March 15 Well, I had an interesting weekend. Was at the office Thursday and took a late lunch @ 2 for a Mcburger (no bun), and @ 3 I was "attacked" by what I was sure must be Mad Cow disease - severe pains in my stomach. I left the office in a hurry and just wanted to get home to my bed. I knew it didn't feel exactly like any other pain I had ever had, but was sure it would pass. I sent David on to his Cuba Twp. meeting that evening, as I didn't really feel conversational, but asked him to keep his cell phone on. Mid-evening, I called friend Alison with whom I had been two days before, because she had called to warn me that she had gotten the stomach flu. Her symptoms did not include sharp pains. AS it happens, her husband is our family physician. She put him on the phone, and when he asked me where my pain was on a scale of one to ten and I told him 9 (thinking, well, it would be worse if I couldn't manage to get my words out)and he suggested that it might be time to go to the emergency room. (I would describe the pain as my entire abdomen, and like a knife turning). So I called David at the end of his meeting at 9:15 p.m., he came right home, and in we went. Got to the hospital about 10, saw the nurse within 1/2 hour, got right into a room, and they ordered a CAT scan (oh no, not again! Had just had one the week before!) This meant 4 glasses of barium. 1/2 hour apart. I made David go home to get some sleep. There was nothing he could do for me and I couldn't bear to think of him sleeping upright in a hospital chair! At 4 a.m. we all decided it was most likely my appendix (sp?) Unfortuantely, it was hidden in the CT scan, but there was inflamation everywhere, so Dr. Bob Flannigan was called. He was there in 1/2 hour, at which time I gave David a quick call and said, "Don't come now - come in an hour - they are going to take out my appendix." My anesthesiologist was Dr. Wirtz, about whom I'd heard many good things. I told him I had sat at several luncheons with his adorable wife. I also asked Dr. Flannigan to please remove any surrounding fat he could get his fingers on! Anyway, I awakened to the lovely sensation of NO PAIN, and Dr. Wirtz told me that my appendix was "about to blow." Lucky me! This was early Friday morning. I was released from the hospital SAturday noon, and now I have a week's vacation at home! I'm woozy from the anesthesia, but otherwise, feel fine. Just moving a little slowly. In the meantime, my MRI report was good.   9:05:55 AM