Thankful To Be Alive: My Ruptured Appendix

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Throughout the course of my sixteen-year old life, I have experienced the unfortunate incident of taking a trip to the emergency room several times. The majority of them however were only for the typical injuries of an individual who shares in my liking for an adrenaline rush, and a lack of common sense. I never actually considered being seriously injured as a possible consequence of my actions. Of course, I have never tried to attempt any incredibly dangerous act without thinking it completely through. Nonetheless, previously I thought being alive could consistently be taken for granted, and as a result I never felt as thankful for living as I should have been. It was not until January 2009 that I truly was in a situation where I was in danger of losing my life, and ironically I had no responsibility in causing the incident.

On January seventh, a Wednesday, I first started to experience what would become this life changing development. The night before this I had difficulty sleeping due to a sharp sting in my right side. The tenderness had subsided by the time morning came, and I went to school like on any regular day. However when I returned home, I once again experienced this peculiar type of pain. I thought it was perhaps a pulled muscle or some other injury of that nature, so I decided to tolerate it and see if it would disappear. Friday the hurting seemed much worse. I decided I would arrange an appointment with a doctor if the soreness persisted. Much to my surprise that evening, the ache in my side mysteriously disappeared, or so I thought it did. I felt perfectly normal until Saturday evening around five o’clock. The intense sting in my right side returned, only about twice as painful as before. It was ...

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...efore it burst entirely, which saved me a lot of time in the hospital. The whole ordeal changed me both physically and mentally. At the time I was so caught up in the moment I barely understood the seriousness of the situation. That night I realized that if medical technology was not as advanced, or if doctors were not as intelligent as they are, I might not be alive today. In addition to giving me a renewed respect for those who study medicine, my appendicitis instilled in me a more realistic way of thinking. I now have a fuller understanding of why I should be thankful to be alive, and I will not forget it anytime soon. Before my appendix burst, being seriously hurt seemed like it could never happen to me, but after having surgery I realized that I was not as invincible as I once thought I was, and I began to comprehend my actions before I performed them.

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