... thanks, David. good to know you're alive and well and still dishing out good advice. get well soon - we'll be waiting ... ________________________________ From: David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM Sent: Sunday, October 14, 2012 6:08 AM Subject: Belly pain caution NVC I'm afraid I'll forget to mention this by next Friday, so I've gotten special moderator permission ;-) for this blatantly (I hope) off-topic post. I was taught about appendicitis as a Navy Hospital Corpsman back in the mumblemumbles and I was actively aware of it as a possibility within hours of my symptoms starting. I was talking to a triage nurse within a couple hours of it becoming clear that there was a worsening trend, and in the ER an hour later, feeling quite uncomfortable but not very ill and with only a degree of fever. And the first thing they did there was take a history and (gently) yell at me for not coming in sooner. They gave me a very simple rule: BELLY PAIN WITHOUT NAUSEA --> GET SEEN. Nothing to do with appendicitis as such - I'm too old for that to be a common problem. They were a bit surprised when that's what it turned out to be. But for the emergency medicine people that combination of pain/no nausea is a big wake-up call, and I thought it wouldn't hurt to pass along their little rule. They were real clear about it; and I will be too, next time. I'd have been in the ER at least twelve hours sooner, and I'd now have three little holes in my belly and been out on the sidewalk next day; instead of three little ones and one pretty big one, a slight opiate dependency, and starting to feel human again a week later. Yours, David |
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