Cannot sleep and I am really worried tonight

[jessica31876]

I know I posted about the baby news tonight and I am really happy about that but my husband started getting really sick again tonight. And the pain in his side was back and worse this time then the last time he was hospitalized back in November/December.

After much discussion and me getting really upset with him I convinced him he needed to go to the ER (mainly because he has had acid reflux so bad this week and it was causing him to gag on it while he was sleeping, his vomiting was really bad again and the pain was pretty bad as well). I was really hoping that it would be a simple fix and he would be coming home last night (he left around 7:30 or so) or sometime early this morning.

I just got a call a little while ago that they admitted him again and after doing another CT scan and comparing it to the previous scan from November they said the liver looks worse and there is something going on with his stomach as well. They are treating with antibiotics right now, giving him something to try to control vomiting and acid reflux and planning on running more tests between now and later today. Probably more towards morning hours.

I feel horrible that he is going through this alone but I could not find anyone to stay with my son and I obviously cannot leave him alone as he is only 14 just shy of 15. It is ok during the day but in the evening not so much. I know he understands why I cannot do that so I know he is not upset about me not coming with him but I want to be there with him and I do not sleep well at all when he is not home.

Anyhow needless to say I am worried about him yet again. This feels like a never ending cycle of him getting sick like this/them treating it/it gets better/he comes home...only to have it repeat a few months later. He has had so many tests done...xays, CT scans, MRI's, ultrasounds, colonoscopy, endoscopy. But the doctors are not able to find anything conclusive and I do not know what else they can do to figure this out.

I do not know if it is something he is doing/not doing right (like not taking his medication everyday like he is supposed to or if it the foods he eats triggering it to get worse). Not that there are a lot of foods that are triggers that he typically eats and as far as I can tell he has been taking his medication everyday. It just seems to be getting worse each time one of these episodes happen yet there are no answers as to why he is getting like this up to this point.

I am hoping to be able to spend some time with him in a few hours when everyone is awake and the ER doctor said he may be able to go home today depending on what they see with the other tests they ordered. I kinda have a bad feeling he is going to be spending a few days there again. It just feels like he will get better and the doctors will say everything is ok then he will get worse and they run all these tests all over again and I am scared for him again. Like a roller coaster ride that is never ending.

I really just want him to start getting better and not be in so much pain all the time and for this to be nothing serious. All I can think is after going through losing my son there is really no way I can lose my husband too but he just keeps getting worse and he is in so much pain all the time. On top of that I know losing our son is really hard on him too. So in addition to all the physical pain he is still feeling there is all those emotional issues as well.

Sorry for the long rambling post. I know I am most likely not going to get any sleep and I have nobody to talk to about it.

[xboxmom]

Jessica I am so sorry you are going through this again. There is nothing worse than the fear of the unknown. I hope they have the answers for you guys soon. Take some Benydril if you can't sleep that normally knocks me right out. Hugs to you and I really really hope your husband can recover. Thinking of you tonight.

[jessica31876]

Thanks Kim. I know I will feel better when I see him in the morning and can talk to the doctor myself.

Also if anyone has dealt with this kind of issue (the vomiting/acid reflux mainly because I think that is the root of most of this) and has any advice or questions I should be asking the doctor about it or tests they have not done that maybe I should ask about that is also appreciated. I am really hoping this time they will get something figured out so the acid reflux/nausea/vomiting will get under control for him.

Im not sure yet what to think about the liver issue. Once they determined it was scar tissue from the accident none of the doctors seemed overly concerned about it they just said we need to have it monitored and suggested he have another CT scan in 6 months or so and that would be coming up end of May so it is a little earlier then it was scheduled to be done.

[Julie Billingsley]

Jessica, what a difficult time your husband is going through. :( I'll be thinking of you all and hoping you get some answers and solutions.

You asked about vomiting/acid reflux and my 20 year old son has that. They did a barium swallow and then a scope down his throat to check everything out. Basically my son has a hiatal hernia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiatal_hernia) which produces the vomiting/acid problems. The good news is that it isn't a big deal and can be mostly controlled with acid reducer medication. I certainly don't know if that is what is causing your husband's troubles, but thought I'd give you some hope that it might be something simple. Also, for me, I had horrible pain and throwing up and heartburn when my gallbladder needed to come out. Again, I hope this time in the hospital leads them to some answers for you! (hugs)

[MamaBee]

oh my gosh, Jessica... I sure hope that it's nothing serious - he (and you) have been through so much!! Sending up more prayers for you, two!

[jessica31876]

I will be sure to ask the doctor about those Julie. I have already thought about the gall bladder as it was what was causing issues for my best friend but I was not sure if it would cause those issues he is having or not. For him I defenitely see a pattern though. He will get acid reflux really bad (like the acid is actually coming up into his mouth) he says it burns really bad and makes it hard to swallow. A day or two later inevitably he will start vomiting. It does not happen regularly like every two weeks or every month. It can be a week or two then no bad reflux/vomiting for months then back to every couple weeks and usually it gets better on its own after a few hours. So I cant even tell if it is all related because he will not go to the hospital everytime it gets bad. I had to threaten him tonight into calling 911 to get him to go and I know he still did not want to go. (men can be sooo stubborn!!) He was completely out of it so I wrote down all his meds/symptoms/medical history so he did not have to talk to much. The nurses and doctor all commented they wish all patients had such a complete history that it was very helpful. (oh and he did not drive himself he had his mom come pick him up). He also told me they would not let him fall asleep in the ER so I am thinking the vomiting while he is sleeping is as troubling to them as it was to me. I do not think he understands how serious that can be if he aspirates into his lungs.

[*Celeste*]

hugs jessica. i hope that they figure this out. it all sounds so scary.

[Lyd]

Hugs Jessica! You've been through so much! I'm praying that they'll get to the bottom of what is causing all these problems for your husband. Hang in there. I can only imagine how hard it is to be home without him and wondering how he's doing.

[jessica31876]

I feel so bad for him. Apparently they have been waking him up to see if he is feeling like he is going to get sick again and making sure nothing is coming up while he is asleep all night. And I cannot find aa ride to the hospital yet. My sister is trying to come and get me but she is in the army reserves and has drill today so Im not sure she will be able to or not. My daughter is working today and the rest of my family is to far away to call to ask them to take me. Everyone else I called is obviously either still sleeping or out for the day. This just sucks. I want to be there with him not here at home worried about him.

[carrie1977]

Awww....I'm so sorry you haven't been able to get to him yet. Do you have a neighbor that could give you a ride?

[xboxmom]

Do Taxi's come out to your neck of the woods or is the city bus system close by ? I'd be going nuts if I couldn't get to the hospital and thinking of any way possible to get me there......:( I hope they have some better news for you this morning.

[Sherri Tierney]

I'm so sorry. I know how much it would bother me to not be at the hospital with my husband, let alone the worry you have for him. I'm praying.

[jessica31876]

I was able to get a ride up here. My sister talked to her sergent and I guess he/she told her to go ahead and go. My husband seems to be doing better and the nurse told me the main concern is his liver right now. It does seem like there is something going on with his stomach as well but on the CT scan they said there was a signifigant change to his liver from the last CT scan in November so basically we are waiting now for another MRI of his abdomen and possibly other tests the dr might want to order. I do not know if that is better theb he was saying or worse. I guess just wait to talk to his dr later

[Paula]

I'm so sorry that this is happening. I will certainly pray that things turn around for your hubby.

[LenaGardner]

You poor thing. (((hugs))) Sending all my positive thoughts for you all.

[DawnMarch]

Gosh, Jessica, it's awful that this keeps happening. I hope they can get to the bottom of it so you all can get on with your lives.

[webseitler]

Wow. I have no words. :( I'm so sorry! Sending hugs and prayers your way.

[jessica31876]

Thanks everyone....I thought I posted an update. I had my nook with me so I could update my daughter when she took her break. So the tests they ordered were blood work, MRI and something to check his gall bladder. I am kinda surprised the dr had not checked that yet. The dr who was doing rounds this weekend is the dr my husband normally sees at his dr's office so that was very nice he remembers my husband and was a bit surprised to see him. I am glad that they are checking the gall bladder now because it kinda almost seems like the only thing left. They are still "concerned" about the liver but they were not exactly clear why so still worried but somewhat relieved to see my husband back to feeling ok again. He had a bad headache most of the day and slept a lot while I was there. He was kinda in and out of it but I am sure he is just really tired from the day before and they did not let him fall asleep in the ER in case he vomited again so he would sit up and not be lying down when it happened. I got home like 7:00 this evening and did not get to lay down until 8:30 anfter feeding the animals and making dinner for me and my son and taking the dogs outside. I am thinking it will be at least Monday before he is released.

[kristijoy]

Sounds like they are staying on top of it. Sending positive thoughts that they get some answers soon!

[LJSDesigns]

I'm adding my thoughts and prayers too Jessica. I hope they figure it out and that your husband, and you, start feeling some relief soon.

[carrie1977]

I really hope they figure out what is wrong so that he can start getting well. ((HUGS))