Zach asked me yesterday if I blogged about his appendicitis and his stay in the hospital. I asked him if he wanted me to write about it, but then suggested that he tell you his story in his own words, instead. He lit up! He’s wordy, holding nothing back, but he’s happy to tell you the story… now that it’s over. (I’m sure he’d love to read some of your comments.)
I told Mom and Dad that I didn’t feel very good on Sunday morning, so I stayed home with Mom. Honestly I felt okay. I just wanted to stay home to play hockey, because I made a new hockey stick the night before. My plan didn’t work so well and after a while I really started feeling sick. By the time Dad came home from church with my sister and brothers, I was crying on the couch in pain.
My stomach hurt. Just underneath my rib was a sharp pain. It never went away. At first I thought it was gas. I tried to take baths to relax. I took Pepto and Tums. I laid down. I felt like I just needed to rest. But, nothing helped.
On Monday I could barely move. I took another bath. I felt okay when I was in the tub. It felt good to sit in warm water, but when I got out I felt horrible again. I could barely stand. I tried to get dressed, but it hurt too much. I just laid down on the clean laundry and started crying. That’s when I asked Mom to call Dad.
Mom called Dad and he said I should go to the doctor’s. My Dad has had appendicitis and he thought I may have it. He’s my Dad so I trust him, but I was hoping he was wrong. He met us at Urgent Care and took the other kids somewhere else. I fell asleep waiting to see the doctor. By the time they called my name I was so out of it my Mom had to wake me up. We went in to see the doctor and I was really nervous.
The doctor looked at my Mom and said “You’re not gonna like this, Mom, but it’s appendicitis until proven otherwise.” We had to go to the hospital. I was scared. I could tell by my Mom’s face that she was scared, too. I didn’t know what was going to happen. That’s why I was so nervous.
We went to the hospital. Mom had to drive fast. I asked her lots of questions. “Do I have to have surgery?” “What happens if we don’t make it in time?” My Mom doesn’t remember that I even asked her for a smoothie. But, the doctor had said no food or drink until we got to the hospital.
The rest is kind of a blur. I don’t remember much, except for waiting. I also remember the big spinny thing that I had to go in and out of three times. They injected this warm stuff into my arm and made me feel like I was peeing. It was weird. The machine scanned my body. My Mom says that the machine proved to the doctors that I had appendicitis.
Dad got to the hospital and the doctor came in and told me I was wearing it pretty good. Whatever that means. He said to hang tight while he talked to Mom and Dad. I heard him tell them that I had to have surgery.
I fell asleep and when I woke up it felt like I was in a movie. Like when someone gets knocked out and it’s a blur and then they wake up with stars around their head. I remember seeing Mom, Dad and Mimi. They looked at my stomach and I heard Mimi ask if the cuts were glued. I blinked a few times, turned my head and fell back to sleep.
It was pretty boring after that. I got medicine, walked around and watched movies. They showed me a chart at the hospital that has faces with smiles and sad looks with numbers 1 to 10. My stomach always hurt higher than a 6, even after my surgery.
I’m glad to be home. I can walk, but it still hurts about a 3 when I laugh, talk, cry, cough and sneeze. I am excited to show my friends my cuts and the pictures that the doctor took. Aren’t they cool?
my infected appendix
my kidney and gall bladder
