My Coveted Month of August and the Inflamed Appendix

On Tuesday, July 26th I arrived home from work feeling good about wrapping up my last week of work for my month off in August. I work 11 months out of the year, and this year is my fourth year to have August off.  This is one of the most coveted parts of my job, an aspect of my position that many times gets me through the year.

My plans this August include Hawaii with Brian and his family, and a two week trip to Ireland and Italy that I had been planning with my mom since January; and to really top things off, a bachelorette party in Minneapolis at the tail end of the month. We planned to leave for Hawaii on Saturday, July 30th, and of course it had to begin less than 24 hours after my last day of work.

So, here I was on a Tuesday night, I just ate dinner and I started feeling cramping and flu-like symptoms in my lower back and abdomen. I ended up taking a phone call from my best friend and we talked for over an hour, all the while I felt my symptoms getting worse. I finally told her that I had to go, that I just didn't feel well.

I got off the phone and told Brian I was going to bed and that I felt sick. I laid down and could not get comfortable. Then I started feeling sick. I tried to throw up, I tried to find some relief by passing gas by laying on my side, but nothing was working. Finally, at 10:00pm I starting throwing up and continued to do so until 2:00am in the morning when I finally decided that the ER was the only way out of my misery.

Brian rolled me into the ER. They checked me in, asked for my symptoms, and immediately thought it was a kidney stone. They gave me some meds for the pain, which definitely helped, and then they ordered a CT Scan. I was wheeled upstairs for the CT Scan and asked to lay on my stomach for about 15 to 20 minutes, while the bed I was laying on was moving back and forth, and up and down, under an x-ray machine. All this movement completely knocked me out. Once it was over, I woke up to a technician and a bed of my own drool. Following this, I then went in for an abdominal x-ray.

After all of the x-rays were examined, there was no sign of any kidney stones and the diagnosis was unclear. I was presented with discharge papers and asked to follow up with my doctor if my pain persisted. The papers did include a possibility of an appendicitis, but nothing was found on the abdominal x-ray to show that that was the case.

Brian and I got home around 5:30am and slept for a few hours. I had to go to work because I only had three more days to get everything done before my month off. That day I was in pain. I was walking hunched over because if anything jiggled in my stomach it would hurt; speed bumps hurt. The cramping and stiffness was still present in my abdomen, but lightened up in my back. Thursday finally came and still no relief. I started getting nervous and wondering why this pain was not going away, so I decided to make an appointment with my doctor. I set up an appointment for Friday at 1:30pm and I powered through the day. When I got home Thursday night, I started taking ex-lax because as many of you know, when you tell your friends your sick, especially with stomach issues, everyone blames it on gas. Needless to say, the ex-lax was not doing much. Friday came and I felt a tiny bit better. I wrapped  everything up at work and headed to the doctor's office.

The doctor heard my symptoms and started to feel around my stomach for the most pain, she landed on the area of the useless appendix. She told me she wanted to schedule some lab work and I started freaking out. I informed her of our outbound flight to Hawaii the very next day, and the trip to Ireland I had planned with my mom. She told me that the pain might be something serious and she did not want me to fly until I had some lab work done to figure out the problem. She scheduled an ultra sound and a blood draw and sent me on my way to Northwest Medical Outpatient Hospital.

I was so upset and scared that my travel plans were off and that something might be seriously wrong. I called Brian and he met me at the lab, I went in and had blood work done and then the ultra sound. The women rolled a tool with gooey substance on it around my belly and asked me where I felt the most pain. I indicated the right side and she pushed down really hard. WOW, was it painful. She left the room to grab a doctor, he came in and looked at the screen and they both agreed that I had a stone in my appendix and I had to get my appendix out immediately.

No sooner was I bawling my head off, asking how long it would take for me to recover.  Could I still go to Hawaii and Ireland with my mom? My doctor called me and told me that I would have to have surgery that night. She told me my surgeon was Dr. Paula Denevan and gave me instructions to go to the ER at Northwest Hospital to check in.

Brian and I arrived at the ER, checked in, and had a great nurse by the name of Andrew. Of course, he was wearing a Hawaiian shirt, safety glasses, and was a complete nut. Thank God! We immediately
questioned him about the procedure, our flight, as well as everyone else we came into contact within the hour. No one really knew better than Dr. Denevan and we had to wait to meet her upstairs in the operating room.

I slipped on my hospital gown, sent out an alert to family and friends, Andrew hooked me up to an IV, gave me something to relax, and by 6:00pm I was rolled up to the operating room to have my appendix removed. We finally met Dr. Denevan and she informed us of the procedure. We asked her 20 questions about the recovery process, when I could fly, and if Ireland and Italy was still in my future. She said it would most likely be fine to travel, but she wanted to wait until after the surgery to make any final recommendations. She did say that if we wanted to fly and leave on Monday, that I would have to agree to give myself a shot of blood-thinner both going and coming back from Hawaii. I agreed. I met with the anesthesiologist and informed him that I was a veteran when it came to surgeries, I think I even impressed him with my history of elbow surgeries and the ten pins that still remain in my elbow now.

I kissed Brian goodbye and rolled into the operating room. I asked everyone in the room if they were going to blare rock and roll music after they put me out. That is the last thing I remember. I woke up to a lovely nurse in the recovery room and she told me I was doing well. I was actually quite awake and feeling pretty good. Dr. Denevan came in and told me everything went well. She also presented me with some gross pictures of my inflamed appendix. About an hour later, I was rolled into my hospital room, where I was greeted by Brian, Kari, Kit, my sweet nurse Pat, and the very kind certified nursing assistant, Ade. Kari took a picture of me and posted it on Facebook and we talked about how quickly all this transpired, especially when everyone thought it was gas. Being in the medical field, Kari was very curious about the content of the stones found in my appendix. She wanted to know if they were fecal stones and I told her I would follow up with her after I asked the surgeon. Brian re-booked our flight to Hawaii to leave on Monday.

I finally kicked everyone out and tried to get some sleep, but every hour Ade came in to check my blood pressure, my temperature, and to help me get up to use the restroom. Ade left and T.C. took over. Pat came in every so often, to shoot me up with antibiotics and pain meds, and we had lovely talks about family and life in general.

I finally woke up around 6:00am and Brian rolled over around 7:00am. I was definitely sore, but nothing like before the surgery. The nursing staff changed over in the morning, and Dr. Denevan came in around 10:00am. We asked her about the stones and they were fecal stones - gross! How a person gets fecal stones in their appendix I will never know, but just do not let it happen to you. I was extremely depressed to hear that my workout regiment would be placed on hold for at least two to three weeks. She said I was recovering well and that I could go home, she also said I was clear to fly on Monday and that she would prescribe me three blood thinner shots. One to and back from Hawaii, and one on the way to Ireland. So, let's just hope that all goes well my recovery and with my circulation.

Me with the surgeon, Dr. Denevan

Three Days in NYC

In April, Brian informed me that he wanted to take a trip to New York to see the Broadway musical The Book of Mormon by the South Park creators, Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Conveniently enough, he picked a weekend when the Los Angeles Angels were playing the New York Mets at Citi Field in Queens. Brian bought the hotel/flight package on Expedia, the baseball and The Book of Mormon tickets in a matter of minutes, and thank 'Joseph Smith' that he did, because the show completely sold out shortly after he purchased the tickets.

On  Thursday, June 16th, we we took the red eye flight from Seattle to New York City. We landed at JFK airport at 8:00am. From the airport, we took the Air Train to Jamaica Street Station and hopped on the subway (J line) to Essex Street. We were staying at the Hotel on Rivington, a modern 21-story glass tower, located in Manhattan's happening lower east side.

We arrived at the hotel and walked through a funky egg-shaped entrance with red carpet. We tried to check-in to the hotel, but it was too early and our room was not ready. We were told to come back at 4:00pm. So, we checked our bags with the doorman and stepped out of the hotel to explore the city.

We walked from Rivington Street through Little Italy, then on to SOHO, and through New York University. We did a bit of shopping on Broadway and I bought a fantastic jacket at the Superdry store, the same jacket my friend Erin bought in New York one week before. We walked through Washington Square Park and people were everywhere. A guy was setting up his drums getting ready to entertain the crowd, a group of men were playing chess, and others were lounging by the fountain chatting with friends.

We proceeded to Greenwich Village and walked through a neighborhood filled with brownstone houses, until we finally arrived at the Jane Hotel. 

Up the stairs of the Jane Hotel and to the left is Cafe Gitane, it was recommended for a delicious brunch by our good friend Erin. Cafe Gitane overlooks the Hudson River and the food has a French, Mediterranean, and Moroccan flair. When we walked into the cafe, we were greeted by a tall, dark and handsome french beau, and we were immediately pleased with the delightful, quaint cafe. 

Over the restaurant speakers we heard Jimmy Hendrix singing Castles Made of Sand, followed by Led Zeppelin, so we knew we were in the right place. We sat down and I ordered an espresso that came with a side of chocolate, a spot of creamer, and a bowl of tiny sugars. Clearly, Cafe Gitane takes their presentation very seriously. 

Brian ordered the prosciutto, brie, and honey mustard sandwich and I ordered the baked eggs with smoked salmon, potatoes, and cream. I also ordered the seven grain toast covered with avocado, lemon juice, olive oil, and chiliflakes - UNBELIEVABLE!

Needless to say, our brunch was fantastic. After Cafe Gitano, we checked out the lobby of the Jane Hotel. We decided that we would look into staying at the Jane the next time we rolled into the city. We headed to Chelsea Market and were very impressed by the speciality food and wine shops, as well as the architecture of the market.

From Chelsea Market we took the subway (J train) to the World Trade Center.

We climbed up the stairs to a startling view of One World Trade Center or formerly known as the Freedom Tower under construction. I had not been back to this site since I went up in the original tower in 2000. Once construction is completed, the tower will be 1,776 feet tall. It is scheduled to open in 2013.

We walked along the around the construction site and read the information posted along the chain link fence.

We walked into the World Financial Center, which overlooks Ground Zero and the bustling construction. A student group from Seattle were huddled around the glass listening to a tour guide explain the new construction plans.

We went into the 9/11 Memorial site where we were quickly taken back to the day it all happened. A video played up on the wall of the museum; family and friends spoke of those they lost, but the message focused on rebirth and moving on with life after death. Tears welled up in my eyes. I was really glad we came.

We took the subway back to our Essex Street stop and checked into the Rivington hotel. Our room was on the fourth floor, it was spacious with a king size bed, and a huge shower.  We laid down to rest a bit before The Book of Mormon. A few hours later we got up and showered. The dress I intended to put on was unwearable due to a stuck zipper, but fortunately I brought a back up. We hailed a cab and headed out for dinner around 6:30pm. The show started at 8:00pm.

We were going to try and make it to Bianca Restaurant, an inexpensive Italian restaurant in Greenwich Village, which was recommended by our friend Jennifer. Traffic was extremely bad, it was pouring rain, and I started getting nervous. The cab driver, Barry, from Africa, was keeping us calm by talking politics, but I was having serious doubts that we would make it to the show on time. I informed Barry the we had changed our mind and to head up to Times Square. He dropped us off at Times Square and we spotted what looked to be a Irish Pub a few blocks from the show.

A man out front greeted us and directed us up the stairs for dinner to The Playwright Tavern and Restaurant. We walked up the stairs and met Martina, a friendly Irish woman who sat us in a cozy booth.

We enjoyed a lovely dinner, accompanied by a few glasses of champagne, and a few vodka and soders. At 7:45pm, we headed off to The Book of Mormon at the Eugene O'Neil theater.

We walked in and went straight to a friendly New Yorker selling merchandise. We bought two t-shirts and a coffee mug for our friend Alex. We went to the bar and ordered two vodka and soders. The bartender asked us if we wanted to make it a double and we both agreed. Then we found out that a double was $28.00 per drink! We did however notice that the cup they served the cocktails in was similar to a child's sippy cup, so it was basically impossible to spill a drink. This was perfect because with the sippy cup, you can take a drink to your seat. Brian and I made our way to the mezzanine level and to our seats. We were both surprised at how small the theater was, but the intimate feel was awfully cool. No pictures were allowed to be taken during the show, so I got a snap shot of the stage before the musical began.

Shortly after we found our seats the show began with a Mormon missionary singing,"Hello, my name is Elder Price and I would like to share with you the most amazing book."  One missionary after another, ringing doorbells, stating their name, and selling the Book of Mormon. After this delightful song, the audience learns that the Mormons are at a missionary training school in Salt Lake City, and would soon receive their assignments. The favored Mormon, Elder Price received a dreadful assignment to Uganda, as well as an unpleasant Mormon campanion, Elder Cunningham. The Ugandan village that Elder Price and Elder Cunningham aim to save is ridden with horrible disease and violent crime, but the satire is thick, profound, and absolutely brilliant.

The Mormon missionaries struggle with their own doubts about religion, confronting their sins, and one Mormon even questions his sexuality, but instead of confronting these feelings he sings, "turn it off, like a light switch, just go click, its a cool little Mormon trick." This was by far one of my favorite parts of the show.

Act I quickly ended and the crowd was begging for more. Brian got up during intermission and ordered two more double vodka and soders in a sippy cup. Shortly after he returned to our seats, Act II began. Without giving the entire musical away, I will just tell you that the villagers are converted and many other surprises happen along the way. The audience gets a glimpse into what happens when a Mormon lies about eating a donut with the song, "Spooky Mormon Hell Dream," which features dancing coffees, donuts, and guest appearances by Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Johnny Cochran.

Surprisingly, it is Elder Cunningham that wins over the villagers by making outrageous claims of faith in order to simplify the villagers complex problems. The preposterous promises made to the villagers are down right hilarious and the villagers reactions to their new found faith is laugh out loud funny! Nikki James, plays Nabalungi, a young African girl that becomes swept up in the Mormon faith and her desire to move out of the village to Salt Lake City. She was fantastic! Not to mention, she won the Tony Award for featured actress in June.

As with any South Park episode, the creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone end the musical by bringing the story full circle, they tie it up into a nice little bow, and make a moral lesson out of it.

This show comes highly recommended. It is a must see if it comes to your town.

After the show, Brian and I met up with our high school friend, Brett Young. Brett lives in Brooklyn. We met up with Brett and his friend Tim, and a few other buddies in SOHO.

We had a few drinks, walked to another dive bar, which was one of Brett's favorite, and then decided that it would be a grand idea to get a 12 pack of coors light and go back to our hotel room. The area surrounding our hotel was rocking, so we were hardly out of place, laughing and carrying on, up on the fourth floor of the Rivington Hotel. We managed to stay up until 4:00am, solving the world's problems, and making an itinerary of the next day's adventures, which included taking the subway to Coney Island for the Mermaid Parade to honor the solstice. A ton of pictures were taken in the hotel room and eventually I broke the camera. Brian decided it was time to shut the party down, so we all turned in for the night.

11.15.10 Sightseeing in Old San Juan

We planned to meet in the lobby of our hotel at 10:00am to spend the first part of our day sightseeing and shopping in Old San Juan.  We started at Fort San Felipe del Morro. El Morro is Puerto Rico's best known fortress. "Spanish troops fortified this 'morro', which means 'promontory', to keep seaborne enemies out of San Juan."  We decided to tour the fort starting at level 6, where the views were spectacular.

After exploring the fort, we walked to explore the shops and sites of Old San Juan.

We walked through an old church and Brian bought two guayaberas, which are shirts for men. It is said that the name and style originated from a shirt with patch pockets in the front, made by a woman for her husband in order to enable him to carry guavas. What can I say, he loved them. We decided to stop for lunch at the #1 rated hotel in San Juan, according to trip advisor - Hotel El Convento. Hotel El Convento was originally a Carmelite convent built over three centuries ago, but is now a boutique-style hotel located in the heart of Old San Juan. We ate at the hotel's restaurant, Patio del Nispero and the lunch was outstanding! Brian, Erin and I ate sandwich wraps and Alex devoured a Cuban sandwich.

Alex and Erin headed back to the hotel and Brian and I continued to shop. Any further findings were unsuccessful, so we hailed a cab and went back to the hotel. Once we got back we threw on our suits and headed out to the pool. We met up with Alex and Erin and we all decided that it would be a fine time to test out the swim up bar, Atlantico.

Beers, margaritas, a dip in the hot tub and little time chilling out on the beach side of the hotel consumed the remainder of our afternoon.

We headed back into the hotel and made reservations at Marmalade. This was the restaurant that was voted #2 on trip advisor and the one that Erin absolutely had her heart set on. Brian, Alex and I were not sold 100%, but we agreed to it anyway.  Oh, and I forgot to mention that Brian did pick something up while we were shopping in Old San Juan for our brother-in law, Kit Patterson. He modeled Kit's  present when we returned to our room to shower up for the night.

We met in the lobby at 7:30pm and took a cab to Fortaleza Street in Old San Juan. We stopped into AguaViva where we were greeted by friendly waitstaff. We realized that we needed to finish up the shots we had left to take from the previous night of football bets, so each of us downed a shot of Ron del Barrilito. This rum is supposed to be some of the best drinking rum. Hmmmmmmm ... I don't know if I agree with that.

After the shot of rum, the bartender treated us to a shot that tasted like watermelon and then we all decided that it was time to leave. We walked down to Marmalade and we were sat immediately. We were greeted by the Chef and Owner, Peter Schintler. Peter gave us a incredible description of the featured items on the menu and convinced all of us to order the four course meal and wine pairing. Yes, we were going big! We actually did not realize that he was the chef until he walked away and Erin provided us with the inside scoop. We were all very excited! A few of us started with a pear, wrapped in prosciutto, filled with gorgonzola and honey mustard - unbelievable! We all had the white bean soup that would absolutely knock your socks off - I mean we all wanted to swim in it because it was so dang good. http://www.marmaladepr.com/index.htm.