Some have said I'm full of hot air...

When I tried to go to bed that first night, my entire right side suddenly cramped up and caused such agonizing pain that I couldn't breathe. Hubby quickly helped me up out of bed and called my mom (a nurse), who came over from the RV.

In order to do a laparoscopic procedure, gas is pumped into the abdomen to lift and separate the organs so the doctor can see what he's doing. The problem is, that gas stays in there. Over the next few hours, it begins to coalesce into one large bubble. And the only way to get rid of it is, well, the ways that you usually get rid of gas.

Mom told me the best thing to do was walk. So here I am, six hours out of surgery, walking back and forth across my bedroom. I looked six months pregnant - no kidding - and felt very much like that girl in Willy Wonka who turns into a blueberry. I kept asking Hubby if he'd pop me with a pin, but he didn't seem to think that would work.

I could not lie down, or I'd cramp up again. So I paced. Actually it was more like shuffling. Shuffling and moaning. Very much like a zombie movie. Eventually, around 2 a.m., I felt like I could try going to bed. Have you ever tried getting into a water bed without using your right side? And then, I was up to the bathroom every hour, so I had to go through the whole uncomfortable procedure again. The next day, more shuffling and moaning. All day. And here I thought I'd be resting in bed!

Honestly, I would WAY rather go through labor again than another surgery involving gas in the abdomen. I didn't feel normal again until six days post-surgery, and at that point I started noticing the pain from the incisions. Yes, that's right, the gas pain was so bad I didn't even notice the incisions until day 6.

So now, I'm finally feeling pretty good. I have twinges of pain throughout the day, but not too bad. And I still have gas trapped in my right shoulder, but WebMD assures me this is perfectly normal. So I'm just waiting on my energy to make a comeback.

SOOO glad I only had one gall bladder!