I still haven't written about our vacationing adventures because this week topped NYC for excitement. Aaron, who is notorious for not expressing his pain very well (that's a bit of an understatement, he can't even accurately describe his pain- ask the nurse who questioned him). While we are all yelling and screaming, Aaron is quietly sitting while mentioning off-hand that his stomach has been hurting all day. Sorry Aaron, you may not be quite that bad, but we need this illustration to set the stage.
Aaron woke up with stomach pain, feeling too sick to eat breakfast on Tuesday. He went to work thinking it would go away, but by the time 2 pm rolled around his co-workers were telling him to go home. "You don't look so good...." He came home and laid down and told me he wasn't feeling well. He's come home from school before not feeling well, and for some reason I failed to grasp the significance of leaving work in the second week of his 10-week summer internship. After several hours I started getting a little more suspicious and Aaron kept complaining, so I started asking more questions and pulling up the interwebs. His pain was central in his abdomen, so right where the stomach is located and he was having back pain. Kidney stones? Ulcer? Appendix didn't cross my mind, wrong location.
Nevertheless, we decided to get it checked out at the Urgent Care. I called to make sure they were open and the woman asked for symptoms. When I said abdominal pain, she told us we would save money going straight to the E.R. because we'd likely end up there anyway. In the E.R., Aaron got a lovely cot and gown, but no pain meds:
Aaron woke up with stomach pain, feeling too sick to eat breakfast on Tuesday. He went to work thinking it would go away, but by the time 2 pm rolled around his co-workers were telling him to go home. "You don't look so good...." He came home and laid down and told me he wasn't feeling well. He's come home from school before not feeling well, and for some reason I failed to grasp the significance of leaving work in the second week of his 10-week summer internship. After several hours I started getting a little more suspicious and Aaron kept complaining, so I started asking more questions and pulling up the interwebs. His pain was central in his abdomen, so right where the stomach is located and he was having back pain. Kidney stones? Ulcer? Appendix didn't cross my mind, wrong location.
Nevertheless, we decided to get it checked out at the Urgent Care. I called to make sure they were open and the woman asked for symptoms. When I said abdominal pain, she told us we would save money going straight to the E.R. because we'd likely end up there anyway. In the E.R., Aaron got a lovely cot and gown, but no pain meds:
E.R. Nurse: Describe your pain. Is it dull, throbbing or sharp?
Aaron: Umm... it hurts?
The nurse wasn't concerned until she started poking his stomach and what do you know, LOWER RIGHT QUADRANT!!! Dun, dun, dun.... There's really not much else there. She said, "well young man, you just earned yourself an I.V." (but still no pain meds).
The doc and a CT scan confirmed appendicitis, they called the on-call surgeon and attempted to make the O.R. nurses stay and not go home, but they went home anyway. So we waited in the E.R. for two hours to have an emergency appendix removal surgery (appendectomy) (he never did get pain meds...) while the nurses drove back to the hospital . Silly silly people. But guess what? The surgeon was awesome (all the nurses and doctors told us we got lucky). He talked to us before and after, and even found me in the waiting room before Aaron woke up to tell me it all went well. He thought I was his sister for a while there. :) Turns out, Aaron's appendix was wrapped around and pointing toward his stomach, explaining the pain location confusion. Note: I think you have to ask, or be more outwardly convincing to receive pain meds. My suggestion is to clutch your stomach while softly groaning.
Cute Aaron after surgery with a cool heated space blanket. Man his eyes were so red.
Aaron: Umm... it hurts?
The nurse wasn't concerned until she started poking his stomach and what do you know, LOWER RIGHT QUADRANT!!! Dun, dun, dun.... There's really not much else there. She said, "well young man, you just earned yourself an I.V." (but still no pain meds).
The doc and a CT scan confirmed appendicitis, they called the on-call surgeon and attempted to make the O.R. nurses stay and not go home, but they went home anyway. So we waited in the E.R. for two hours to have an emergency appendix removal surgery (appendectomy) (he never did get pain meds...) while the nurses drove back to the hospital . Silly silly people. But guess what? The surgeon was awesome (all the nurses and doctors told us we got lucky). He talked to us before and after, and even found me in the waiting room before Aaron woke up to tell me it all went well. He thought I was his sister for a while there. :) Turns out, Aaron's appendix was wrapped around and pointing toward his stomach, explaining the pain location confusion. Note: I think you have to ask, or be more outwardly convincing to receive pain meds. My suggestion is to clutch your stomach while softly groaning.
Cute Aaron after surgery with a cool heated space blanket. Man his eyes were so red.
I'm glad he's okay.
Surgery at 11 PM, admitted to hospital at 1 AM. Did I mention we are both exhausted? And hungry? (Aaron hadn't eaten all day)
I had to meet Andy to drop off his car at the mechanic before he left for work at 5:30 the next morning, so I decided to just stay and find what sleep was available in the hospital room. The nice CNA got me a lovely bed:
Surgery at 11 PM, admitted to hospital at 1 AM. Did I mention we are both exhausted? And hungry? (Aaron hadn't eaten all day)
I had to meet Andy to drop off his car at the mechanic before he left for work at 5:30 the next morning, so I decided to just stay and find what sleep was available in the hospital room. The nice CNA got me a lovely bed:
And here's to hospital food!
These pictures are in the morning after we snoozed for three hours and then found it impossible to sleep. Aaron discovered that if you watch ESPN Sports Center all night, they play the same hour long show all night until 9 AM. He watched it 3 or 4 times.
There was a lovely sunrise at 5 AM:
There was a lovely sunrise at 5 AM:
Gross surgery wound pictures. Cool!!
Just glad it's not cancer or something.
Post within a post - Because I can
And now, what you've all been waiting for, completely unrelated to this post! Once I found out my belly will be getting much larger, much more quickly, I thought it'd be interesting to compare this pregnancy belly with any future single babies we have (I found out the term is "singleton" which sounds very lonely). Also, since we are traveling to some pretty sweet places this summer, I decided to try to make the location of each picture as epic as possible.
Niagara Falls:
Niagara Falls:
Ellis Island looking at Manhattan:
Manhattan Temple- Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints:
Side note: What a different temple! It's hard to tell it's a temple from the street. In fact, most people think it's a church, which is also true because there are two chapels and a distribution center in the same building, just a different entrance. It's right in the city though, a couple blocks from Central Park. It has spires and a captain Moroni that you can see by looking straight up from the side. For such a huge city, there aren't many people who volunteer as workers or participators. Still awesome, every temple is unique and yet comfortably familiar.
Side note: What a different temple! It's hard to tell it's a temple from the street. In fact, most people think it's a church, which is also true because there are two chapels and a distribution center in the same building, just a different entrance. It's right in the city though, a couple blocks from Central Park. It has spires and a captain Moroni that you can see by looking straight up from the side. For such a huge city, there aren't many people who volunteer as workers or participators. Still awesome, every temple is unique and yet comfortably familiar.
And.... Today we were jungle explorers in the forest that essentially surrounds our house and extends through the entire Northeast. We found a trail and a pond! I do see a belly in this one.
Pretty place.
Proof Aaron is already feeling much better.
Love,
Lauresa