Let me first say this: The appendix is no joke.
After spending three days in the hospital for a perforated appendix two weeks ago, I landed right back in the ER the following week.
When I was discharged from my first hospital stay, the hope was that antibiotics would bring down the massive appendicitis infection and clear away the mess made in my abdomen. The thing was, I didn’t get better … I spiraled downward pretty fast. By the morning of Sunday 10/26, the only movement I was making was from one piece of furniture to the next. As was the case before I first checked into the hospital, I couldn’t dial into books, movies or music. My body was fighting a serious infection, and that became my all-consuming focus. I was crawling through the day with an unshakable malaise and the sense that this wasn’t going to resolve on its own. After a miserable day capped by an important phone call with a trusted friend who’s also a medical professional, I was headed back to the ER.
From the “take your wins where you can get ‘em” perspective, my second ER experience was a major improvement from the first. Unlike my previous visit, which found me laid up on a gurney in the ER hallway for multiple hours, I was whisked right into a room. One CT scan later, and I was admitted back into the hospital. The concern was that the antibiotics weren’t fully getting the job done and that an abscess was forming. The interventional radiology team confirmed as much the following day, and so began my week-long second hospital stay.
Here’s where things get icky, so feel free to stop reading now…
On the morning of 10/30, I had a drainage tube put in to work on eliminating the 10 cm (!) abscess. I’m not good with weights and measures, but I’m pretty sure that’s the size of half a baseball.
I felt instant relief, and an equal amount of revulsion. I mean, hooray for feeling better, but there’s no way to spin good times from a drainage tube.
I got home on Halloween and have been recovering since, though the recovery was much slower out of the gate than I could have imagined. The most surprising part to me is how fatigued this whole experience has left me. I get it – I’m fighting off profound infection – I just had no idea how enervated I’d feel for the first several days.
One thing I wasn’t prepared for after the tube went in was how excruciatingly painful it would be to get up from any type of furniture. The tube had essentially impaled my abdomen, and my maneuvering around required the full use of my (not so much) upper body strength.
That pain has diminished significantly since last week, as my body has learned to compensate for the intruder. Beyond that, I’m typing this message from a state of improved wellness. I’m comfortable enough to sit at my desk and type for a fair amount of time, which is a lovely change of pace from lying on my back (can’t roll on either side) thinking, “do I have the energy to even read a book right now?”
When one’s feeling sorry for themself, retail therapy can sometimes help. I made two online purchases from the hospital, which have both been comforting while I convalesce. First is the new Tortoise album, “Touch,” which has created the perfect background vibe as I work on getting better. Second is a ridiculous eBay purchase: the first six issues of the mostly-forgotten DC Comics Bronze Age title, “Karate Kid.” The total sale price was $14, including shipping; considering the massive fees eBay charges sellers, I’m not convinced that was a good experience for the seller.
I’ve watched a few documentaries during my down time. I highly recommend the Live-Aid documentary series on Hulu. I learned a few new things, and was in thrall of Bob Geldof’s passion and charisma. I also really enjoyed “Failure: Every Time You Lose Your Mind,” which makes a strong case for that band’s status and influence.
I just this morning finished watching “Pavements,” the biopic/art film/IDRKW movie about Pavement. My hope was that it would help me better understand the band, but I walked away with the sense that perhaps the band never really was my thing (“Trigger Cut” aside).
With fingers crossed and wood repeatedly knocked, I’m looking forward to an appointment Monday to determine whether I can lose the tube (UPDATE 11/10/25: No such luck). That would be a major leap forward, allowing me to sleep better and take a shower without Press-n-Sealing my abdomen to protect it from water.
I’m still slowly catching up with messages and am grateful for the outreach. Again, I ask for grace as it’s taking me a bit longer to plow through stuff.
Since I’m posting this on Car Con Carne, I want to quickly talk about my plan for the next few weeks. I’m recruiting guest-host help to bridge the gap before my full return. This is more than just providing a solution for my absence; I think it will be a fun way to expand the scope and conversations of what the podcast is and can be. I don’t really have any rules for the guest hosts, as they’re giving their time, energy, and creativity to the show. I’m anxious to see what they do.
The as-yet unscheduled appendectomy will happen either in late December or early January, and there are a few visit/procedure things that need to happen before then. But as I’m feeling better and have hopefully been through the worst of this … to say nothing of the fact that I’m writing this on a gorgeous, sunny, Fall Friday … I’m feeling optimistic and excited to reintegrate with society.
Love and thanks,
James VanOsdol
