When Trinity married me, I’m sure he didn’t think I was going to fall apart this fast. Today was my first day back at work after a few days recovering from gallbladder surgery.

Long story short — I’d been waking up from a dead sleep with excruciating back pain and corresponding abdominal pain for a couple of months now, but it wasn’t constant. I went to the doctor once, and my doctor didn’t make any conclusive findings — my bloodwork and other levels were still clean. Then, after my friend’s party for her second son’s baptism, I woke up again with the back pain and seriously contemplated driving myself to the ER. At the doctor’s office the next day, a nurse practitioner gave me a weird look when I specified where the pain was, and it turned out I had a gallstone. Yay.

My HMO tried to drag it out — after an ultrasound confirmed the gallstone, I saw a surgeon right away, but he wanted me to take some antibiotics first to take the inflammation down. I got through the antibiotics, but then it would have been another two weeks before surgery, which meant another two weeks of no dairy and no beef. (UGH.) Then, all of a sudden, last Wednesday, I began experiencing the telltale back pain again. I took some of the generic Vicodin I was prescribed, and although I was able to sleep and get myself to work, I could still feel that spot on my back. Then it got worse. That day, I’d only eaten oatmeal for breakfast, then a few tiny pieces of tandoori chicken and some pineapple chunks. The chicken must have done me in, because I got a gallbladder attack all of a sudden that hurt so much, I couldn’t concentrate at work anymore.

(Are you seriously still reading this? You are dedicated. I owe you some coffee.)

Anyway, I am now one organ lighter, after a visit to the emergency room and midnight surgery. Apparently, gallstones are common after pregnancy, which is not something anyone told me before I got pregnant. Well, at least I won’t have to worry about my gallbladder after the next one!