Appendicitis-Zero Stars, Would Not Reccomend

 

Just a quick note over here (already mentioned on Instagram and tumblr) I had an appendectomy Saturday afternoon after almost fifteen hours at the hospital waiting for a surgeon because, long holiday weekend=trauma injuries in Nebraska. I don't know why, but I suspect all that alcohol consumption drives the injuries and heart attacks. Anyway, they finally had someone free to do a quick laparoscopic procedure and now 24 hours later I'm resting at home. The hospital was awful and I essentially went without sleep for three days, but I'm fine. The worst part is the shoulder pain caused by the gas they have to shoot patients full of to do the procedure, but that should be okay in a day or two. 

I am not the sort of person that will go to a hospital emergency room unless I'm at death's door, and Friday night I honestly thought I might be. I could have been if I'd waited as it was all rather acute by the time I was puking blood. So that was exciting! Anyway, there's things you can ignore but barfing blood is never a good sign. 

The RN Oksana that took care of me Saturday and Sunday during the day was such a wonderful nurse I'm writing the hospital to tell them. I'm also thinking of sending her flowers because she was having an awful on-call shift over the long holiday weekend. For someone that genuinely loathes dealing with medical people, she made an awful situation bearable. I was very, very, lucky to be assigned a good nurse. 

I'm REALLY starting to hate Memorial Day weekend. My mum died over Memorial Day weekend in 1992. In 1994 I was diagnosed with Wegener's Granulomatosis over Memorial Day weekend,  and had lung surgery. Then, This. Growing up in Chicago one of the worst Plane crashes in Chicago happened in 1979 over Memorial Day weekend, not to mention the (before my time but still very much in the DNA of every labour union I belonged to in my working life) Memorial Day Massacre. Clearly, I just can't get excited about this holiday, maybe have a picnic or go shopping like everyone else. 

But I was lucky. When my gran had her acute appendicitis she ignored it for so long she ended up losing part of her colon. I was close. Listen to your body. I felt sick earlier in the day but pushed through with cooking dinner, doing laundry, and grocery shopping. It wasn't until I couldn't stop heaving that I finally accepted I was sick. You don't need to be dramatically ill to get medical care. I'm glad this didn't happen at the height of Covid when at one point we only had nine available hospital beds in town. Another good reason to get vaccinated if you want other acute illnesses treated. On the way to the hospital last evening to see me off to surgery, Dan passed a group of anti-vaccine protesters along the bridge by the medical centre. He gave them an appropriate one-finger salute. 

Anyway, I'm feeling much better-at least until the bill arrives. I don't even want to think about that right now. Glad we didn't spend the stimulus money because that's basically my bailout appendectomy. I don't understand people that don't want socialised medicine. Obviously, they've never been sick. 

I have three smallish scars and I will still be wearing my bikini this summer though it will be at least a month before I can use a pool. That's OK. I was joking that after they washed me with the iodine solution it made by skin bronze, then they used a sharpie pen to mark my stomach like a tattoo, and finally shaved me for surgery-it was like getting a spa treatment. Spray tan, pubic hair removal, tattoo=I'm ready for summer now. *Sarcastic voice*  "You don't need an appendix to have a fun summer!"

Right, so just checking in to let everyone know I'm doing well. I hope your long holiday weekend (if you're having one) is going better than mine. Take care.