I had severe pain with bloating, and at 8:30 last night, I announced, “Honey, let’s go to Kaiser now.”

After the EKG, blood work, x-rays and ultrasound, the doctor said it was likely gallstones. My gallbladder probably be removed. This morning, while perusing the lists of foods that I should and should not have, Surgery called to schedule me for a consultation next week.

The Gallbladder Disease list of food “Don’ts” reads like the list of foods I CRAVED:

Food “Don’ts” Cravings

• Chicken with the skin. Love fried chicken and its skin.

• Sardines in olive oil my favorite sandwich – with the oil, too.

• Butter eggs fried in butter. YUM!

• Ice cream. YUM!

• Mayonnaise, a lot with sandwiches.

• Potato chips with my sandwiches.

• Egg yolks. Hope I’ll like egg whites.

• Fried fish, potatoes, etc. YUM. CRUNCH.

Thank God the operation is a common one, and that people can live comfortably without a gallbladder.

I suppose I will have to continue eating “healthy” even after the operation.

I will, I imagine, find new FUN in new healthy food concoctions.

I realize pain can be a good thing. It got me to the hospital. If I had waited at home last night for the two Gas-X pills I swallowed to do their thing, I likely would have postponed the diagnosis I received.

I realized some other things, too. How fragile is our existence. How short is our lifespan. How important it is to spend time getting our things together. If one is told his or her life will be ending soon, wouldn’t it be easier to have everything in order? To me, that means my family’s documents, photos and videos.

It’s scary waiting for a diagnosis.

It helped me to say, “I trust in God all the time.”

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com.