Appendix adventures!

Got admitted to the hospital on 25th August 2012, Saturday afternoon for my appendix inflammation.

Lets take a rewind to try to figure out what I did that could possibly be the cause...

Wednesday: School, Carousel with Kalem, Shane and Sherrie. We were all craving brownies so we were going to make some awesome brownies and be happy fat babies. Sherrie and I went to KMart to get our photo booth photos printed while Shane and K went to Coles to buy them ingredients. Headed to mine, baked brownies, Shane ate 5 (That was 3/4 his dinner...), Sherrie went home for dinner but the guys stayed at mine for dinner.

Shane left after dinner, K and I played Mario for the rest of the night till 11ish. We were... VERY high...

-Marilyn was still fine then. Okay, moving on.-

Thursday: School, there wasn't flexi for me as we had our umat lady coming in to talk to us about our Tisc applications. Went home after, baked red velvet cupcakes in jars for Jackie's birthday :) Took 4 hours and Puan came home. Had our pan dinner or fried noodles and I had my pumpkin too! :) Didn't sit for dinner. Wasn't having a slight tummy ache OH maybe its gastric.

-Should be fine. Moving on.-

Friday: School, home and tummy was still in a little pain and discomfort. Maybe I'm malnourished... Shall eat more veg! Had no appetite but still ate veg. Parents are back :D Mummy guessed gastric. She hates my eating patterns that she assumes when I am home alone... Mummy applied medicated oil on my tummy and gave me a nice tummy rub. 

-Hopefully the medicated oil works! :D-

4am Saturday morning...: *WAKES UP IN ACUTE PAIN* Realises I fell asleep while talking to someone on the phone, wakes person up and start groaning in pain. Person suggests to call mum. TOOK ME AN HOUR TO AGREE. 5am, calls mum's mobile phone... She finally picks up and asks what's wrong and I start groaning and crying in pain. She comes in, pop me some abdominal pills went to sleep for another 3 hours.

3 hours later: INTENSE PAIN. Hobbles out of bed, collapse on couch in front of dad. Cries for GP, dad wanted to wait hoping medication would kick in. Then I begged for the GP. 3 of us, in half pjs (trackies. I was in my pjs), piled in the car and off to find a GP that actually is open on Saturday. YES. It's PERTH, GPs that open on Saturdays are RARE.

Went to the nearest hospital, PACKED with sick people as they all watch me hobble and struggle my way through the door. Dad suggests to call our family GP (He doesn't usually work on Saturdays) BAM HE WAS IN! OMG HE WAS IN!!! THANK YOU GOD THANK YOU GOD. Wait. He's pack! OH NO! But can't be as pack as this hospital! OKAY OFF WE GO. 

People watched me hobble out. Must have been the most entertaining sight they had all morning because everyone was actually watching...

DIED IN CAR. BAM! GP! Felt nostalgic, went to the toilet with mum. Sat on floor, pain was intense. Mum pulled me up from the awful toilet floor. Was about to faint. Collapsed on mum. They dragged me to the other GP's (that's not in) room and I fell onto the bed. Felt so exhausted. Knocked out. But could still hear people but can't open eyes. Nurse commented on how tired I seem to be :|

GP is finally done! Ready for me. They got me up and into his office. He checked everything and said its a suspected appendicitis. He suggests 2 hospitals that are close by that could check and operate on me. Parents picked the private hospital as it was nearest. OFF TO MURDOCH! He gave me pain killers first. MAN THEY INDEED ARE PAIN KILLERS.

Reached the hospital at 1. Waited till 3pm because I told them my pain level was 3/10, 10 being the most intense pain ever in the universe. (Every single medical associated person I came into contact with that day asked me to rate my pain..) I started freaking at 2.30 because I started to feel the pain coming back to me. Pain killers were wearing off. FINALLY into the emergency department! Got changed into my hospital gown! Laid in my first ever hospital bed! Waited for nurse Sarah to return. Blood pressure. Oxygen levels. Blood test (to see if its appendix). Drips. No eating, no drinking. I lost 6 kg that very day... Urine test.

ED doctor came in to check on my suspected appendix. Press press press tummy. Presses near appendix I nearly punched him in reflex. He looked up with glee, "YEP! Highly likely appendix!" Everyone left. Parents went to grab lunch. Nurses attended to the next 5 people that came in after me. They were all sports related. I was still on my drip, they wanted my pee so bad they increased my drip speed to get more water in me. Finally after 2 hours I gave them my pee. OFF I WENT! I was on pain killers, lying on the bed, nurse pushed me to my ward. What you see in movies, the lights pattern. I felt like a movie star in a hospital scene. Clearly I was excited.

Nurse pushed me to the adult ward... "Room 7?" "Nope, there is someone in there. Is this Marilyn?" "Yep" "St Gabriel's!" And off to St Gabriel's ward which was just a short walk. My surroundings of abstract art turned to cute teddies, rainbows and flowers. Where was I? "Marilyn?" "Yep." "Room 12!" and into Room 12 I went. WAIT... Why do I have teletubbies on my wall..? :| My door had a pelican :) Like my address! I get my own tele! My own room! My own huge ass bathroom and toilet! Swap beds. The bed was JUST NICE for my height. "Hahahaha Marilyn... You are in the kiddy ward." Dad said with such joy.

Nurses hooked me up to more drips. More blood tests. More oxygen level tests.

5.40pm. Soon Dr Cooke came in. He is one humorous guy. So bubbly and light-hearted. Explains the whole procedure of my operation and everything I needed to know. Kind of like a briefing.

"We will put a little camera in you and have a look at your liver, colon, appendix, ovaries and many more!" "DO I GET TO WATCH TOO? :D" "Uh... no. But I could pop it on a dvd for you!" "DEAL!" "But you might get motion sick. I will try not to move too much" (I got my awesome dvd of my whole procedure!)

"Every operation has its risk. But to not operate in this case is a even greater risk. Let's hope your appendix have not exploded." Mum, "Well, looks like you have to do a good job then haha" "Of course, I will operate on Marilyn like she's my very own daughter."

These words have left such great impact on me. That's the kind of doctor I aspire to be. One that loves every single patient I get to come in contact with. "I have done over 2 hundred appendix operations. One was an Olympic athlete, since has been winning many medals. Another was also in the Olympics but since... Has not won anything..." I laughed. One day, I am going to be one of the people he mentions to his patients awaiting appendix removal!

6.15 more Hollywood hospital scene in my head as I was being pushed down to the holding room where I am being prepared for my operation. My hair in one of those caps. Have my cool white operating stockings on (prevents clots in legs), meeting of Mr Lim, an aesthetician that was going to knock me out and into the operating theatre at 6.30pm. I challenged myself to keep awake. Opened my eyes to the biggest possible. He inserts liquid. I feel it coming on!  Open eyes even bigger!!! BAM. I knocked out. "Damn it" I thought before I dozed off. Had one weird dream alright. Woke up in recovery room 1.5 hours later... Looking drowsier than this:

with oxygen mask on because oxygen count was low and need to rid the anaesthetic still in my blood. I fell asleep again. But was definitely excited to be having my first ever experience with an oxygen mask. Sleep sleep sleep. I really wanted mummy and papa. They pushed me back to my room. Was still sleeping. Woke up. Went back still drowsy. Off to lala land once more. Woke up and mummy and papa were here now. Still drowsy. More sleep for Marilyn. 

Woke up at 12am. Whatsapp many many people that were concerned. That was when I took that picture up there to show everyone that I was alright. Yes, I can still look fabulous after an operation hahahahahaha. Nurse came in to change my drip. That was when I met the most amazing lady. Robbie. She taught me how to get out and into bed. (I was in a lot of pain :|) She helped me change out of my robe and into some comfy home pjs. She changed my drips. She taught me the tele channels and its movies. She accompanied me that night. I didn't want to sleep. I feel in deep adoration for her. I started talking to her and befriending her. She didn't force me to drink that yucky gunk that would help me poop. (Because after operations, your body would have problems peeing and pooping.)

& they found out what caused my appendicitis... MY OWN POOP. :|

She got me a lozenge for my throat that was sore from the abrasion of the tube they had to put down me to bloat my tummy up. She left 5/6am in the morning. I really wanted her to be my nurse again for my second night. I wanted to thank her personally.

The rest of my second day was check ups, blood tests, operation 'make-Marilyn-poop', no appetite, slow eating, movies, sleeping, a lot of sleeping. Melissa called me in the morning to check on me :3 really appreciated her call.

Sunday: Parents came after church. Parents helped me eat my main meal of my dinner. Really didn't want anything. Mummy brought me books :)

Puan, Aron and Kok surprised visit me. They came as I came out of my shower. MY FIRST SHOWER IN 2 DAYS. Felt so good. But hurt a lot. Dreaded showering the next 4 days... 

& laxatives and that thing they put up my bum started to work after friends left... YEAH... The world started to fall under me that whole night.

Soon, once I had a good poop, parents left. I was dead tired. But I wanted to wait till about 10/11pm to see if Robbie was coming in. :)

& She did. The registered nurse (I am guessing. She had a different shirt on. Higher rank) introduced her and said, "Marilyn, Robbie is your nurse tonight." I was so happy. She changed my drips, more pain killers. (Had pain killers every 4 hours.) I asked if I could have another lozenge she said there wasn't anymore... But she came in with this:

*O* AWESOMMMMMMMMMMMEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!! "We give this to kids when they get their tonsils out. I hope this helps because there isn't anymore lozenge." ARE YOU COMPLAINING? NO. AM I COMPLAINING!? GIVE ME THAT ALREADY. Omn nomnom.

My room: See the teletubbies on the wall? Yeah I grew up with those funny peeps.

That night I was dog tired. I was completely drained. I knocked out. I woke up again to the Registered nurse changing my drips. My first drip was slightly jammed. She used a scissors or something to push the liquid through the drip tube and BAM into my arm. DUDE. That hurt like a bitch... PROOF (Because I don't like you. ): WHERE IS ROBBIE!? T^T Give her back!)

(And this was 2 days after!!! >:( the bruise that horrid thing caused...)

I didn't see Robbie anymore that night. I was annoyed and upset at that higher rank nurse. I was very very upset. I wanted to say bye to Robbie... So I woke up at 4.30am on Monday in hopes Robbie would come in before she leaves so I could bid farewell. I waited till 6.15am... She didn't come in... VERY UPSET... I went back to sleep. *knock knock* "Morning Marilyn! Brekkie!!!" omnnomnomnom:

One of Dr Cooke's team members came in to have a last check up on me. Gave me an MC for a week. (Half concerned and half happy. Concerned because I am a year 12. Skipping a day of school is like skipping a term in year 10! Happy because.. NO EXPLANATION NEEDED.)

The new morning shift nurse (The same one that put something up my bum the day before) came to take my big drip on my left arm out. (Had 2 drip holes. As they started with the one on my left before op and right before I enter op, they realised I needed one on my right arm because my appendix is on my right.......) "Apply pressure on the hole" *PULLS OUT 15 cm plastic out of my arm (drip)* I needed to text mum. Held the hole for 5 seconds thought it was good enough.. Started texting then suddenly I felt water being literally sprayed on my arm... Looks down... BLOOD WAS OOZING OUT OF MY BAND AID LIKE A FOUNTAIN LITERALLY (no exaggeration here.) and bam:

I was like OMG I hope the nurse returns soon and then... *knock knock* "Marilyn! :D LUNCH!!! Here yo-" "Could you help me please?" "OMG!!! I WILL CALL THE NURSE!" & Here is my lunch for that day :) :

I got discharged at 2pm that day. :) It was a Monday. Home and sleep sleep sleep. That was my whole weekend.

Wednesday when Shane and Gus visited:

They brought me one sushi heehee

WAS SO GOOD.

I was getting pretty lonely by Wednesday... Marilyn always has a social life... But since Monday, all Marilyn interacted with was the toilet... THEN... BAM! People started surprising me! :D PRAISE GOD FOR ANSWERING UNPRAYED PRAYERS! *He knows my every wants and needs* {3 

Flowers that came from Puan, Kok, Aron and the Orchid from N.

Thursday: Friends decides to surprise me. Kalem, Shane, Sherrie, Shreya surprised me first. They brought my fave pizza, Margarita! And Macaroons! :D:D:D We played Mario! They brought my work! We played even more! :D

Then... *DING DONG* Tim showed up! He brought those flowers up there. More Mario! More pizza-eating! 

One more... *DING DONG* IT WAS JESS! :D Bruuuuuuuu {3

She brought these flowers:

Surprises 3 days in a row. {3

That's my week.

On a lighter note... I finally did up my long awaited wall about two months ago. :)

Thank God for sustaining me through such a intense time. Thank God for such amazing people in Murdoch-St John of God hospital. {3