Lost: one trashed appendix

Medical update a week on:

I've been at home since last weekend and it's taken a while to summon enough energy to do this. The mystery is how I managed to upload such chipper posts from in hospital; I guess I was high on painkillers!

On the Saturday I did the Haworth Hobble. On the Monday night I started to feel sick. By Tuesday evening I had abdominal pains and tried to say "It'll be reet" as normal but my wife packed me off against my wishes to the GP, thereby probably saving my life. I was whisked straight to hospital and my appendix was whipped out by the 'open' method. The Scottish surgeon pronounced it "very nasty indeed". The appendix had formed a gangrenous mass behind the bowel - since you ask - and the operation took a couple of hours. The appendix was on the verge of perforation; a very close thing.

Recovery is going well, I think. Touch wood, massed ranks of antibiotics are seeing off possible infection and the wound is healing well.
I'm signed off work until mid April, which is very peculiar in itself, as I haven't taken any time off through illness in twenty years. My colleagues can't believe it!

Judging by how careful I have be when moving, and how rapidly I get tired even by lifting a slice out of the toaster, it'll be a while before I'm running again. Any hopes of jogging in a fortnight were wildly optimistic! Naturally, I've given up any thought of doing the April races I'd pre-entered (Calderdale Hike, Anniversary Waltz) and of doing any more ultras this year. I'm still harbouring a hope that I might get fit enough to do the Old Crown Round at the end of July.

Just for now, I'm off to lie down...

Thanks to all of you who have expressed concern and passed on your good wishes.

Oh no Tussockface! Sounds like an awful experience, thank goodness wives are good at nagging their husbands and packing them off to the docs!

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

bloody hell tussockface just seen your post , it sounds like youve been through the mill mate. glad it you caught it before it turned nasty. take it easy and enjoy the rest and im sure you'll be out on the trails again before you know it mate :thumbup:

Take it easy Phillip and you'll be back to it in no time:)

Best Wishes

Stevemerryfosterlegs.

Aye rest up and get better soon Tussockchops

Shaun

Get well soon Phil and don't rush back

All the best

Andrew and Stef

Get well soon. Think yourself very lucky you only lost your appendix! Rest, be pampered and embrace the down time. Wishing you a speedy recovery xx

Get well soon Tussockface! Hope to meet you at the OCR in July.:)

Best wishes Phillip. Take it easy - not that you'd want to be venturing out in these conditions.

If it was a nasty one I'd say you're looking at 4 weeks + the wound will be fine after a few weeks as long as its light but if you had a bad appendix it will effect your whole body, immune system etc. not to mention the gastrointestinal effects which will take a while to get back to normal.

Get well soon!