A pattern to break.

12/31/12

After a crazy afternoon, I get home to rest a bit before going to a New Years Eve party. I notice that my mouth hurts.  Badly.  I chalk it up to a hard day, cancel on the party, and go to bed.  Next day I go to the dentist because my mouth still hurts, it’s wisdom teeth cutting through, blah blah.  Before I know it I have an IV started, some prescriptions in my bag, and I’m short 3.85 less teeth (there’s still a little bit of one hanging out back there thanks to me being a bleeder).

12/31/13

After a low key albeit enjoyable day, I keep doubling over with cramps and stomach pain.  I chalk them up to menstrual cramps.  I still keep assuming they are "normal" cramps, ignoring the the fact that during the day I took 11 advil, 2 aleve, and a beer without ANY relief.  After a sleepless night withering in pain, I go to work (after trying to exercise, #bullheaded), still thinking they are just menstrual cramps.  After the pain gets worse and seeing I have apparently most every textbook symptom for appendicitis, I take myself to the urgent care clinic, AKA a circle of hell.  

Yes, this picture is scary.  Urgent care is a scary place, and it's best to have a mask on you if possible.  A turtleneck will suffice in emergencies.  Emergency--the lady to my right was in with the flu, needing to get her steroid prescription adjusted (I know this because she was sharing her plight on a cell phone call) and the women to my left were in getting strep tested (I know this because they were commiserating over the test).

Urgent care doctor says that I may have appendicitis and wants to send me over to the ER for a CAT scan.  My pleas of "may I just wait it out till the morning" fall on deaf ears, and again, before I know it, I'm a visitor to the ER (my first visit!  milestone!).

My smoothies never taste this bad.

Fortunately I was not alone, and I had some great texting advice coming my way (looking at you Erika).  I didn't heed the advice of "be the squeaky wheel" all that well, and even with a botched IV kept quiet until the nurse and J noticed that tears were pouring down my face and I couldn't talk through the pain.  Oh yeah, what was wrong with me!  We don't know.  We DO know it was NOT my appendix and nothing is wrong with my ovaries.  What MAY be wrong was either a gastrointestinal virus, a ruptured cyst, or something gallbladder related.  I rebounded after a few days, and have been feeling good.  I'm eating normally again and running.  

But, seriously.  This is a pattern to break.  Two for two on being sick enough to go to the doctor two years in a row?  2015 will not be starting this way!