Appendicitis strikes!

I tossed and turned with severe stomach pains the night before a proposed weekly ocean swim with Laura and Dunc on the morning of Tuesday 8th March (along with 30 or so Bold & Beautiful swimmers I might add!) Decided to swim despite the pains thinking just a gastro bug was about to come on. After the 1.5km ocean swim I realised quite how bad the pains had become so reluctantly went to the doc having dropped Fenna and Iona at the beach with the new au pair (she left after two weeks - another story!) My doc sent me straight to see a specialist in Manly - I was stunned that he could agree to see me there and then - does that happen in the UK? By the time I got into his rooms I was almost in tears and about to ask the receptionist to let me lie on the waiting room floor in the foetal position!! He gave me the choice of sitting the pain out at home and almost certainly coming in by ambulance in the middle of the night or taking Iona and Fenna home, packing an overnight bag and getting myself to Manly Hospital for a CT scan and observation. I opted for the latter option so that I could find mates to collect boys from various places and get them home later (Dunc wasn't able to leave work early this day). By mid afternoon I was in hospital - not allowed to eat, just sip water in case I went into surgery that day. By the time the CT scan took place it was 7pm. It confirmed that my appendix was indeed enlarged and had to come out but the op would now take place the next day. I had not eaten a morsel for 24 hrs at this stage and could have eaten a scabby dog. Dunc was fantastic doing all the rallying to kindy/school over the next two days as well as running the boys to taekwondo, rugby, swimming etc. Surgery took place mid afternoon on the Wednesday (I'd gone in 24 hrs before) and went well. Felt terrible after the general and could not sit up or get out of bed unassisted for the next few days at home as well. But after 5 days I could not even tell I'd had the triple key hole surgery done - amazing!! My first mouthful was finally allowed 48 hrs after my last meal - it was public hospital tomato soup and I honestly thought it was THE BEST SOUP that I had ever tasted - maybe I was still high from the anasthetic?!?

Very relieved that the whole thing happened in Sydney and not the week before when we were camping in remote Coolendell!!!