Warning--explicit description of illness follows. Writing this up is therapeutic, don't feel obligated to read. Pretty delirious run with MacK (and Tyler for 6 miles). Went to the bathroom lots this run, in fact have done so all week. Not really diaherretic, but not normal. 9.73 at 8;00 pace. Frantic day at work. Got my project done at 3pm and drove home. On the way home, I ate a banana and some pretzel sticks, and felt quite nauseated by the time I got home. I was hugging the toilet, doing the involuntary spitting thing and hoping I could get a rest from the spit so I could drink some pepto. I was successful pushing of that vomit attack, felt better for a while. Bedtime--after bad sleep last night, all I want and expect is a good nights sleep. I plan to sleep in and do tomorrows hard workout in late morning. However my stomach starting to bother me quite a bit, not able to sleep--at all! In massaging stomach I notice my right side is tender. At 1:05 I decide to eat a piece of bread. Either it would settle my stomach or make me vomit, either option sounds appealing. I can only eat 2 bites. At 1:10 I sit on the bed next to Paul, and half crying, tell him I think I need to go to the ER just to rule out appendicitis. Just saying that out loud must have been too much because I hobble to the bathroom, not even making it to the toilet--I vomit up a storm into my sink. It was strange, I don't normally vomit standing up, its usually kneeling at a toilet. Struck by how one leg totally hitches up, like that will help my body expel the demons. My body is shaky but relieved to be food free. I crawl into bed. Paul says, "well if you thought three minutes ago you need to go to the hospital, just how does vomiting change that decision." I just want to sleep and think I have a fighting chance to do so, but we chat a little and I drive myself to the Payson hospital. I get to the hospital at 1:45. Doc thinks it may be an ovarian cyst or appendix, though my pain level isn't as high as you'd expect and my temp is only 99.9F. We do an ultrasound to try to rule out cyst and perhaps check out the appendix. Ultrasound reveals a 3mm cyst and can't see appendix well enough. Now I am having chills, and temp risen to 100.7 (I am normally 97ish). Miserable because they haven't allowed me to drink. They did give me anit-nausean pain. My throat is sore from the vomitting, I am kicking myself for not drinking more on the way to the hospital. The fever and the dehydration trump the abdominal pain by far. Decision is to be made on whether to do CT scan (involves radiology, so increases cancer chance 1/600 for each CT. I have high colon cancer incidences in my family. Ovarian cyst can cause pain, but not fever. Doctor is leaning toward having me see how I feel in 8 hours, then doing CT if not improved. But I won't be able to drink for those 8 hours! I asked about my blood panels, and he said that the white blood cell count was high, another indicator of appendicitis. So that's when I decide to do CT scan. I can't say it isn't partially because I wanted my forced dehydration to end asap. CT scan totally reminiscent of my AS SI joint tests. I see them put the radioactive stuff in me, that doesn't feel good. 1 hour wait for results. Positive for appendicitis. So Paul joins me at the Payson hospital and we drive to UVRMC for surgery. Arrived at 7am, am miserable (mostly dehydration and utter fatigue, but also can't roll around in bed w/o pain and am nauseous) until 8:40 when I finally break down and ask for my first pain meds. They were less for the pain but enabled me to fall asleep. A much needed 1 hour nap. Surgery is done at about 10:30. It is funny how "out" I was. Come to around 12:30. The appendix was in worse shape than they thought from the CT scan, but thankfully not ruptured. Took another nap. Marion came in the afternoon. My work and Paul's work both sent flowers. My firm is so wonderful. I feel so bad about having to miss my training that is all day tomorrow. I have been excited about this class "How to Manage Multiple Priorities." I still wish I could go. Now training for Houston is unlikely, and I won't be in shape for the Las Vegas 1/2, so won't do that one. I am so grateful to have had a wonderful training year in 2010, and the recovery time for this surgery is pretty quick, so this should just be a hiccup in the pursuit of 2:46:00. The Houston training was kind of squished, and I was taking longer to get back into it than I wanted, so perhaps it is all for the best. I bet I can run faster without an appendix, anyway.
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