Appendicitis...the third thing

Does bad luck come in threes??? Apparently so in my household… I joked about it in a blog last week, but now bow down to the wives’-tale syndicate.

Late Tuesday evening, my oldest son complained about pain in his lower right side. He’d had abdominal pain off and on for a week, but Tuesday night it became localized and unending. We have an HMO, I called the advice line and a nurse advised waiting…my mom antenna was flinging back and forth…I should have listened.

By Wednesday morning, my son’s pain increased dramatically. I called the advice line, told them to notify our local hospital and took my son to the emergency room. A few hours and one ultrasound later, we learned that my son had a swollen appendix and needed surgery.

Did I mention the HMO factor?? My son was bumped from surgery twice and finally had his appendectomy late Wednesday night. By then, he’d spiked a fever and his appendix was near perforation. The surgeon--despite doing back-to-back surgeries all day--did an excellent job, and I’m grateful. I’m also planning to change our insurance plan—my children’s health is far more important than our monthly premium…

As my son lay in the emergency room Wednesday morning, he smiled weakly and said, “This is the third thing, Mom. We’re in the clear now.” I would have rather blown all four tires on a deserted country road, but instead, I smiled too, “You’re right, Honey, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

He believed me and went into surgery relaxed and smiling…I smiled through tears two hours later, when the surgeon told me my son was truly fine…