My foot surgery full of (upleasant) surprises

My left foot after surgery

 This has been the sickest month of my life.

I went to Missoula for the minimally invasive foot surgery on my left foot's large bunion and hammer toe on Nov. 6, and my entire world turned upside down.

The surgery went as planned and we returned to Great Falls the same day, but that evening and next morning everything became dystopian.

As I sobered up from the anesthesia, violent and painful acid reflux developed.  I began to vomit blood, which I later learned aspirated into my lungs, causing pneumonia.  

Then hiccups followed, at 2.5 to 3 second intervals that lasted day and night for four full days.

Luckily for me, Katie rushed me to the Benefis emergency room, which took me directly to ICU.

That became my home for the next six days as staff tried to tame the hiccups.

I was told later that the hiccups triggered a "type 2 myocardial infarction (heart attack)" because they deprived me of sufficient oxygen.  No real damage, but real scary. 

I was taken in for an endoscope to see what kind of damage the reflux had done to my esophogas.

Drugs and IVs everywhere.

I was not only off solid foods for five of seven days in the hospital (not that I wanted any), but the hiccups wouldn't let me sleep.When the drugs seemed to eliminate the hiccups I was discharged home, but returned to the ER within hours because they came back and I couldn't breathe.

Finally, though, some rest at home.

That didn't last long, though as I developed severe belly pains and Katie, once again, took me to ER.

That was Thanksgiving Eve.

At about 10:30 p.m., the ER doctor informed me that my gallbladder had died, was full of sludge and gangrene and would have to be removed.

At around 5:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving morning I was in a Benefis hospital bed recovering from gallbladder surgery.  It actually felt good:  no hiccups, no bellyache.

I could eat.  I could sleep.

The unfortunate casualty in all this was what started this cascade of ailments:  my left foot!

I'm now at home nursing that foot and  anticipating endless doctor and therapy visits.

Katie and I wonder if a sick gallbladder triggered by anesthesia was the cause.

I feel pretty good and am optimistic about my recovery.