Appendix - An Unnecessary Organ

Friday night we finished the yard work, fed my kids and three other neighbor kids barbecued hot dogs.  I was wrangling the kids in the house, cleaning up toys, etc.  My stomach started to hurt.  It was this sort of bent over, can't walk or stand straight, can't really sit either kind of hurt.

Ug.  James left to go run a couple of errands.  I was fighting to get 2 kids bathed and pajama-ed.  It got worse.  It was bad enough that while Molly was in the bath I was trying to get her to memorize James' phone number.  In hindsight, she knows how to spell James and could have called him on my phone without knowing his number, but at the time I felt that was urgent in case I passed out or something.

I put in a movie and was pretty much out of it.  James was taking forever.  My dad called to asked a question and I probably wasn't clear.  Meranda was texting me about my couches.  It was giving me a bit of distraction.

When James got home I told him that I didn't feel very good, but he said "sorry" and continued working on what he was working on.

I got the kids to sleep.  I showered and changed the wash.  I took a handful of ibuprofen and then tried to sleep.

I woke up about 6:00 a.m.

The pain had pretty much subsided, though I felt like I'd taken a few good hits to the stomach and was recovering.  Molly was in my bed, so I got up and moved to her bed.  When I stood up I realized I still hurt, but mostly, the pain had moved a little lower and to the right.  It was sensitive to touch, to move, to sneeze, but otherwise was not nearly as agonizing as the night before.

I started reading on my phone and thought I might have appendicitis.  I was a little worried because the pain the night before and this morning was weird.  However, I wasn't throwing up and I didn't have a fever.  I thought I was probably fine, but maybe I should go get things checked out.

At 8:00 a.m., everyone was still asleep, so I left a note for James that I was headed to Instacare.  I figured they'd tell me I was fine and then I could return home.

Instacare didn't actually open until 9:00.  I just sat in the parking lot.  After I finally got in and was seen by a doctor, he decided I probably did have appendicitis and needed to go get things checked out further.

Jump to the end of the story . . .

I spent nearly 7 hours in the IMC Emergency Room . . . .  waiting.  I waited for a CT Scan.  I waited for the results.  I waited for an open operating room.  By around 5 or 6 p.m., I was finally wheeled to the operating room and my appendix was removed.

I stayed in the hospital until Sunday afternoon.

I survived.  Laproscopic surgery is not quite as quick and painless as you'd think.  I hurt.  I have mega bruises and swelling even though I only had 3 small incisions.

I can't lift anything for 2 weeks and I am slow and sore, but I'll survive.  It's not cancer.  It's not a life sentencing disease.  People have been really nice to me.  I'll be better soon.