Valentine's Day Appendicitis

Last week was sure interesting. I was waiting for it to be over to blog because so many things were planned that I wanted to share with you after they happened.

Tuesday was my work's Fat Tuesday party. I've never been one to celebrate Mardi Gras, but apparently my work is known to throw a heck of a party. They did not disappoint. For days I watched the decorations go up. Hours before all of us were contributing somehow, blowing up balloons, etc. It was fun, because it didn't feel like a real work day. Food was catered, there was a bar, and tons of people showed up. I only stayed about an hour, because my social anxiety got the best of me. I also didn't want to wind up drinking too much. We had a concert to go to the following evening!

Wednesday I had tickets to see Soundgarden in Oakland. I LOVE Soundgarden, and still feel that Chris Cornell has the best rock and roll voice. Anyway, on the drive home from work, my stomach felt full and bloated. I hadn't eaten anything odd that day, so I was confused by why I felt that way. We drove to Oakland and went to grab a bite before the show. I wasn't hungry. Weird. I just felt full. I had some drinks. We went to the venue and watched the show. Had more drinks, still felt full. We left a little early, as I was uncomfortable. On the drive home, my stomach started to really ache. It wasn't in a specific spot - it was all over. By the time we got home, I was in panic attach mode. It ached and it made no sense why. When I got out of the car and went inside, I realized it was in a specific spot. It hurt in the lower right side of my abdomen. If you pushed there, it was even more prominent. I took Gas-X, Xanax, and tried to get comfortable. Nothing helped. At midnight, I made the decision to go to the hospital.

I have a PPO, so we can go anywhere, however we don't know the hospitals here. After Googling, we chose one close-by. It was crowded. I checked in, they took my vitals (blood pressure was really high), and they told us to have a seat. There were none. It was jam packed. Standing there in pain, I told Ben to look into other options. He found one a few miles away who said the wait was an hour. The one we were at said the next person to go back had been there eight. We left and went to the next one.

I check in there. Blood pressure still high. I actually have high blood pressure, but I've never seen it this high. I wish I could remember what it was. They were concerned, but they were trying to keep the order. After awhile, I thought I had to throw up. I went to the restroom and was super close but never did. They finally take me back and put me in a bed. I saw a nurse and a nurse practitioner. They asked me tons of questions, pushed around, and decided to try a CT Scan to see if it was appendicitis. It was crazy, though. When he was pushing around on my stomach, it ONLY hurt in that spot. He'd push on my left side- my lower right would hurt. When he got to the right side and pushed, my arms instinctively went down to push him away. He called that guarded pain. Luckily upon waiting to get the scan, I got Morphine and anti-nausea drugs. The Morphine barely helped.

The CT Scan was uneventful. I did have to do the iodine injection. That's never fun. After getting back to my "area", the nurse told me initial thoughts were that I have appendicitis. Then the Nurse Practitioner came by and confirmed it. They were in the works to schedule an emergency appendectomy. They were glad I went in early on. Can you imagine if I had stayed at the first place we went to? Psh. At this point, it was like 3:30 AM. We were exhausted. Ben was falling asleep in the chair waiting. Around 6 AM they put us into a room. I ended up with my own room which was a treat. They kept pumping in the pain meds which was nice. After telling them the Morphine wasn't working, they gave me one stronger. It worked. Sometime after 7AM, they came in and wheeled me to the O.R. After tons of questions, briefly meeting my surgeon and anesthesiologist, it was time. Don't worry, though. My surgeon said he's the best at robotic laparoscopic surgery in California. Three incisions, minimal scaring.

I get on the table, everyone is in good spirits. Laughing, joking. I don't care, I'm on something stronger than morphine. At this point, I'm not even scared. I just want the SOB out of me. They put the mask on me and give me oxygen. Then they say they're going to put me out. Then I wake up in the recovery room. I'm not groggy, I feel like I just woke up. It's very unlike the other time I was put out for wisdom teeth. The surgeon comes in and tells me it went well, and that it was almost ruptured. Got it just in time. They roll me back to my room. Ben is there. I fall in and out of sleep for most of the afternoon. Ben is there all day until visitors aren't allowed anymore. The pain meds help me sleep. They don't let me eat or drink all day. I'm not hungry, but I'm so thirsty I can't stand it. Even ice chips are a no. Happy Valentine's day. Ben's mom sends me flowers, and Ben brings me a bear.

Friday I feel better, but I'm so sore I can hardly get up. I feel like I did a million sit-ups. They still won't let me eat or drink. Finally the surgeon comes to see me. He says I can have food and water. Only liquids, then back to normal Saturday. He tells me to walk around. A lot. I do, and it hurts. The pain meds make me woozy. My work sends me flowers. They discharge me after I hold down the liquids. Saturday morning I wake up in my own bed but I almost regret coming home. I'm so sore and I can't even get out of bed on my own. I have Tylonel with Coding to help me with the pain (can't tolerate Vicodin).

Today it is Monday - President's Day. I'm still sore. My abdominal muscles ache. I can't lay on my side. When I stand up, my stomach feels heavy and sore. It takes me awhile to stand up straight. I have taken my bandages off and I can see the strips holding my incisions closed. They creep me out. I long to feel back to normal. I feel a little better each day, but it feels like a slow process. Obviously I'm impatient.

The best part of this whole ordeal is seeing everyone so worried about me. Co-workers, family, friends, Ben's family. Everyone wanted to know how I was doing. Everyone was so nice to me. It was comforting to know that so many people care. I know it was hard on my parents since they're in Fresno and I'm here, but I kept telling them not to worry. Ben took ridiculously good care of me. I know I'll always be in good hands with him.

Talk about the most memorable Valentine's Day, yet :)