Scar

      Author: Aaron Collins

       

     Appendix 

      The latex gloved hand slowly presses into my side with unrestrained force and holds its position momentarily, only to release the pressure instantaneously, which ironically is when the real pain floods in, like the point of a knife driving into deeply embedded tissue under the skin. The doctor observes my yelp of despair and says, “Yep, it’s an Appendicitis.” This is probably the fifth time that little diagnostic test has been performed since getting admitted to the hospital five hours ago. I’m sitting in a small cubicle with a curtain as a door for privacy in the ER of Good Samaritan Hospital. Each time a new doctor or whoever comes in it seems like they do the same test and each time after I scream in pain they say the same thing, “Yep it’s probably an appendicitis”. After the longest day of my life, a doctor finally gives the green light and decides it’s time to do surgery. The procedure is called an Appendectomy and it’s pretty simple. If the appendix gets inflamed, you run the risk of it literally exploding inside of you and killing you which is why it’s a priority to get that shit out of there as soon as possible. I’m just now seeing a parallel to Ridley Scott’s Alien. I moan in pain as my ten year old self is rushed through the florescent lit hallways in a wheel chair. And for a moment I see myself. I feel like I’m watching the situation as an observer and I’m terrified but then the strangest feeling: I feel somewhat exhilarated in the fact that something is happening to me. All those movies I’d seen where people undergo medical procedures in a place like this; all the episode of ER my parents used to watch. I was one of those people now. I’d have to stay home from school. My parents would have to take care of me and show my tender, loving care and nurturing. I would have an excuse to lay on my butt and rest and watch movies all day long. I could say, “yeah they put me down and cut me open!” And to this day it still kind of excites me to tell the story and to show my scar on the bottom right portion of abdomen.