One night I had a tummy ache. My wife, of course, immediately proclaimed I should go to the ER because it’s probably my appendix. But I felt better the next day. Mostly. In fact, for the balance of the next ten days, I felt fine, mostly. I had a low fever for a couple of hours a day and got the chills for a while but it never stuck. My appetite wasn’t great but who can’t stand to lose a little weight in today’s world?
Fearful of my wife’s initial proclamation, I kept poking my appendix area because I really wanted something to blame for this mild discomfort, but if it was tender there, it seemed to be only because of all the diagnostic poking. After over a week of this occasional low fever-chills-tummy thing, I finally decided to get in touch with the nice folks on the Ask a Nurse line. They said week-long tummy aches aren’t the norm and I should probably go see someone.
My regular clinic on East Lake was booked but they got me into the nearby Whittier Clinic the next morning at 9:00 AM to see Kelly E. Pezzella, APRN, CNP who was simply fantastic. Kelly dutifully poked my belly to see if she could make me scream and then ordered up some blood tests in the clinic. Some very nice people smiled and chatted and poked a few holes in me eventually procuring the nectar of life and sending me on my way. (more…)