Jeff

As many of you know (from Facebook and/or phone calls), Jeff had an appendectomy on Wednesday. Thought I'd sit down and write out all the details.

On Tuesday afternoon, Jeff started complaining of a stomachache. I didn't think much of it, but by Wednesday morning it was much worse. Lots of pain, plus he had been unable to keep any food or liquid down since this all started. He asked me to go to the store to get some sprite in an attempt to help him feel better. When I got home, he was curled up on the floor moaning, and asked me to take him to the ER.

At that point, Thomas was about to get out of preschool, Zaylee was still in the van (I had brought her to the store with me), and Audrey was waking up from her nap. So I threw some diapers and stuff into the diaper bag, got Audrey ready and buckled in the van, then helped Jeff get dressed and into the van. We stopped at the school to pick up Thomas on the way to the hospital.

There was a brief wait in the ER waiting room, then they took Jeff in to assess his condition. The kids and I stayed out in the waiting room. The kids got to watch TV in the children's wait area, and a nice lady got a couple snacks for them from the vending machine. We were finally allowed back to see Jeff, who was feeling a bit better since they had him on morphine.

I had to take the kids home, because they were getting antsy and hungry. So I got them home, changed diapers, fed them, and then my neighbor came over to be with the kids while I went back to be with Jeff.

There was a lot of waiting, and Jeff was in a lot of pain. The Elders Quorum president and one of the young men from the ward came over the give Jeff a blessing, which was very much appreciated. Immediately after, he was taken to have surgery to remove his appendix. The EQ president got me some lunch from the cafeteria, and I settled in to wait while Jeff was operated on.

The operation went successfully. The surgeon was able to remove the appendix from three small incisions instead of having to completely open Jeff up. They removed about a liter (!) of pus from his abdomen. Wow, that's half of a two-liter bottle. No wonder he was in so much pain.

I stayed the night with Jeff that first night. Jeff's sister Joy and her daughter Marilee spent the night with the kids so I could be with Jeff. And ever since then, Jeff has been recovering in the hospital, on antibiotics to prevent infection and morphine to help with the pain, and I've been trying to stay sane here at home with the kids. We've visited Jeff a couple times. The kids are always happy to see Daddy, but it's hard because he can't get up and play with them. They can't even give him hugs and sit on his lap.

It's been kind of hard the past couple of days. The kids and I miss having Jeff around. The kids are acting out a bit more than usual, and my depression has been flaring up. But Jeff should be able to come home soon, which we're really looking forward to.