slice me up and cut me open

Some of you may have heard, some still hasn't. Others came and visited, and even looked at the scar. I had my appendix removed after three days of gruelling pain on monday, 8th of May, and because this is my blog, and because i love sharing, and sometimes even make people cringe, here's a full account of what happened, so if guys has any of the signs, you will know what to do:

I woke up on Saturday morning with the worst kind of stomach pain that left me literally handicapped. Well actually, the pain started the night before, but it was not so bad, and i did not get enough sleep on thursday night, so i went to bed anyways. I asked my dad to send me to the clinic, which was only a stone-throw away. The doctor asked me to lie down, and pressed in between breasts, only slightly lower. she pressed hard. I cringed, but that's not where the real pain was. She moved to my upper abdomen, and i told her that it's painful.

"Sakit? But not as bad as here kan?" She moved back to my chest. And again, she pressed hard.

"Uhm yeah... situ pun sakit..."

"Nothing to worry about... Just a really bad case of gastric... I'll give you some medicine and that should be fine."

I said okay, and left... only to come back a few hours later as the pain did not subside for even a tiny weeny bit, and the doctor gave me two jabs on my butt; one for the pain, one for my gastric.

It was no better that night too; Kusa got so worried that he said he'll take me to his usual clinic in Desa Pandan as the doctor in Serdang may have given me the wrong medicine. And by Sunday morning, i had no appetite at all, diarrhoea was ridicilously bad, and I threw up 3 times before my baby picked me up at around 3 p.m.

The doctor in the Pandan clinic didn't check my stomach, but she didn't recognize any of the medicine given by the Serdang doctor either, so she gave me some Novaluzid instead. Novaluzid is apparently, the general gel-like oral medicine for gastric, and was supposed to show its effectiveness by that night itself. But it didn't. My sweet, patient sayang asked me to sleep over at his place that night, so "if the pain doesn't go away, we'll go to Ampang Puteri [a specialist hospital in, where else, Ampang] tomorrow."

And it didn't. The next day - Monday - the pain shifted to my lower abdomen, most prominently on the right side. Walking by now had become such an arduous task, and I practically moved like a snail.

When i get into the specialist's clinic, and after i explained to Dr. Koh's all my symptoms, he said it was a clear case of appendicitis. he asked me to lie down, so he can check my tummy, and after pressing my lower ab a few times, and after asking me over and over again "Does it hurt?", he said that my appendix was bad. To further confirm it, I had to go through a few tests; urine, blood, and ultrasound to ensure that it was not something else. Went back to his clinic, and he said that it's already at a serious stage, and i need to have my surgery that night itself. I think he used the word "acute".

But since Ampang Puteri is a private hospital, and my dad couldn't afford the costs, my beloved had to drive me to Hospital Serdang at around 5 p.m. Showed the doctor in the emergency unit my ultrasound and tests result, but maybe she needed a confirmation, or maybe it was a procedure... they had me take the blood and urine tests again. An hour later, i was wheeled in back into the room with my eldest sister Kak Cica and my baby.

Now the doctor said that it probably wasn't appendix at all; it could be urinary tract infection. Whatever that is. She said that i have two options; either go home and rest for a night and see how things are by tomorrow, or they could admit me for one night so they could monitor me. I said, okay... monitor me. My sister too. Kusa? "I'm taking you to Ampang Puteri right now."

He was visibly upset for me. I had to wait to take the same tests i just took a couple of hours ago, and now the doctor was saying that it probably wasn't appendix, when the specialist in Ampang Puteri already said that i need to be operated on that night itself. A nurse then wheeled me to the emergency ward, where a doctor who would later be my surgeon would come and check my stomach. During this time i learned later on, that my sayang contacted Dr. Koh, and had let Dr. Koh spoke to the doctors in Hospital Serdang, urging them to operate on me that night.

And so the surgeon checked on me, and he said that he was 90% sure it's appendicitis. So i was rushed to the ward, changed into my operation gown, and was again wheeled around, this time to the operating theatre. My sisters Kak Cica and Kak Tana tailed along, and waved goodbye to me. My boo was not there... but them being there calmed me down a little. But still...

I was fucking terrified. and freaking nervous.

But my anesthetician was nice. and i think he was pretty hot. Clearly he was an expert... he put me at ease without any anesthetic just yet. I didn't even realized that i was knocked out, and suddenly i was woken up by the nurses outside the operating theatre.

All is fine. Alhamdulillah.

The next day, I found out that my appendix had already perforated, a fancy word they use to say that they found holes in it. And that it already leaked a little... they had to keep me for an extra day to ensure that i'm fine. Post-operation, I hated the way i feel in the hospital. The bed [which almost killed my back], the food [worsened my appetite!], the IV drop [ughh]... almost everything. But despite it all, i feel better after the operation than i did three days before they cut me open. And still, if people ask me what was the worst part about the whole experience, i would say, "i wish i was knocked out when the nurses in Pusat Perubatan UPM took off my 6 stitches". It hurt like hell, weihh!

It's all because of my sayang... what he had done for me during my whole ordeal. He drove me around, even taking a day off on Monday so he could take me to Ampang Puteri. He was persistent at making sure that I get my operation that night too... and visited me every single day without fail, even having to go back to his office in Bukit Damansara. *Corny Alert!!!* I love you, I love you, I love you booboo... I honestly don't know what I would have done without you... >:P

And my family too... Especially my dad. They did numerous things for me, and the little things made them even more special. Just walking with me to the operating theatre was sweet of Kak Cica and Kak Tana... Kak Hani and family gave up their bed and room for me for a week just so I don't have to sleep on my mattress on the floor. Kak Pa stayed with me at the hospital during my first night. They can get on my nerves, like sisters do, but it's things like this that made me see that I matter.

To those who visited me... Zura, Animz and Ikin, of course. Zura and Animz, thanks for taking time off from your busy schedule for me... and Ikin, thanks for coming even when you're unwell yourself.

And to those who think that "Oh it was just a minor operation... nothing big", well fuck you. I was never operated on before, and my condition was serious, and hey... people died because of appendicitis okay?

But there are a couple of good things about the operation and the 10+ day bed rest... I now have another thing in common with my babe! We both had our appendix removed! YEAY! haha. And also, my skin has never looked better! It's so smooth now... my whiteheads are all virtually gone! and no zits! How cool is that?! Though I realize, college is starting tomorrow... My happiness regarding the condition of my face will definitely be shortlived, with all that fumes and bacteria... :(

So that's the lowdown on me and my appendicitis. Thank you for reading! Ciao~