Hi this is Sue and if you read my blogs, you will know that I am big on goals and having a plan to achieve those goals. Well, that went out the window this week in the worst possible fashion.

On Monday night, I started to feel sick and I thought I had managed to get a “24 hour” virus – so even though I had been sick I told myself, if I could get some sleep I may feel washed out in the morning but well on the way to recovery. I had a very restless night and by the time morning came I was starting to feel a little better. I thought I would just have a little extra time in bed and catch up on lost sleep.

I got up at about 8am and wandered out to the kitchen but didn’t want anything to eat. So I went in and had a shower and still felt a little weird so I thought I would lie down again. Fortunately, I fell asleep. I got up a few hours later and I felt a little hungry. Ah! This is good I am getting better. I stayed up and had a bowl of soup but by 7pm felt really tired. I decided bed sounded like a good idea again. I then thought – this 24 hour virus might be a 48 hour virus and the body needs the sleep.

Then within 2 hours, I started getting aches and stabbing pains all over my body. I couldn’t sit up, I couldn’t lie down and I found it difficult to stand. Every part of me said “do not touch, I hurt”. My husband wanted me to get in the car and he would drive to hospital but I knew I couldn’t sit in the car – it was going to be difficult to get in and then difficult to get out. Has this ever happened to you? It was the worst feeling. He rang an ambulance because I was really a mess and he was concerned. The ambulance delivered me to accident and emergency and then I had to lie down ( I had sat in the back of the ambulance). It took all my strength to get on the bed and then the doctor went to touch me – I had an ECG to see if I wasn’t having a heart attack and because I was so upset by this time she ordered morphine and a drip.

After about another 2-3 hours, things got a bit blurry, she finally said she thought it was appendicitis and she was calling a surgeon to confirm it. He came and confirmed it and said theater in 2 hours. I was still sore and sorry for myself, after the operation, but well on the way to recovery. The surgeon told me the appendix was so close to bursting it wasn’t funny.

So from now on, I will maybe think of getting to see a doctor in the middle of the day. The operation was performed using keyhole surgery so I was allowed home after 24 hours. Now all I have to do is wade through the emails and catch up with the work I had planned to do.

So if you are like me, a little stubborn when it comes to going to the doctor, I would advise you to give it serious thought. I was really lucky but even though I was in agony, I didn’t want to think it could be anything major but who knows – never be your own physician (unless of course you are a doctor) always seek help.