The day we arrived home I went to bed and developed a 103 fever. The Drs thought it was a virus I picked up on my trip. After a week of 103+ fevers it broke. But then the oddest thing, it kept spiking. I'd be ok during the day and then it'd spike to 102, then the next day I'd be ok in the morning and it'd spike to 101. It was so odd and just wouldn't stop, so I requested lab work.
Now, if you've never had a Dr call you and tell you to go the emergency room immediately it is an experience I'll tell you.
I was not overly concerned, being so used to health issues, but the lab test results showed and obvious infection somewhere in my body. I figured I'd get some antibiotics and head back home. That is not what happened.
To save you the drawn out process of 2 CTs, an ultrasound and countless vials of blood and an ER Dr telling me "you don't look sick", I'll jump to the finish line. Apparently, my appendix had ruptured. Isnt that deadly you may ask? Yes. Yes it is. Luckily my over active immune system did something good this time and walled off a good amount of the infection into an abscess the size of a tennis ball. My abdomen was full of fluid and infection still but the abscess helped contain most of it. My spleen was 3 times it's normal size and my intestines and tissues were so swollen they couldn't even find the appendix, and while surgery is the normal course of action in this case the infection and swelling were too much for them to risk opening me up.
An abdominal drain, 6 days in the hospital on 24 hr IV antibiotics, countless more blood tests and several more CTs and I got to go home. With the drain still hanging out of me.
I don't remember a lot of it, I was really very sick, but I do know that it was almost 6 months before I felt completely back to normal.
After about 3 months they did surgery to remove my appendix. After about 5 months they put me back in the hospital and under general anesthesia for suspected intestinal blockage, and sprinkled in there were a few more ER visits.
The funny part is now the Drs aren't even sure it was my appendix! What was it then you ask? They have no idea. They checked my intestines, ovaries, uterus, stomach etc etc and found no obvious rupture. So, I now live with the Drs recommendation that if I get a fever I go directly to the ER. Meanwhile they sprinkle in tests here and there also....2 more coming in June! One that takes 4 hrs. Ugh.
Anyway, I am healed mostly and all I can say is that I am beyond thankful this happened here and not on our trip. Not because it would have sucked to be sick away from home, but because it would have ruined our amazing trip! There's always a bright side. Sometimes you just have to look really really hard.
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