But my appendix was hard to visualize on the ultrasounds. I had all of the typical symptoms of appendicitis: pain in the right lower side, high white blood cell count and fever. I would end up being in the emergency department for nearly 11 hours having diagnostic tests and being treated. (This went out the window when I attempted to navigate wearing a hospital gown on pain medication.) A diagnosis I work for UW Medicine, so I felt a duty to behave as I would at the office. This memory coupled with the increasing pain on my right side made me realize I should probably bypass urgent care and go straight to the emergency room.īy the time I made it to University of Washington Medical Center (thank you, Uber driver), it was hard to keep it together (i.e. I was reminded of my former boss who tried to go for a run before being rushed to the hospital with appendicitis. I made it across the street before I realized a walk was a bad idea. I was sure they’d tell me it was my celiac disease. Morning arrived I felt optimistic and tried to take the dog for a walk before I headed to urgent care. My attempts at vomiting the pain away weren’t effective. I spent the next several hours curled in the fetal position. In denial, I continued to blame gluten and thought about visiting urgent care in the morning-just in case. The usual suspects (food poisoning, gallstones, pancreatitis and appendicitis) appeared. It just hurt so much that throwing up felt like the right thing to do. I needed to vomit, but not because I felt nauseated. Then the odd uncomfortable feeling became agonizing. A hot water bottle and a good night’s sleep were what I thought would help, so I went to bed. Stomach issues are a part of my life and typically no cause for alarm.
It is often the cause of troubles in the bathroom, thanks to living with celiac disease. Too much fiber, I guessed.Īn hour later, I blamed gluten. I thought the odd, uncomfortable feeling around my diaphragm was just gas from my attempt at healthier eating-carrot noodles-at dinner.
My gastrointestinal distress had started mildly 12 hours earlier. It occurred to me it might be a bit rude to task a stranger with getting me to the hospital, and I’d better be polite just in case I expired in his back seat.
HOW TO KNOW IF YOUR APPENDIX BURST DRIVER
I did my best to make small talk with the Uber driver even though the pain made it difficult.