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 Last Saturday morning about 8:00 AM I was struck by, what I thought was food poising.  Stomach ache, severe rolling intestinal pains, swelling of my large intestine, high fever, and treks to the bath tub to regurgitate my last meal.

This went on for more than 24 hours, but did begin to taper off and the pain got somewhat less, Sunday morning.  While I was laying on my couch listening to one of the Sunday Morning News programs, the door bell rang.  I did not get up thinking it couldn't be family, they would have just came inside.  The bell rang again.  I walked outside through my garage to see who was at the door.  Two men approached, it was the folks who visit your street and mine regularly, I won't call them by name, JW, they left me a track.  I told the man who spoke with me that I could not talk with him, I was in pain, thought I had food poising and was still recovering.  He asked me what my symptoms were, I explained.  He said, you know, two of my friends had the same symptoms and they had Diverticulosis.  He wished me well and they walked off. 

I opened the computer and looked up Diverticulosis.  Hummmmm, could be my problem.  Then I looked up Appendicitis, it could be.  My lower tummy really ached when I pushed a finger down in the area of the Appendix. The drawings show the appendix is hooked onto the large intestine. Could be my problem.

After much thought, I decided I better visit the hospital.  My daughter drove me, I checked into the ER at Tripler AMC late Sunday morning and at 5:30 Sunday afternoon, I was in the operating room at Tripler to undergo a Laparoscopic Appendectomy.  The Docs said my appendix was more than twice normal size and most likely would have burst open within 6 hours.

Why do I tell you this story?  

You never know what blessing will come your way. The persistent door-bell ringing could have been a life saver had my Appendix ruptured and it's poisons spilled into my body cavity.  It's certainly a possibility.

Had these men not come to my door, I would have probably waited one more day to visit the doctor.

My pain was less severe and I was thinking it might be going away,  until I got on the computer to read up on Diverticulosis and Appendicitis.  .

Coincidence or Blessing.  You know my answer.

Thanks to all the folks at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu - Great job.

Kudos to Dr. Lim, his interns, the operating room staff and the Tripler staff who were just superb.

I won't tell you anymore stories of my medical ills, but I had to tell this one because of those 2 men who visited my home last Sunday morning.  Did they save my life? 

Tomorrow I begin again....