This is long but hopefully helpful in some way.
So, I've had an interesting last 48 hours. Posting this more for info purposes and a PSA for all of us stubborn folk on here. Why, because I tend to be a bit stubborn with my body and the aches and pains I get at my age; 53 years old. The latest situation could have really screwed me up in a bad way so I thought I'd share.
Since early 2024 I've been on the carnivore diet. It really has been great and lost about 30 lbs since about February. The last couple months I've really slipped and started to eat like crap again. The carnivore diet in no way am I blaming for what I just went through. At work one of our employees brought in several big bags of the variety pack of small Halloween candies this past week to get rid of it all. Earlier this week I sorta had a free for all with my candy intake. Licorice, chocolates, etc, too much of it.
So, I got in my truck on Wednesday afternoon to head home on my long commute home. I noticed my whole stomach area was sore, felt sorta bloated and just hurt a bit. I chalked it up to too much junk I was eating (some of it the candy that I haven't been used to eating lately). After my 1.5 hour commute I arrived at home and my stomach hurt a fair bit more. My wife and two dogs always walk out to my spot and greet me. I even told her my whole abdomen hurt and siad I think is all the crap I had eaten today and probably just need to take a big d*mp and maybe a bit backed up. Got home about 6:30ish pm.
Once back in the house I do my normal routine of sitting in my chair and checking work emails and texts, took a shower, comfortable clothes on and had dinner with Mrs 788. My stomach kept feeling worse all over and wasn't able to "produce" anything in the bathroom. Still felt sorta bloated and the pain had increased. About 8:30pm: I couldn't get in a comforable position to lessen the pain no matter how I tried. Wife asked if we should go to a walk in clinic just incase I was coming down with the flu or some type of food poisining. Of course I said no. I started getting a bit of the cold sweats and about 9pm began throwing up enough that I carried around and sat/lied down with a 5 gallon HD bucket. I puked everything I ate that day and then only the water I had been drinking the last couple hours to jsut dry heaving since nothing was left in my stomach.
I hate to make a big scene of things and it was getting close to 10:30pm and finally after my wife asking several times if we should get me check out I relented and told her I need to see a doctor or something because the pain was really bad. We live out in rural Bristow area so decided the best, closest place was the ER in Sapupla at the St Johns facility. We got there about 11pm and were the only ones there. Side note: It's actually a pretty nice faciltity and well stocked with medical technology, as far as I'm concerned. THey took some blood, gave me some pain meds and got me into a CT scan of my abdomen. Took about an hour to get the results back showing my appendix was inflamed in a big way and that they needed to send me by ambulance to Tulsa. They gave me the choice to go to St John's or St Franics in Tulsa. We chose St Francis as we know our medical coverage is accepted there as well as they told us the St Johns ER was really full.
We got to St Francis about 2am. THis whole time I was on morphine since I got to Sapulpa St Johns but didn't really work well and made me fell fairly loopy. At St Francis they gave me some other combo of pain killers that really helped but still had quite a bit of pain. I was in my own room at their ER and doctors said my appendix hadn't burst or whatever it does but needs to come out asap or thing will get much worse, fast. The soonest they could get me into surgery was about 9am. THey loaded me up with pain and other IV drugs the rest of the early morning and i was in and out of concisnous/sleep the next 3-4 hours. Wife drove home the 45 minutes ( I insisted) to get some sleep as she was a mess herself). She got back to hospital about 7am much refreshed.
Went into the prep about 8am, surgery 9:15am and back in recovery about 10am. Was on my way home 1pm ish. Luckily they were able to do the lapqroscopic surgery rather than the more invasive open surgery. Got home and walked around a bit then took a long three hour nap. My stomach pain was minimal other than the three small areas they went in through for the procedure.
Here's my whole point is sharing all this. As I said in the beginning, I'm stubborn as they come as I'm sure many on OSA are. Maybe, sharing my experience with this will/can help us actually seek some professional medical attention earlier and not wait until it's potentially too late. Prior to my appendicitis I always thought you felt a little pain in a specific area of the abdomen, would go see a doctor and they remove it and it's not a very serious issue. Well, turns out, if you actually don't wait and go seek medical treatment in a timely manner it's not a huge deal. If you are like me and wait until it's unbearable then you can cause yourself a ton a problems or worse. One thing my wife and I spoke about after i got home form hospital is that she works in California for a week each month. SHe just got back from her week of work in CA last week. Had this episode with my appendix happened last week I know I would be in a far worse situation today as my stubborness would have waited to call an ambulance (no way I could have safely driven myself to the hospital by myself the other night) out to our rural property and gone through this mess with my wife 1500 miles away. If something doesn't feel right or you have the potential to get injured when by yourself, have a plan to get help and/or seek medical assitance earlier when alone. Don't tell yourself you'll tough it out. You may just make things much worse for yourself Stay healthy out there, friends.
So, I've had an interesting last 48 hours. Posting this more for info purposes and a PSA for all of us stubborn folk on here. Why, because I tend to be a bit stubborn with my body and the aches and pains I get at my age; 53 years old. The latest situation could have really screwed me up in a bad way so I thought I'd share.
Since early 2024 I've been on the carnivore diet. It really has been great and lost about 30 lbs since about February. The last couple months I've really slipped and started to eat like crap again. The carnivore diet in no way am I blaming for what I just went through. At work one of our employees brought in several big bags of the variety pack of small Halloween candies this past week to get rid of it all. Earlier this week I sorta had a free for all with my candy intake. Licorice, chocolates, etc, too much of it.
So, I got in my truck on Wednesday afternoon to head home on my long commute home. I noticed my whole stomach area was sore, felt sorta bloated and just hurt a bit. I chalked it up to too much junk I was eating (some of it the candy that I haven't been used to eating lately). After my 1.5 hour commute I arrived at home and my stomach hurt a fair bit more. My wife and two dogs always walk out to my spot and greet me. I even told her my whole abdomen hurt and siad I think is all the crap I had eaten today and probably just need to take a big d*mp and maybe a bit backed up. Got home about 6:30ish pm.
Once back in the house I do my normal routine of sitting in my chair and checking work emails and texts, took a shower, comfortable clothes on and had dinner with Mrs 788. My stomach kept feeling worse all over and wasn't able to "produce" anything in the bathroom. Still felt sorta bloated and the pain had increased. About 8:30pm: I couldn't get in a comforable position to lessen the pain no matter how I tried. Wife asked if we should go to a walk in clinic just incase I was coming down with the flu or some type of food poisining. Of course I said no. I started getting a bit of the cold sweats and about 9pm began throwing up enough that I carried around and sat/lied down with a 5 gallon HD bucket. I puked everything I ate that day and then only the water I had been drinking the last couple hours to jsut dry heaving since nothing was left in my stomach.
I hate to make a big scene of things and it was getting close to 10:30pm and finally after my wife asking several times if we should get me check out I relented and told her I need to see a doctor or something because the pain was really bad. We live out in rural Bristow area so decided the best, closest place was the ER in Sapupla at the St Johns facility. We got there about 11pm and were the only ones there. Side note: It's actually a pretty nice faciltity and well stocked with medical technology, as far as I'm concerned. THey took some blood, gave me some pain meds and got me into a CT scan of my abdomen. Took about an hour to get the results back showing my appendix was inflamed in a big way and that they needed to send me by ambulance to Tulsa. They gave me the choice to go to St John's or St Franics in Tulsa. We chose St Francis as we know our medical coverage is accepted there as well as they told us the St Johns ER was really full.
We got to St Francis about 2am. THis whole time I was on morphine since I got to Sapulpa St Johns but didn't really work well and made me fell fairly loopy. At St Francis they gave me some other combo of pain killers that really helped but still had quite a bit of pain. I was in my own room at their ER and doctors said my appendix hadn't burst or whatever it does but needs to come out asap or thing will get much worse, fast. The soonest they could get me into surgery was about 9am. THey loaded me up with pain and other IV drugs the rest of the early morning and i was in and out of concisnous/sleep the next 3-4 hours. Wife drove home the 45 minutes ( I insisted) to get some sleep as she was a mess herself). She got back to hospital about 7am much refreshed.
Went into the prep about 8am, surgery 9:15am and back in recovery about 10am. Was on my way home 1pm ish. Luckily they were able to do the lapqroscopic surgery rather than the more invasive open surgery. Got home and walked around a bit then took a long three hour nap. My stomach pain was minimal other than the three small areas they went in through for the procedure.
Here's my whole point is sharing all this. As I said in the beginning, I'm stubborn as they come as I'm sure many on OSA are. Maybe, sharing my experience with this will/can help us actually seek some professional medical attention earlier and not wait until it's potentially too late. Prior to my appendicitis I always thought you felt a little pain in a specific area of the abdomen, would go see a doctor and they remove it and it's not a very serious issue. Well, turns out, if you actually don't wait and go seek medical treatment in a timely manner it's not a huge deal. If you are like me and wait until it's unbearable then you can cause yourself a ton a problems or worse. One thing my wife and I spoke about after i got home form hospital is that she works in California for a week each month. SHe just got back from her week of work in CA last week. Had this episode with my appendix happened last week I know I would be in a far worse situation today as my stubborness would have waited to call an ambulance (no way I could have safely driven myself to the hospital by myself the other night) out to our rural property and gone through this mess with my wife 1500 miles away. If something doesn't feel right or you have the potential to get injured when by yourself, have a plan to get help and/or seek medical assitance earlier when alone. Don't tell yourself you'll tough it out. You may just make things much worse for yourself Stay healthy out there, friends.
