Thinking about an Appendix
Posted by Uncle Bob on 12/07/2007
No, not of Clean Code (look for it in Spring). This monday evening (12/3) I got a stomach ache.
The stomach pain was a low level annoyance that I was able to ignore for most of the evening. But it started to get pretty bad round midnight. By 2AM I threw up and then felt better. So I went back to bed and slept till morning.
Tuesday started well. I had some residual pain, but figured it was waning. I went to the office to get some work done there. By the time I got there the waning pain had waxed and I turned right around and went home to bed.
The pain continued to grow until 3PM when I thew up again. This made me feel a little better so I went back to bed. But by 6PM the pain had localized to my lower right quadrant and I had had enough. I asked my wife to take me to the immediate care facility.
They could tell by the grimace on my face that this was something to take care of quickly. They put me on a bed, and started an IV. They took blood and did an exam. Then they packed me into an ambulance and sent me to the ER for a CAT scan.
During the 20 minute ride the pain was getting really bad. I was giving it 8.5 on a scale of 1-10. I have intimate knowledge of every pothole on the road the took.
At the ER they put me in a room and gave me a dose of Morphine. Morphine is a very nice drug. It had the effect of filing the pain away in a convenient subdirectory where I could access it if I needed it, but was otherwise out of the way.
By 11PM the CAT scan was complete and the doctor came and said: “The good news is we know what’s wrong. The bad news is it’s your appendix. We just happen to have an OR ready. Do you want to do it now?” How could I refuse an offer like that!
The rolled me into the OR and told me they were going to give me the juice.
DISCONTINUITY
I was in the recovery room with two smiling pretty nurses urging me to awaken to the news that my appendix had been removed.
DISCONTINUITY
I was being wheeled into a hospital room. It was 3AM. My exhausted wife was waiting for me there. She kissed me goodbye and I went to sleep.
Wednesday was my birthday. I spent is sleeping for the most part. They fed me clear foods. The pain was not horrible, but I did accept a vicodin around noon. By 4PM the surgeon came in, looked me over, and said: “You look pretty good. You should go home.” I went home gladly. On the way home my wife and I picked up a pizza.
Thursday was a bit sore, but not bad. I took a couple of motrin and was “smart” about what muscles I used and when. I got a lot of work-reading done.
Today I woke up and the incision pain was like a mild sunburn. I can feel it, but I can ignore it. I’m not about to do 20 pushups, or run a marathon, but the day should be relatively normal.
Comments
Paddy Healey 34 minutes later:
Hey Bob
Sorry to hear of your trouble and I’m glad you’re on the mend. Look after yourself!
Paddy
www.EdmundKirwan.com about 5 hours later:
I think I’m reading too many of Tim’s articles.
I was sure that story was going to end with a, ” ... And that’s when I realised that source code is very much like an exploding appendix.”
:-)
Ed
Tim about 5 hours later:
@Edmund: :-D
Anton about 17 hours later:
Happy Birthday! Wish you good health and family happiness :)
—The guy who’s waiting for your trainings in Novosibirsk/Russia
Pete Wood 1 day later:
All the best Bob,
Glad you got the help you needed.
Pete
Aslak Hellesøy 4 days later:
Glad it went well, Bob.
Mark Wilhelm about 1 month later:
Since that’s a relatively vestigial organ, was this an example of body refactoring?
Regardless, glad you caught it in time and good health to you.
Disagreement about 1 month later:
Take care!
Fortunately the appendix doesn’t have much use anyway.
Other than that, I thought eating pizza on your way home was way out of line.