This is a story of my trip to the ER to get my appendix removed. It's sorta funny, painful & it's over with good results.
So I work for a nascar driver, David Ragan, He has his own shop in Concord & has a late model he runs 3 to 4 times a year. One of those races is called Winterfest, the last 2 years it's been run in Cordele, Ga. His Uncle is part owner in the track. So Wednesday the truck driver his buddy & I loaded the big rig. we finished up around 3:00pm. Left the car inside the shop because it was going to be in the Teens & we didn't want an engine problem.
Thursday morning we loaded the car & the big rig was on the road at 8:30. I then went & put fuel in a jeep that had to be taken to the dealership in Perry, Ga. A team member was driving it down, He was on the road @ 9:00 am.
I then spent the day trying to finish up loose ends, I needed to be ready to make the trip down in the F-350 with 2 other guys that help us who had to work till 5:00 pm.
They got here around 6:15 PM. We were on the road by 6:30pm. Evan drove the first leg. We ate at Windy's & I drove the rest of the way. Got in bed around 1:00am.
I don't know what time I woke up, so let's call it 3:00 am. I had a pain in my lower abdomen. When ever I get those pains I wonder if I'm going to join my older & younger brother with appendicitis. David text me around 6:30 am. he wanted a bed that was in the back of the dually taken to his parents house. I told him I wasn't feeling to good, and that I was worried about appendix. BUT I didn't believe it.
I then sent a text to brother Bob asking what his experience was like. He said he doesn't remember the details, but it will get to a point you can't take it any more.
so in my mind I said I'll see how it goes till 3:00.
Around lunch time I decided I would try drinking some prune juice. I called Jacquelyn, David's wife, Her & Bev David's mom showed up with a big jar of it. I drank 3 cups of it.
Nothing seamed to be happening. Then Jacquelyn said she bring me a laxative. I took that around 2:30 pm. Jac said it takes 15 minutes for that stuff to work.
So it's 3:00pm & I throw the towel in. Jac & Bev came & picked me up. I packed up my back pack & got in the car. We went to urgent care, I told them my story. The nice lady told me I should go to Perry Hospital where they have a CT Scan.
Off to Perry I go. So I stand at their window for 10 minutes getting signed in. Jac & Bev come over & said they were a phone call away, the hospital is 3 blocks from the Ragan house in Perry.
I get wheeled into a room with 3 stalls ! they start taking my pressures Temp & blood.
wasn't long & they hauled me to the CT scan room. So I guess it's 5:00 pm by now. I'm having fun on the phone texting friends that I had asked questions of during the day. Doctor Whon had visited with me a couple times during all this. She was back again around 6:00pm. She tells me good diagnosis ! You have appendicitis ! a Nurse will be right over with some morphine ! Then I'm texting everyone I just got shot up with morphine ! It's 7:56 pm I'm on the trip to a bigger hospital in Warner Robins 15 miles north. I looked at comments on dailykos (dk) to see when I posted on Cheers & Jeers. In Perry I didn't try using wifi. It was the first thing I did when I got to WRH.
I get there & a team of nurses are waiting for me. They had to get info. The Doctor stopped in & said their was someone ahead of me but it wouldn't be long.
Then put you to sleep doctor stops in to ask questions.
These people are all super nice. I wanted my glasses & phone for as long as was possible. the time came around 8:39 pm,(according to dk) I got wheeled info the COLD OR ! they put a blanket on me out of an oven. Then they moved me onto the table & started hooking me up. wasn't long & I was out !
I wake up in the recovery room with a lady watching me. how long it takes to figure out what is going on is how long you stay there I guess. It was 11:15pm. of coarse I want my glasses & phone is the first thing out of me. I did get the glasses. it wasn't till I got in the hospital room around midnight before I got the phone.
It's 1:15am when I made my first attempt to post I was out of recovery on dailykos.
I waited till 6:30 am to text David & Jacquelyn. Then I texted Brother Bob.
Doctor showed up at 7:00 am. Told me 3 days in there. Told me I could shower & to get up & walk around. I had made the trip to the toilet a few times already, Man it hurt to pee. I messed around texting & reading. Then sleeping. Texting reading peeing sleeping. It was 3:00pm when I made my first lap around the 5th floor. I was tired & went to sleep. woke up at 6:00pm peed & went for a walk again. when I got back dinner was there. I went back to sleep. I walked again at 9:00pm. that was much better & easier too. I was able to stay awake & read this time.
After the shift change & temp & pressure check I went for a walk ! I found a candy machine ! I went back to the room & got money. I bought some peanuts ! :)
The nurse came in & said she had to change my sheets before she left in the AM. I told her I'd go for a walk when she was ready. about 5:00pm Sunday morning she woke me up. I went for a long walk again. Came back & looked at dk & went back to sleep.
The doctor woke me up at 7:00 am. started talking & I was coherent yet. I was getting out as soon as the drain was taken out is what he basically said.
No restrictions, I could eat what I want, do what ever. I should not do anything lifting or moving that is harder or heavier than a gallon of milk.
I start texting the news. Brother Bob has already said he would fly down & get me. I wasn't going that route. I wanted the back seat of the F-350.
So I started getting ready to get out of the hospital.
Nurse told me not to let the water hit me in the stomach for a few days. I just rinsed myself off & got dressed. Bev picked me up @ 10:30 AM. We stopped & got meds 77 bucks for 7 pills and went to the Ragan home. I turned on the 24 hour race from Daytona. Bev went to Zaxby's to pick up lunch.
About 2:00 pm Joyce showed up, the 3 of us went to Cordele to watch the late model run. I sat in a chair must of the time. when the sun started setting it started getting cold. We were happy when that race was over ! David finished 4th. We got back to the car at 7:20 pm.
We got to Perry first, Jac was coming to the Ragan house to get Olie, her beagle & me.
We drove to the dealership to get a little 50 cc motorcycle going to Concord in the back of the f-350. It was 8:00 PM when we started rolling north. David said I've got my fusbuster & I'm going to run pretty hard on the way back, follow me. The first guy driving the F-350 was Wayno the engine guy. He was laughing but staying he can't believe he's running 90mph down the highway !
Was somewhere south of Atlanta we passed a cop car sitting in the median running 90mph, nothing happened. didn't even feel like they slowed down. they just were laughing about it & texting between the to vehicles.
Stopped in South Carolina for fuel at 11:30.
Got to Concord,NC at 1:30 AM.
Now what the hell am I going to do for the next week?
I'm a lucky guy, I had wonderful care from a big group of very nice dedicated people in Ga.
I wanted to write my story & post it fast because if I didn't I wouldn't do it at all.
as far as ACA goes, I didn't complete the enrollment, I had gotten to where I could look at plans & knew how much my subsidy was. I had questions I needed to find answers on. I also had work to do. So I told myself I would decide this week what I was going to do.
oh well that's how life goes sometimes !
Thanks for all the get wells posted over the last few days.
I will watch what I do for a week or so & get back to living life.