Travels Plans Interrupted: Finding Gratitude in the Chaos

“Let’s leave around 9 am in the morning,” my husband suggested. We planned to take a short road trip during the kids’ school break. Road trips are fun. They are flexible and we get to pack without worrying about the weight or fluid restrictions of any luggage. Any time with my family is a great time.

Around 8 pm, my husband complained that he had a stomach ache. It was probably the chicken Caesar salad he ate during lunch. No one else ate that. We all had sushi for dinner just about an hour ago, and no one else was sick. He complains of some degree of abdominal pain from time to time, usually after eating some cheese. Thankfully his lactose intolerance is not severe.

After a while, he moaned that he had never had pain like that before. It was on the left upper quadrant, closer to the midline. Indigestion? Gastric reflux? Possibly. I found some Rolaids and instructed him to take them. He attempted to use the bathroom. No diarrhea, nausea or vomiting.

Two hours later, his pain did not improve. That was unusual. I went to the pharmacy and bought him Alka Seltzer and famotidine. He took both of those. Another two hours went by and the pain was constant and persisted. At around 1:30 am, we decided to go to the emergency department of the hospital I work in. I accepted the reality that our family trip had to be canceled. All I could focused on was that my husband would be alright.

Surprisingly, the ED was not busy at 2:15 am. We were with the triage nurse within fifteen minutes of arrival, followed by being situated in a room. Vitals were taken and blood was drawn after the assessment of the ED attending. Intravenous morphine was administered which only partially alleviated the abdominal pain. My husband does not take more than acetaminophen or ibuprofen for pain. It was definitely unusual to have that intensity of pain for him.

He tolerated the oral contrast drink and underwent the CT scan of his abdomen and pelvis. Until then, no one really had an idea of what caused his intense left-sided abdominal pain. He never had any surgery done. He had a screening colonoscopy just a few months ago.

He continued to experience the same pain, localized and was not able to find a comfortable position. Different thoughts crossed my mind – could it be an ulcer? Cancer? Or some other serious diagnosis? It is amazing how our minds tend to focus on the worst case scenarios.

CT scan results came back – acute appendicitis! Who would have thought when his pain was on the left instead of the right side? By then it was past 6 am. I knew he would need surgery right away.

“Who is on call for surgery?” I asked. It was someone I know and trust. By 8:45 am, my husband was in the OR undergoing a laparoscopic appendectomy. In less than two hours, he was transferred to the recovery room. He was observed overnight because he vomited several times. Otherwise, everything went smoothly.

The whole adventure seemed surreal. Sometimes we forget and take our health for granted. Or we think that it would not happen to us. Although our travel plans were interrupted, I am grateful for many things.

Grateful that it happened when it happened. If my husband developed abdominal pain a day later, we would have been out of town and we would have to go to a hospital in an unfamiliar territory.

Grateful that I chose to go to the hospital I am familiar with, even though it was not the closest hospital.

Grateful that the ED was not busy when we arrived. Grateful that it took only six hours from arriving in the ED to having surgery. Grateful for the staff and the doctors for the wonderful care. Grateful that it is not a serious diagnosis such as cancer.

Grateful that we decided to go to the ED when we did. My surgeon friend told us that, if we waited longer, the appendix would have perforated and that would be a much more complicated and life-threatening situation.

Grateful for my in-laws that they were able to go to my house and stay with my teenage children.

Grateful for having learned how to manage my thoughts and emotions. Was I anxious? Yes, because I was focusing on what the worst possible scenarios could be. Was I able to turn down the volume of my anxiety? Yes, because I was also giving myself some time to think about the not-so-serious possibilities of what the diagnosis could be.

There are so many things and people to be grateful for. Practicing gratitude every day helps with spotting things to be grateful for, even in times of unexpected mishaps. Being grateful allows you to focus on appreciating things rather than taking things for granted. Being grateful is amazing. It is as if you are given a gift for everything you are grateful for. Being grateful makes the tough times easier to get through.

It was disappointing that the travel plans were canceled. When I focused on how the timing, the location and everything else could have been worse, I am very grateful for where life has taken us as a family. My husband got the time to slow down and rest. This whole incident reminds me to be grateful, to appreciate what we have. Always expect the unexpected because that is something we cannot control. I am grateful for what happened. I am grateful for life in general.