Weekend in the Hospital

In the middle of the night on Thursday, I woke up with extreme pain in the middle and right side of my abdomen. After lying awake for about 3 hours, I fell back asleep. On Friday morning, the pain was still there, so I made an emergency appointment with my regular doctor at UCLA. Before I went, I went to my classes and took a test even in extreme pain. When I went to my appointment, my doctor was extremely concerned I may be suffering from Appendicitis, but couldn't say for sure. An extremely nice nurse from the office walked me to the Emergency Room (and even carried my backpack!). She got me settled and left. I was called from the waiting room within 10 minutes and given a bed. Another very kind nurse came in and started running tests upon tests. He said "You will be here a very long time. UCLA is a slow moving beast, but the BEST slow moving beast around." And boy was he right. He was amazing-went out of his way to make me comfortable my getting me extra blankets, turning on/off the lights, checking on me, and even charging my phone so I could call my mom and dad (who live 200 miles away.) When it came time for my CAT Scan, he gave me warnings on how I would feel and I am so happy he did because I was alone and scared. When the CAT scan came back, there was bad news. I had to have an Appendectomy. I immediately called my family and boyfriend and they were on their way. About an hour and a half later, they had me up about to go into the operating room. At that time my parents hadn't arrived yet, and I was scared and started to cry. The anesthesiologist explained everything to me and distracted me all the way until I fell asleep. I am so grateful to her for that. When I woke up, I noticed that my three incisions were covered with gauze like normal, but they were cut into the shape of hearts. What thoughtful staff helped me get through a terrible weekend in the hospital. Thank you Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center!!

So thankful for my mom, dad, and Jordan who drove 200 miles to be with me. I have an awesome family who held my hand all the way through, and awesome ER doctors!