Summer of 2021 Recap

 Hi everyone!

It has been an entire year since I wrote which I am sad about. However, the good news is that I am planning to start writing again! This past summer I had quite a journey. From vacations to Mount. Rainier to a major appendix surgery, I am excited to write about it.

Let's start in June. I got my second vaccine on the 12th and I was super happy about it. I could finally not worry about COVID and possibly meet my friends after 1 and a half years!

Then, school let out on the 17th! Summer break was finally here and I was ready for a fun-filled break. I did some hikes including a 15 miler which was lots of fun. In the month of June, nothing exciting really happened. I played with my friends outside and played videogames with them. I practiced geometry since I would be doing the subject in 8th grade. Just what a usual kid would do in their summer break. Then on July 3rd, my family and I went on a road trip to Mount. Rainier. We spent 3 days in Rainier and it was awesome. We went to the mountain and even went to the peak of Crystal Mountain. We had to take a gondola and the scary thing was that sometimes the car would rock back and forth! However, the ride was really nice and when we reached the peak, the view was worth it. Overall, the trip to Rainier was really refreshing and I got some good pictures there of the famous mountain and the wildlife.

After we came back from Rainier, I was back to my summer routine. Then, on July 16th, my mom, dad, and I went on a day trip to Whidbey Island. We had a blast. We went to a WWII sea fort off the coast of the island called Fort Casey and it was huge! I even saw some cannons. We also went to a historic lighthouse that has been on the island since the early 1900s and ate some really awesome tacos.

Then on July 22nd, I had to go to the hospital. It started with a mild stomach ache in the morning that was hurting a little bit. My mom thought it was gas and so did I. However, as the day progressed, a light lunch and no strenuous exercise didn't help the pain decrease. It worsened. I was writhing in pain and asked my mom to call the doctor. She was worried and called the Overlake Emergency Care and 30 minutes later, my dad took me there. When I was admitted into a room. I waited patiently for the doctor while my stomach pain was worsening. It was very cold in the room and I was only wearing a t-shirt, shorts, and flip flops. Finally, the doctor came. He told me to do some odd things such as jumping twice and then did normal doctor things such as check my heart rate. He said he would be back in 15 minutes and I groaned. Another wait!? This was outrageous. After what seemed like an eternity, the doctor came back in and told my dad and I that the results weren't clear and that I would have to take an ultrasound. This meant that they would scan my stomach to see if everything was okay there. I went to the ultrasound room and what I experienced was pain like never before.

The ultrasound operator told me to lie down and my dad sat in the seat next to my bed. When I was ready, the doctor forcefully pushed the camera into my stomach for the next 30 minutes. My eyes opened wide and I almost screamed but I had to withstand it. I could see my dad's eyes worrying a lot. When will this stop? I wondered. Finally, the operator said, "You're done buddy. We'll have your results in 1 hour." I grumbled a small "Thanks." My dad had to help me get up because my body was in total shock of the pain. When we were back in our room, I wanted to lie down and take a nap. So one of the nurses gave me a pillow and blanket which I was grateful for since it was really cold. When my dad woke me up, I could see the doctor. "Your son has appendicitis." he said. I was so worried. Was it a major disease? Would I be stuck with it for my whole life? 

The doctor then said, "You should immediately go to Seattle Children's Hospital so they can treat him." 

"Immediately?" my dad asked. "Is it very urgent?" 

"Yes." the doctor said. "If we prolong this, his appendix could rupture."

The appendix used to be a useful organ when us Homo sapiens sapiens (normal humans) were before our evolution and were primates. This pinky-sized organ helped remove bacteria from foods such as raw meat and vegetables but now, we have clean food and our digestive systems are more advanced and better in protecting us. So, the appendix is now a useless organ. Many people get their appendix removed due to appendicitis so it is common. The appendix can easily get inflamed which is what happened to mine. However, if it ruptures, then it will be harder to remove since the liquids inside will spread to other organs. Even though appendicitis was common, I was still scared to go to the hospital. I wondered what would happen to me. When my dad and I reached home, my uncle Sameer had come to my house. He was also worried as well as my grandmother who was praying hard for me to get well. My dad told my mom that we had to go to the hospital immediately. My mom got into the car, and we zoomed off to Seattle. When we got there, it sure was packed. It was 6 p.m. There were many kids who needed medical attention like me. We checked in at the counter, and they said they'll notify us when our spot was ready. My stomach was in extreme pain and I was literally writhing on the chair. I kept on moving to calm my body down but it wasn't working. About 30 minutes in, I had to do a general checkup where the nurse took my blood pressure and asked me a few questions. Then, later on, one of the doctors came up to us and asked us for our insurance so that the hospital expenses were covered. You wouldn't believe it, but we stayed in the reception place for 3 hours! It was so cold that my mom, dad, and I were huddled on a sofa with blankets. I was also very, very hungry and thirsty. I couldn't eat anything because then the surgery would be hard to do with food and liquids in my system. The last time I ate something was at 11 in the morning and that too it was rasam chadam (translation from Tamil: rasam rice) which was very light. The last time I drank something was at 12 p.m. I couldn't bare the pain, hunger, and thirst and kept on telling my mom. She consoled me even though she couldn't do anything. Then, finally at 9:00, a nurse came to us and told us that our room was ready.

I was overjoyed! Finally, I could lie down and my pain would go away. There was a TV so I could be entertained and chairs around me where my parents could sit. As for the pain, the anesthetist along with 2 nurses came at about 9:20 and they put an IV in me where anesthesia flowed into my veins and it would dull my pain. I was very tired. The pain exhausted me so much and I was so hungry and thirsty. But all the nurses said "Sorry buddy but if you eat or drink something, then the surgery will be hard." I told them that it was okay and bared it for more time. Hours passed by until it was 11 o'clock. Several doctors had come to my room: new doctors that explained how the surgery would be like and the anesthetist who kept checking every 20-30 minutes if I needed more anesthesia. At 11 o'clock, the ultra sound doctor at the hospital told me that the other doctors wanted a new ultra sound. I groaned. Not again! I thought. But the ultra sound wasn't as bad as it was at the urgent care. My stomach didn't hurt as much and it lasted for much shorter time - 10 minutes. Also, Aladdin was playing in the TVs near me so I would be distracted. After I got back to my room and was waiting with my parents, the doctors said that it was indeed appendicitis and that I would need a surgery. I became a little happier. At least the doctors now know what the problem is. I thought. Then, to prepare me for the surgery, I had to change into a hospital gown. It was freezing and I wasn't wearing anything except for the gown. Then, they told me to empty my bladder so that the surgery would be easy. I had to have a wheelchair since I couldn't walk at all. Once I got back, I could see a basket full of tasty goodies from delicious, crispy sandwiches to refreshing tropical juices. My mouth watered. The nurse just came to check on me and said "I'm sorry. I know you're really hungry and thirsty but you can't eat or drink otherwise the surgery will be complicated." Once again, I said "It's okay." But to stop my temptations, my mom put a blanket over the basket and covered it.

Then, the time came for the surgery. A nurse came and helped me into a wheelchair. The 4 of us then took an elevator and went to the operation room.  I thanked the nurse since he helped me a lot. Two of the surgeons then came up to me and said "Hey buddy! We will finish this as soon as possible and you will be back to normal! We're just preparing the room. Do you have any questions?" I did have two questions. "Will it hurt?" I asked and "How long will it take?". They replied with satisfying answers. For the first question, they replied "Not at all. You will be asleep while we do it so you won't feel anything." Then, for the second question they said "It will probably take 30 minutes to an hour so not that long." Then, they asked me some questions to calm me down like "What do you like to do for fun?" and "What's your favorite videogame?". I was grateful for nice doctors like them. Then, I entered the room. My mom and dad had to go to a separate waiting room. I was sad to see them go but knew that they would be praying and waiting for me. So would my grandma and uncle back home. The surgeons helped me up on the operating table and I lied down. The lead surgeon then said "Okay buddy. You'll start going to sleep in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6..." and then my vision went black.

It was 2 hours later and I was in the recovery room. I could hear the faded voices of two nurses and my mom and dad. I saw them but they were very blurry. I could also taste something that seemed like a cherry. I looked down and it was a cherry popsicle. Where am I? I thought. Is the surgery done? I could hear one of the nurses asking me questions and myself responding but didn't know what I was saying. Then my vision went black again. The next time I woke up was in the car. I could see the car's clock say 3:49 and heard my parents talking. They were trying to exit the hospital complex since the major highways were closed at this time and we had to get back home. Then, I fell asleep again.

I could feel myself getting up and out of the car and up the stairs. I didn't know how I was doing it but I somehow got onto my bed and slept like a log. The next morning, I gathered up the strength to brush my teeth and even go downstairs. My parents, grandma, and uncle who had stayed the night all congratulated me and complimented on how brave and strong I was. The last month of my summer break was still fun even after my major surgery. My uncle came almost every day to check on how I was doing and I watched the Olympics which were really fun. My family and I got new recliner sofas which were much more comfortable than our last ones. We also did something fun everyday like watch a movie or play carrom board. I had a great summer even with my surgery and I am happy to let you all know that I have recovered greatly. I hope to see you all soon in the next post. Bye!