Recovering

Sorry that I've been amiss in the blog world but as of Saturday, Jeremy is less one organ.

Jeremy started developing some lower back pain on Wednesday which we just attributed to muscle pain and ignored. However, Thursday night after dinner, he started getting some really sharp pains whenever he bent over that radiated from his back to his front on the right side. "Hello, Appendix!" I thought and off we were to the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital (conveniently located about 3 blocks away).

We checked in to the emergency room around 8:30 pm and began waiting. And waiting. And waiting. I had work the next day and started getting cranky around 11:00 (past my bed time) and found myself thinking, "Is he just hamming this up for a little more lovin' around the house?" Even Jeremy started wondering whether he really needed to be there. But because my crankiness was starting to get in the way, I said adieu and went home to bed while he waited for the doctor. Jeremy didn't return until 3:00 am with a prognosis of kidney stones.

The next morning, I headed off to work while he got ready to go see a GP and work out what he needs for those stones of his. Luckily, the doctor he saw was on top of things and knew right away that definitely wasn't the cause, so she sent him over to a radiologist for a CT scan which of course came back positive for an appendicitis. And with that, Jeremy headed back to the emergency room.

I, on the other hand, was still at work in Ashfield and really didn't know what was going on. Around 3:00 pm I finally made contact with Jeremy and learned he was back at the emergency room and filling out paperwork for surgery.

When I finally made it to RPA, he was sitting on a gurney in the emergency ward and still filling out papers (some three hours after we first talked). We hung out there for a little while, laughing at all the other crazies who were admitted on that Friday night. One of them was this funny old Greek guy who sounded like the God Father and kept rambling off non-sense. Occasionally he would mention something about Greek philosophy or Orthodox views, but all the while he was staring at one place where no one stood, obviously talking to "someone" though. It was kind of funny to listen. There was also a woman there who I think overdosed on drugs and was whining through the phone to her boyfriend. She had the most insane voice I've ever heard. It was singing with emphazema.

At one point the surgeon (House) and his two minions (Chase and Taub) came by to review Jeremy's CT scans and agreed (again) that it was indeed an appendicitis and they would be operating. Funny thing: the surgeon really was a bit like house and one of the minions really did look like Chase...

Eventually, Jeremy was taken in to pre-op where we were instructed to wait for a surgery slot to open. Again, we waited, and waited, and waited. And dreamed of food. It was unfortunate that all of this happened on Friday because that night we were supposed to go out for dinner with Jeremy's dad and some other family for a special dinner at Doyle's (Sydney's best seafood restaurant--also a restaurant we cannot afford on our own). It was also unfortunate that Jeremy had not eaten since dinner Thursday night and that he wouldn't be eating again until after surgery.

Come midnight, still no word on surgery. So I bundled myself up in a chair and slept while Jeremy took the bed (obviously).

It wasn't until 1 pm the next day (Saturday) that he finally made it in to surgery and I was able to go home and get a shower. And shortly after he came out, I was there waiting for him. Of course it took a while to wake up but I didn't mind the wait. For the rest of the day he napped here and there and I read out loud from The Chronicles of Narnia. He also had his first bite to eat in 46 hours and though he said the lime Jello tasted a bit powdery, he was still grateful for the food. He spent another night there and I went home to sleep alone. It was awfully lonely but I was tired enough that it wasn't too bad.

Sunday morning we played some cards, read some more and graduated to solid foods (not that the hospital food looked good though). I went home around noon so I could get our grocery shopping done but while I was waiting for the bus, Jeremy got his discharge papers. So, he waited for me to finish shopping and then he walked home to meet me just as I walked up to the door. Yes, he walked home from surgery. I know you're probably thinking that's insane but we don't have a car or money for a cab and we really do live just three blocks away from the hospital. He was fine.

Since then, he's been taking quite a few naps and enjoying his week off from work (lots of computer stuff going on in this place). I had to re-dress his incisions yesterday because the hospital actually did a pretty poor job and there was a lot of blood pooled up in his belly button along with a little water because the bandage wasn't put on correctly. He's still feeling a little uncomfortable and still in a bit of pain when he's been sitting for too long or digesting, but we're dealing with it.

Last night we went out to Doyle's for that seafood dinner. Thankfully it was rescheduled because of the surgery and we were really happy to see his family for the night. The food was amazing--everything we dreamed of (literally)! Unfortunately, the night ended a little abruptly with Jeremy in quite a bit of pain. Apparently fish and chips don't move so well through the bowels... So, we went home. He's feeling better now that things have "moved along" and we've since decided to stick to some lighter food for a little while (read: Kortney's Super Fiber Diet!). It would have been nice if the discharging doctor had actually given us some advice on home care and recovery...

So, to all of you who knew what was going on and sent us your happy thoughts, thanks so much! I'm sorry I didn't update sooner but I've just been exhausted and haven't been spending much time at home since Thursday.

Thanks again!