The weekend that wasn't

I have never wanted a re-do on a weekend like I do right now.

I had awesome plans for this past weekend -- finishing bachelorette party invitations, two killer workouts, and a birthday celebration at my favorite local brewery.

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Well, I only got to check that first one off my list.  The other plans were axed beginning around 12:30 a.m. on Saturday.  I woke from a blissful sleep to a severe pain in my abdomen.  This wasn't the average stomach ache or even my pre-period nausea.  No, this was much worse.  As I described to friends, it felt like someone was trying to dig out my internal organs with an ice cream scoop.  I got out of bed and had a small glass of milk, thinking that might help.  It did not.  The second time I got up, I had a cup of peppermint tea.  I attempted many times to go back to bed to try and sleep it off, but the pain kept me awake most of the night.  I dozed here and there but probably didn't get a complete four hours of sleep from the ten hours I was actually in bed.

I really didn't know what this pain was all about, so of course I went to the internet. I quickly learned Facebook is more helpful than Google.  When I did a random search for my symptoms, I was, of course, informed that I was dying.  My Facebook friends asked better questions and decided I should go to the doctor to make sure it wasn't my gallbladder.

So, I got dressed and drove myself to urgent care about 15 minutes away.  After I checked in, I waited another 20 minutes, although it felt much longer as I was still super uncomfortable, and due to fear, exhaustion, and the pain, I was in tears.  Finally, I was called back.  There was more waiting between time with the nurse, the doctor, getting blood drawn, and waiting for the doctor again.  In the end, it was not my gallbladder. It was gastritis.  Apparently, this can be caused by spicy foods, excessive alcohol use, or stress.  Since the first two don't really apply to me, I'm going to guess mine was triggered by the last thing.  And I really shouldn't be surprised.  I have quite a bit on my plate -- some of which is visible to others and some I keep to myself.  Guess I need to figure out how to deal with this or get rid of it.

I returned home with my prescription pepcid, some Pepto Bismol, and some extra groceries for the bland food diet I'll be on for the next week or so.  Yep.  Super fun.  I see a lot of eggs, chicken, and rice in my near future.  And absolutely no coffee, beer, or heavy foods.  Sigh.

I cannot tell you how depressing it was to be sitting at home on my couch, drinking Gatorade while I knew my friends were drinking good (and new) beer at the brewery party.  And it really sucks feeling sick when you live alone. There's no one to bring you more water or fix your food. Blech.

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The weather Saturday and Sunday was gorgeous. It would have been perfect for a run, but that clearly wasn't happening.  My family came down on Sunday and we went out to lunch. I got to have a french dip (no au jus, no fries, and no pickles .... sigh), which was far more interesting than what I had been eating, but my brother's bacon-infused mac and cheese looked better.  And so did my dad's beer.

I threw myself a pretty good pity party over the weekend, feeling like I'd missed out on so much fun.  But I've been on the go so much lately.  Maybe this was my body's way of saying, "slow down."

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 And at least I got caught up on my TV shows, right?  Right.