Here's The Scoop.....

Thursday was "T" day (test day). After registering and finding out where we had to go, we arrived at the radiology room. A HIDA scan was scheduled. This is the test where they shoot some radioactive tracer into your arm and then watch it go through your liver, gall bladder (if you have one), intestines and pancreas.....and just as a bonus, you get to watch it do all this on the screen. Your organs light up quite nicely as it moves along. Of course, to one who isn't skilled in reading the screen, it might seem a little un-nerving as you begin to wonder why everything looks a little bulgy and funny shaped. And then you wonder, if your eyeballs would glow like two little beady eyes in the dark of night. Hmmm.....that might be fun to check when Kara gets me up at 2 a.m. I need to find some amusement for being up at that time of morning, otherwise, I might just be cranky.

This particular tests can take from an hour to four. Last time he was in the hospital, the doctor thought it would be nice if he took the four hour. What a long test! However, since they were just checking things out as a precaution this time, he only had to lay there for an hour....long enough for me to amuse myself with my camera phone taking pictures of Bob laying there trapped under the machine with no escape.

We then had to make our way over to the lab for seven vials of blood to be removed from his arm. After all this is said and done, I wonder if he might feel like a test specimen. However, no animals were hurt in the process of finding out the mystery.

Waiting for the results:

For many of you, you've already heard our news but I'd thought I'd share it with the rest of you.

We heard from the doctor last night and this is what she said.....

Bob's tests all came back clean as well as his blood work. His doctor thinks his spleen is alright. His blood work did not indicate any problems that usually are present when something is wrong. Perhaps his spleen is just bigger than some as people are all different shapes and sizes. His happens to be a millimeter of an inch bigger on all sides which according to her is only slightly enlarged. However, he will have to go have another CT Scan in 3-6 months just to make sure it's not getting any bigger.

As far as him still not feeling well from his surgery....they think he probably just has a lot of fluid buildup that just has to work it's way out. She also mentioned that she had to do some repair work on his umbilical hernia that he had when he was a baby. No wonder he walks around holding his belly and feels every bump and defect in the road when he's in the car! If he's not feeling better in a few weeks, he will then have to go through some more tests but for now, medication is his friend.

Currently:

We are trying to rest this weekend and get ready for his return to work on Monday. Somehow in the midst of all this, he is going to have to try, with pain meds, to function at work. I am going to have to try to function, without meds, at home. A couple of my children mentioned at breakfast this morning that how awful it was that the worse things keep happening to us. I quickly responded to them that we need to keep perspective on things. They have no idea how 'worse' things really could be. We need to be thankful that even though we've gone through a bit of a roller coaster ride of emotions, the end results are things we can handle. We can handle a flood, a bad ankle, and a mysterious gall bladder. All these 'detours' that happen, are all useful in helping us grow in character, in patience and in understanding of others.

I do pray that God allows us to have a bit of a 'resting' period before he throws us another 'detour'. However, I'm ready to 'rest' in His presence, should something else be thrown onto our path. Our strength comes from the Living Water, Jesus Christ.