Appendix...

So, what happened to me? Well, I woke up tuesday morning at 1am with Josh moaning over the monitor for a dummy and realised I had a very crampy stomach, high up, just under my ribs, thought, okay, maybe the mince we had wasn't so lekker, but then again, my stomach didn't feel like it was "off", so I went back to bed. I woke again at 4am, this time it was very sore, Josh was again awake for his feed (where he got this new routine from I don't know) and when I got out of bed it hit me, I could hardly walk. The pain had dropped from high up to my right side, shooting pains down my leg and it also felt like my ribs were bruised. I walked half bent over to Joshua's room and fed him, after I was done with him I got some pain meds and went back to bed... Told hubby something wasn't lekker so I said I will make an appointment with gynae that morning as I thought it was a new cyst or one that possibly torsioned. (sp)

Anyway, got myself ready the morning, washed hair, showered, polished and shaved EVERYTHING, scrubbed my heels, painted my toes, rubbed my lotions and potions, did my make-up, all just incase gynae said I must come immediately after dropping Josh at school, so I wanted to be ready. (I just HAVE to be in tip top shape when I go to docs, especially the gynae, I am very fussy about these things, cause you just NEVER know what will happen and where they will look, so...) Gynae felt around, checked, as Nix called it, with his Dildo cam, and there was no cyst... But then he said he thinks it's my appendix, he will quickly get me referred to a surgeon to have a looksy... got my refferal, went 2 floors up and saw the surgeon. He took one look at the way I walked, felt here and there, squeezed a few places and said, yip, appendix... Sent me for some bloods just to check the infection levels, he will phone me with the result, but in the meantime I can go to reception to book my bed, open a file and what not's cause he is 99% certain it will be removed that very same night. What a shocker, I was supposed to be studying that day, not go in for surgery... Went to reception with my codes and refferals, then I remembered, shit, we switched medical aids just after Joshua's birth, from Discovery (just too damn expensive) to Momentum, but the option my dear dear hubby choose only covers LIFE hospitals and not NETCARE, so I couldn't go to PTA-East hosp (which I love and is soooooo close). Luckily the surgeon said he can do the op at a LIFE hosp, so off to Faerie Glen hosp it was, lucky still relatively close, so no issue... (BUT I told hubby as soon as this is over we are changing our option plan to include for ANY hospital, not just associated hospitals)

Waited and waited for the blood results, as that was the deciding factor, eventually doc phoned, infection levels were high, so appendix will be no more at 18:30 that evening. I quickly packed all my things, got Josh and Daddy organised for the next day of school, all his bottles washed, breastmilk defrosted, formula measured, if he drinks more than I bargained for, water poured, breastpump and containers sterilised for me in hosp, clothes set out for the next day and packed for school, shoes, nappies, bibs, the works... All bottles in fridge, marked, packed in line, in order of use, etc. So I REALLY made the job easy for him... Breastmilk et out for bed time feed, and 5am feed. Pj's set out, with nappy, in bathroom, all towels and things set out, he just had to bring Josh home, bath him, dress him, feed him and drop at school... Easy... (Josh was a bit random that day, think he could also feel things weren't as it should be, daddy picked him up from school that afternoon and he woke from his last nap at around 13:15 and until they left the hosp at about 8pm he never slept again, so he was a bit fussy, but okay.) Luckily they survived and he is one happy chappy now. (There is something up with him though, but we'll leave that for another post)

So..... got to hosp at 16:00, had to check in at 16:30, but seeing that I still had to fill out a file we went a bit earlier. Hosp is so quiet in relation to PTA-East, but still they took their time. Eventually sent us up to the ward to be settled in my room while they finish the admin. Filled out some forms, got my tags, dressed in the FUGLY gown and disposable underwear (YUK) and then I waited. Doc was running a teeny bit late, so we waited. Was wheeled to theatre at around 18:45, waited around there till about 19:00 and then doc came, got my drip (ouch) was moved over to the operating table, gave me the sleepy sleeps and there I was, exposed for the world, about to loose my appendix. Apparently the op lasted 50mins (a bit long??) and the appendix was all yucky, woke up in recovery, was very "whooooosy" wheeled back to the ward where hubs, Josh, my mom, dad, bro and girlfriend, and my sister were waiting. Shame, they only stayed like 10 minutes as I was so out of it and apparently just wanted more morphine (even though the nurse kept telling me that the doc JUST gave me a shot, so it will work soon) but it was bloody sore at that instant... so everyone just chuckled at me... I was in an out of sleep till about 23:30 when I woke up and felt "awake" for the first time, then realised I was still dressed in the gown, which was still open and when I checked the disposable panties wasn't even pulled up, was just around my ankles. So I beeped a nurse to help me into my pj's as I was also VERY cold and shivering. Got dressed, went to the loo, got some ice to suck on as I still couldn't drink anything and went back to sleep. Woke a few times during the night as the nurse came now and then just to check and adjust the drip. At 2:20am I woke from the hospital staff laughing, chatting, throwing things in bins, and I couldn't sleep, got up to close my door as they kept forgetting to do that when they left my room and when the head nurse came in again I told her they are a bit load so she shushed them and I slept till 5am. They woke me with a little mobile basin with water to wash myself and came to change the bedding. Got some morphine for the third time as the pain was bad. (I really am an instant pain kind of girl, how weird that may sound, this long term thing doesn't work for me... Natural birth was way easier...)

Got freshened up, read my book, waited for hubby and the doc who came to see me at about 7am, told me everything looks good, all felt okay, I can eat and if I don't get nauseous I can go home. Yippie! Got some meds to take home, got my breakfast, I was sooo hungry by then, and ate. Felt good, nothing weird happened, so they starting with the discharge papers. Hubby came to wait with me till I could go and I was discharged at 10am. Slept a bit and started to get my things ready to study... Still waiting to see how that goes. I am very drowsy from the meds, but hopefully I can focus.

Other than that, I am on day 2 since the op, still sore, every cough and fart and sneeze is a mission, but I am okay. What a week this turned out to be... Lucky I was on study leave when all this hit, so it all worked out well...

PS. I just keep wondering, eventhough I had the cyst, I was very nauseous then (actually threw up) and had the same symptoms as now, and about 2 weeks before that I was told to have a bladder infection, with the same symptoms (I am rarely ever affected by bladder infections, something I can count on one hand, is how little I have had that in my life). I do wonder, could this have been lingering since then and only now the appendix decided, listen, you are not hearing me clearly, so now I will show you that I want to get out...?? P??? Possible??? I was also nauseous over the weekend, so I think this has been something brewing for a while and just now got to the point where it said, no more, out I come!