Flu Surgery

I am still not feeling well. I am getting better. This is one of those illnesses that will hit, act like it is leaving, then hit again. I think it is almost gone. My days off at Wal-Mart are Tuesday and Wednesday so basically all I have done is rest. i did work 4 hours at Taco bell yesterday, but that was during the period where I felt fine. It hit again after I returned home. I have been very fortunate when it comes to my health. I will get the flu once or twice a year but I usually am very healthy.

The sickest I have ever been was nine years ago when I had what I have always called my flu surgery. At that time I was also working two jobs, then working for K-Mart full time and working part time at Arby's. About 10 minutes before I got off at Arby's I felt like someone had sucker punched me in the gut. It was the sharpest pain I had ever felt in my life. I finished what I was doing and went home. When I got home and told my wife how I felt she accused me of faking it. For some reason any time I got sick that was her response. Why I am not really sure and now I will never know, but that was her. I have a stubborn streak so I told her I would be fine and to leave me alone. I tried to lay down, but I couldn't get comfortable so I went into the front room and tried to sleep in a recliner we had in the front room. I did not sleep that night. The next day was Sunday. My wife asked me a few times if I was alright, and being the stubborn one I can be I said I was fine. I really thought the pain was going to reside. I spent all that day and night in the chair. On Monday morning my wife asked if I was ready to go see the doctor. By then I was in so much pain I swallowed my stubbornness and agreed to go.

My doctor took me right in, checked me out and had me wait for awhile in one of his exam rooms. I actually dozed off on the exam table. He told me he wanted to put me in the hospital and to talk to a surgeon. He felt the problem was my appendix and wanted a surgeon to check it out. I was admitted and couple of hours later the surgeon came in. He told me my white blood cell count was more than double what it should have been. There are no iron clad tests for appendicitis but I had every symptom. 3 per cent of time there is nothing wrong with the appendix, the decision was mine. I felt so bad I was willing to do anything. I said do it. They did the surgery around 8:00 PM. I remember the anesthesiologist coming into my room to give me something to relax me before I went in. That was some good stuff because I went out while he was talking to me. I was woke up in the Intensive Care unit, where they had put me after surgery since it was so late and was told I was being moved to my room. I don't remember anything else until about 4:00 AM, when I woke up. My wife was in the room with me. She was much more sympathetic at that time. A nurse came in, checked my vitals and asked if I wanted anything. I told her no and within a few minutes went back to sleep. My white blood cell count remained high for a couple of days. They were concerned about it and kept increasing my antibiotics. Finally the count went down and I was released.

I was off work for four weeks. When I went back to see the surgeon for a follow up he told me the tests had come back and there was nothing wrong with my appendix. Why I was sick is still a mystery. The main thing is I got better. So now I say I had flu surgery and am back to normal. Of course other people would argue that I am normal, but that is another story.

The picture above is from my favorite doctor series, St Elsewhere. That is William Daniels, who was great as Doctor Mark Craig.

Quote Of The Day
In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.
Robert Frost