So, after 25 years...

...I find out that I, in fact, DON'T have a gall bladder.

I've had chronic heartburn since 10.  I have always attributed this to the high stress level involved with being an Asian kid who took school to the extreme; see exhibit A:

Exhibit A: 4th grade report card written by Mrs. Scarff: "Nahree needs to relax and enjoy school...".  In a parent-teacher conference before spring break, she told my parents that I needed to relax, or I would end up getting an ulcer at the rate I was going.  OMG, she prophesizes.

Usually, I deal with heartburn by chomping on Tums around the clock, taking a mylanta shot with a milk chaser for good measure, and sucking it up like a boss.   This past year, I noticed that the pain lingered longer and even radiated through my back.  I refused to get it checked out because I didn't want to be weaksauce, plus WebMD is for hypochondriacs, anyway.  This past week, however, I couldn't even keep my remedies down without getting sick.  My pride eroded away as well as the walls of my stomach and esophagus, and I ended up in the ER.. where I found out that I had no gall bladder.  Technically, you can survive without it, but it stores bile. With my overachieving stomach, which works mucho overtime like me, there's nowhere for the bile to go except up where my esophagus is.  Lovely.  

Despite my terrible experience in the ER (I am now a bruised pincushion because it took 5 doctors to stick me for blood), there was a tender moment with the last doctor.  He was very fatherly, held my hand gently, and asked me to close my eyes so I wouldn't get scared.  Of course when you tell me to close my eyes, I'm going to peek, so when I did, I saw him quietly praying over me before working the needle into my arm.  It was so comforting and encouraging to know that people become doctors not for the money, not for the pride, not for the white coat, but because they genuinely seek to use their gifts for God's kingdom :)