EPIC FAIL

Good Morning,

I'm going on 3 hours of sleep as I post this so please forgive any misspellings or bad grammar.

On Saturday, August 25th we left for Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.  We were supposed to be there for a few days by ourselves to relax.  Family and friends were scheduled to begin arriving on Thursday, August 30th.  Saturday, September 1st the rest of our wedding guests were scheduled to arrive.  Monday, September 3rd was to be our wedding day.  We would stay a few more days and leave September 8th; tanned, rested and married.

What really happened:
We did get there on Saturday, August 25th.  We did have two days before the trouble set in...  On Monday, instead of deciding which after lunch cocktail he would be indulging in, Dan went back to the room with an upset stomach.  I won't go into details but it's not a common problem that they see in a place where people drink too much and sometimes forget to not drink the water.  Tuesday, after some drugs and some extra fruit and veggies, we assumed all was well.  Thursday, guests started arriving and everything seemed to be on track.  Friday, after lunch and lounging by the ocean, Dan experienced some more pain.  Some very intense pain...

Friday evening we got to visit a hospital in the Dominican Republic.  After an ultra sound, some x-rays and a variety of other treatments - he was admitted.

Saturday we waited to hear from the doctor.  Hoping that he just needed an IV and then some prescription antibiotics and we would be on our way.  The doctor had other plans.  She had no intention of releasing him to go back to the resort.  She wanted us on a plane back to the US - the sooner the better.  While trying to digest the news, Dan's sister and brother-in-law showed up with a change of clothes.  Amy stayed at the hospital while I returned to the resort to scramble to see what the travel people could do to get us home.  I got to greet most of our family with sobs and violent shaking. I didn't get much done as far as getting home.  I did try but I was a bit disoriented and shaken.

Sunday, when the doctor came to visit, before she even asked if he was OK, she asked about our flight home (which we had none).  I returned to the resort and friends and family swooped in.  Courtney and Audrey called every comercial airline to find the quickest way home.  They even called the American Counsel in the DR.  Katie, who had packed our bags the day before and moved them into her room, helped as I walked from one end of the resort to the other SEVERAL times trying to use the phone and the internet.  When both of those failed and it was after 6 and I still couldn't figure out how to get us home, I lost it again.  Katie held it together until dinner but by that point the stress of Dan sitting in a hospital in a 3rd world country where the phones and internet don't work and no set flight home got to her.  Luckily, group support and white wine helped and I return to the hospital with no flight plans and nothing to show for my day of running around.

Monday, we get a call that we are on a flight for later that day to Pittsburg.  We scramble to get the latest flight from Pittsburg to Chicago, get our bags to the airport, get Dan checked out of the hospital with a menu of drugs (including a shot) and we actually make the flight to Pittsburg.  But... we miss the flight back to Chicago.  (By the way, if you are keeping track, this was supposed to be our wedding day.  We have it embroidered, engraved, painted on things.)  And we end up that night in a lovely Hyatt attached to the Pittsburg airport.

Tuesday, we get to Chicago, we get to Northwestern Hospital, and after a 5.5 hour wait in the ER waiting room we are seen.  The nurse listens to our story and tells us that it should be made into a movie.  After some tests and some waiting we are admitted to the hospital.  We get up to the room around 4am and after all the poking and prodding by new nurses, we got some shut eye around 5.

So the big question - what is wrong with him?
He has a 6 centimeter abscess in his intestines.  We've met with a few specialists and I'm sure there will be more. 

That being said, "Carly and Dan get Married" blog is somewhat of an epic failure.
Don't worry we'll post all of the pictures of everyone having fun.  It was really an amazing resort.

Much love to everyone,
Carly