Here is my story (Part one)…

So it was February of 2010. It was a school day and I was a typical freshman at 14 years old trying to get through high school (That is enough for any kid to handle). I was experiencing some pains in my stomach, but didn’t really think much of it. I figured they would pass and go away just like everything always does. I have never been sick a day in my life. Maybe a cold or a sore throat, but seriously, I have never even had strep or pink eye. I am never sick. So just like everything else does, this pain would eventually go away on its own. One morning I wake up at 3am to use the bathroom. I remember that the abdominal pain was unbearable, but I really had to pee so I hobbled out of bed and sat on the toilet. As I released the pressure to empty my bladder, my abdomen was in the worst pain that I have ever felt in my entire life. Peeing itself didn’t hurt like it would if it were a bladder infection, but my stomach actually hurt from letting go of the pressure of trying to hold in my pee. It’s really weird to explain. After I pulled myself up to flush and wash my hands, I got dizzy and passed out. As I fell to the floor I remember hitting my head on the toilet. I was only out for a second because I got right back up and went back to bed. I know…this is probably the most stupid thing I could have done, but I was not going to wake my mom up because of me and disturb her sleep. And I still thought it would pass. Anyways, at 5am she found out what happened because I was moving like a sloth getting ready for school. Once she heard what happened exactly I got a lecture and we were immediately off to the pediatrician’s office because I was not going to the ER (Emergency room). My doctor was super concerned that it was my appendix and was making me jump up and down in the middle of the office to see what was going on with me. Okay, so apparently if you have appendicitis, jumping hurts reallllly bad and it’s a sure sign. Well, not me! I jumped and jumped and was looking at my doctor like she was a crazy person because nothing was happening. After that she made me go for an emergency ultrasound to double-check and to see what it could be. When the test was done my mom and I went to the movies and then out for lunch while waiting for the results. I felt fine. Literally like nothing happened. Ate everything on my plate and was laughing as the doctor called us. So it was not appendicitis, but had something to do with my ovaries. I honestly have no idea what it was called, but basically it feels exactly like appendicitis, can come and go, and it made perfect sense. So great! We have a diagnosis, it is harmless, and we can all get on with our lives. Well…not quite. My mom and doctor thought everything was going fine, but as time went on I kinda knew something was up. The pain was only getting worse, I was not eating or drinking due to the pain, and I could not continue doing my normal activities. I remember sitting in my classrooms and just clenching onto the desk. I was an A student and never got into trouble. I always did my homework, never talked over the teacher, I was basically an angel student. Well, not anymore. I still did not disrespect the teachers of course, but when it came to classwork and homework, forget it. I watched the clock tick so slow as I counted down the minutes until I could finally go home. I never payed any attention because all I could focus on was the pain and how much it was not fair. My grades were slipping so fast and I was so worried that my mom was going to find out. I remember trying to hide the clenching. If I had to grab my thighs or the chair instead of my desk so my peers wouldn’t see my white knuckles then I did that was what I did. I did not want to be looked at funny or weird. I was a freshman…that was enough to begin with. As the weeks went on I decided to talk to both my english and physical education teachers because I trusted them not to tell anyone and I wanted to let them know what was going on. I remember in PE one week we were talking about healthy BMIs and weights and I was concerned. After everybody left the classroom to go to their next class, I stayed behind to talk to coach about what my weight should be. I am 5’1″. That is short, but my weight should have been between 100 and 110 pounds according to the text-book. She asked me what my weight was…I hesitated and said 86lbs. 86 POUNDS! Okay so to start off with I was tiny at 97lbs, but at 14 years old, 86lbs is way too tiny. I remember coach’s jaw dropping when I told her that. She became concerned really fast and threatened to call my mom soon if I didn’t tell her what was going on myself. She used to ask me what the pain felt like while we were all in the locker room changing because I never wanted to dress out and participate anymore. I told her that it felt as if somebody was taking a butcher knife and stabbing it into my stomach then twisting it all around my intestines. Honestly, that is the last thing you want to hear from your student because you know that is not normal. Usually it’s “Oh, I’m going to throw up,” but not a knife! So okay…eventually I gave up and told my mom because of coach. It was either her or I telling her and if coach told mom before me…I would have been in trouble. So it was on April 9th, 2o10 that it all happened for real. I woke up at 5am to get ready for school. It was the Friday before spring break and I was excited to meet my friend, Kelly, at the neighborhood pool after we got home from school. I was excited for no school for a whole week. Everything was going to be great. Except one thing. At 5am on April 9th, I never went to school. Mom rushed me to the ER instead because I finally said that I basically give up and this pain was going to win. It has been there for 2 whole months now and I needed relief. I somehow found the strength to walk into the ER at 5am, lay down on the stretcher and felt completely terrified. As the nurse walked up I could tell she was in a bad mood. A really bad mood. She attempted to put an IV in my right arm and I flipped out. I did not want a needle in my arm, I had never had a needle in my arm, and this nurse was so grumpy so she was obviously going to hurt me. I remember her looking past me to my mom and asking her if I was going to cooperate or if we were just going to leave. Why is she a pediatric ER nurse if she doesn’t like kids?! 2 year olds don’t like needles either. What was the difference!? SO annoying! So she eventually got an IV in and the next step was an emergency CT. They rushed me in because nobody was sure what exactly was going on inside me, but something was for sure. After the results were in I remember a doctor walking into my ER room and shutting the curtain behind him. He introduced himself as Dr. Delgado. As he was talking, I all of a sudden heard the word “surgery.” That was all I got out of his whole conversation because I was in so much pain. Once I heard the word surgery I was freaking out on the inside. I did not want to show anyone that I was scared because I wanted to be strong, but a single tear fell down the side of my left cheek after he said that word. I did not want surgery. I had never even been in a hospital and now I needed surgery!? It was too much for me to handle. So he told my mom and I (mostly my mom) that he wasn’t exactly sure what it was. He thought there were three possibilities. One, it was my appendix, two, it was inflamed lymph nodes within my intestines, or three, it had something to do with all of the lady stuff like ovaries and what not. All he knew is that it was something and it had to be fixed right away. He explained to my mom that the surgery would be no longer than an hour and a half. He seemed confident with that and my mom was okay with that as well. So there I was getting wheeled into an OR (Operating room) and there my mom was all by herself sitting in the waiting room. Little did anybody know that four hours later Dr. Delgado would walk out of the OR completely drained and pale in the face towards my mom to let her know what happened. Honestly, this does not happen to anybody. He is a general surgeon. He does this all the time. He has never felt so shocked. I wish I could have seen his face the way my mom did. She told me he was drained and exhausted and looked puzzled. I was still waking up. I had no idea what was going on or what he just went through with me. I feel bad for Dr. Delgado.

XOXO, Cait ❤