer and chemo, but he was given a room to wait in while we saw that the emergency was overflowing with patients on stretchers scattered throughout the halls. He was given pain meds and nausea meds to try and help him, but nothing was easing the pain he was in. When asked about his pain level, it was a 10.
X-rays and a ct scan later, and many hours of waiting for the doctor. It was suspected that something in his bowels was obstructed of herniated. A surgeon came in and gave two options 1) wait for the pain meds to wear off and see how he does or 2) do a laparoscopy and see what’s going on if anything and if needed they would do surgery then and there. I spoke up right away and said he needed to go for the laparoscopy. I didn’t even give the choice. I’d been praying the whole time we were there, 7 or so hours, and my gut told me he needed to go in for surgery.
At one point the nurse came in and said they needed to prep him for surgery because he was going into the O.R. in the next 15 minutes. Right before they wheeled him out of the room, as the anesthesiologist came in to talk to Jason some more. He got bumped. Something else had come up and he needed to wait. He waited over 4 hours to be wheeled down to the O.R. I waited with him right till they wheeled him away from me. I couldn’t go any further. I’d given him a kiss and squished his hand moments before.
All this time the girls were being watched by my family. They had brought them home and put them to bed for us, with little clue of what all was really going on. I sadly couldn’t stay with Jason and wait out the surgery. I went home to relieve my family just after midnight. I got lost trying to get back to the car. The parkade gate was down and I couldn’t get in. It was interesting trying to find a staircase in.
I will never forget the phone call from the surgeon just after 1:30am. I went to sleep but left my phone on as loud as possible knowing they would call to inform me of what had happened. The surgeon let me know that “He was a walking dead man, a ticking time bomb. His intestines had twisted and were cut off from circulation, there was also banding of scar tissue cutting off circulation. Everything was dying. He should have been dead.”
Definitely not what I expected to hear, but the surgeon went on “We were able to untwist everything and correct things. Everything started to go pink. I’ve never seen this happen before. He is a lucky man!” Lucky, maybe. But I feel and believe God had his hand on him the whole time. He preserved Jason. All we can do is give thanks.
We are so thankful that this didn’t happen while I was away. Thankful for everyone who has helped us this week in so many different ways. Thankful for the phone calls, texts, food, and so much more. We don’t know how to say thank you enough. The words just don’t seem like enough.
So here we are, again. Jason has been in the hospital for 5 days. He is recovering and doing so much better than Monday. The surgeon has visited and each time said how lucky he is and how he’s never seen anything like it. God truly is greater than the hills and valleys and He’s brought us through this one. We appreciate your continued thoughts and prayers, it means a lot to us.
God is amazing! Glad that Jason is on the road to recovery. We keep you all in our prayers.
Oh wow. Prayers for Jason and your family. God is Good! That must have been excruciatingly painful. So glad he’s on the mend!!
Wow. Thinking of you guys. Our hearts go out to you.