April is for appendectomies
It all began with some Costco pizza on Friday night.
I had spent that Friday evening with my cousin Susie and her family. We had cheese pizza for dinner. I thought it didn't quite sit well after I ate it, but I put it down to indigestion. A few hours later, I was curled up in a ball in bed at 2 a.m., cursing that Son of a Seahorse pizza. But when I called my doctor at 7 a.m. Saturday, after five hours of pain all across my midsection that gradually migrated to my right side, she suggested appendicitis.
So I grabbed a book (The Kite Runner), my purse and cell phone, and I drove myself to the hospital (Alta View in Sandy). You may ask, Why did she not call an ambulance? Because just the day before, I sent off my final check to the Sandy City Fire Department to pay off the last ambulance ride I had in September (ah, kidney stones).
When I got to the ER without incident, I hobbled my way into triage. Thankfully, there was no one in the waiting room. A nurse got me set up in a room, and she began to take a history. Another nurse came in to mutilate my left arm. I mean, she came in ever so nicely to put in an IV and to take blood. The doctor came in, ordered some tests -- ultrasound and CT scan -- and diagnosed me at 1 p.m. with appendicitis.
I made some phone calls -- to my mom, boyfriend, my cousin, co-workers Katie B. and Ken K. (with whom I was supposed to have been in Albany on Sunday) -- and started removing my jewelry. Don't underestimate the challenge of removing earrings when you've got tubes coming out of your arm.
By 2:10 p.m., the surgery team had been called in from their on-call day off, and I was being wheeled into the operating room. I chatted to the nurse about cruises to alleviate some of my jitters. I've got some cool pictures if anyone wants to see my appendix or drugged-out face.
I was in recovery by about 3 p.m. My boyfriend had arrived, and I spent the rest of Saturday sleeping and taking trips to the bathroom (they take a lot longer when you have to unplug yourself from your calf-squeezers, move the IV drip holder, and have someone help you into a sitting position and finally out of bed).
I spent Saturday night in the hospital. Nurses came every hour, then every few hours to take my stats (temp, blood pressure, O2 level). I left at about noon Sunday, after convincing the nurses that I could keep food down (Percacet tends to make me queasy). I slept away most of Sunday and Monday. I am now resting somewhat comfortably at my cousin Susie's, where I will not be eating pizza anytime soon.
p.s. I'll post some photos soon.
I had spent that Friday evening with my cousin Susie and her family. We had cheese pizza for dinner. I thought it didn't quite sit well after I ate it, but I put it down to indigestion. A few hours later, I was curled up in a ball in bed at 2 a.m., cursing that Son of a Seahorse pizza. But when I called my doctor at 7 a.m. Saturday, after five hours of pain all across my midsection that gradually migrated to my right side, she suggested appendicitis.
So I grabbed a book (The Kite Runner), my purse and cell phone, and I drove myself to the hospital (Alta View in Sandy). You may ask, Why did she not call an ambulance? Because just the day before, I sent off my final check to the Sandy City Fire Department to pay off the last ambulance ride I had in September (ah, kidney stones).
When I got to the ER without incident, I hobbled my way into triage. Thankfully, there was no one in the waiting room. A nurse got me set up in a room, and she began to take a history. Another nurse came in to mutilate my left arm. I mean, she came in ever so nicely to put in an IV and to take blood. The doctor came in, ordered some tests -- ultrasound and CT scan -- and diagnosed me at 1 p.m. with appendicitis.
I made some phone calls -- to my mom, boyfriend, my cousin, co-workers Katie B. and Ken K. (with whom I was supposed to have been in Albany on Sunday) -- and started removing my jewelry. Don't underestimate the challenge of removing earrings when you've got tubes coming out of your arm.
By 2:10 p.m., the surgery team had been called in from their on-call day off, and I was being wheeled into the operating room. I chatted to the nurse about cruises to alleviate some of my jitters. I've got some cool pictures if anyone wants to see my appendix or drugged-out face.
I was in recovery by about 3 p.m. My boyfriend had arrived, and I spent the rest of Saturday sleeping and taking trips to the bathroom (they take a lot longer when you have to unplug yourself from your calf-squeezers, move the IV drip holder, and have someone help you into a sitting position and finally out of bed).
I spent Saturday night in the hospital. Nurses came every hour, then every few hours to take my stats (temp, blood pressure, O2 level). I left at about noon Sunday, after convincing the nurses that I could keep food down (Percacet tends to make me queasy). I slept away most of Sunday and Monday. I am now resting somewhat comfortably at my cousin Susie's, where I will not be eating pizza anytime soon.
p.s. I'll post some photos soon.
posted by Danielle P at 9:16 AM
2 comments
