Here is my appendix / pinball related story (to hopefully cheer you up Azmodeus).

A little over two years ago, the day of my travel from Canada to Seattle for the North West pinball show, I felt really sick. Half way through the short flight I had horrible pain in my stomach and I was doubled over in my seat. I figured it was simply what you got the day after you ate at A&W (i.e. food poisoning). I subsequently threw up on the airplane, on the tarmac outside of the plane, in the airport, on the way from the airport, on my friend's lawn (sorry Todd), and at my friend's house. Went to bed early that night still feeling crappy.

The next day I felt a bit better and so I went to the show for the next few days. Didn't feel great but good enough to try to have a good time for the next few days.

Back at home, about 1 week after the first incident, I felt well enough to play hockey. After the game I started to go downhill. I couldn't get warm (even after a hot bath), and would shake violently in bed. My wife finally said I should get checked out. Next day I went to my doctor and he sent me for an ultrasound. They then immediately sent me to the hospital. My appendix had ruptured (likely on the first night in Seattle, when the pain finally subsided). The reason that I wasn't worse, and why I was still alive was because when the appendix ruptured and released all the shit into by body (causing an infection), my body built an inflammation around the infection (so I never became septic). The surgeon said he did not want to remove the appendix because there was such a big infection / inflammation mass, it was too risky, and because they now treat appendicitis with antibiotics, not removal. I didn't know any better and so that was what we did.

Spent a week in hospital getting treated with all sorts of antibiotics. Then they sent me home. I didn't feel 100% but I was ok.

Two weeks later I started getting a fever again. I went back to the same hospital and they sent me home again that night unsure of what was wrong.

The next day I felt horrible and I went to a different hospital. Spent 8 hours in an ER room waiting to see a doctor. I was in worse agony than the first time. Finally saw a new surgeon. He said that my appendix had re-ruptured, and, on top of that, I had c-dif (another separate really bad infection from being in the first hospital and from being treated with so many antibiotics). The new surgeon asked me if I wanted him to take my appendix out. I told him that the first surgeon didn't want to take it out because it was too infected and inflamed. The new surgeon said that THAT was precisely WHY he would have taken it out. He also said that this new way of treating appendicitis (not removing and only treating with antibiotics) results in 1/3 of the cases failing outright, 1/3 of the cases failing within a few weeks (like me and it re-rupturing a few weeks later) and 1/3 of the cases failing at some point down the road. Moreover, the previous hospital did too many CT scans of me (3) in a short period of time, I shouldn't have any more. So, he asked again, did I want to have it taken out? I sure did. The surgeon was extremely knowledgeable and competent. Took it out, infection and inflammation and all, laproscopically.

I then had to take a super toxic antibiotic to treat the c-dif for 2 weeks. This made me so sick I could not eat anything the whole time I was on the drug. I would try a bit of food an immediately feel nauseous.

End result? 3 small incision scars that you can barely see. 35 pounds of weight loss in 6 weeks. 3 CT scans in 3 weeks. No more appendix. No more c-dif.

And no more A&W.

But today I am back to full health (and I put all the weight back on, plus a bit more).

Morals of the story: If you want to lose weight, get your appendix to rupture. If you have horrible pains in your stomach, go to the hospital. If you have appendicitis, have them take it out.

Hope you are doing well Azmodeous! You have had a rough go of it lately. Lets hope this is just a small set back. My thoughts and prayers are with you!

Ron