Title: The Miller Diet: How to Lose 20 Pounds (And Your Appendix) In Two Weeks

Well, the month of June was interesting for several reasons. First off, I was transferred to a new area with a new companion named Elder Kawano. He's from a city called Miyazaki in southern Japan. Things started off great! Fun area, fun companion, and all the wasabi a man could dream of. I had a blast for the first half of the week, when, on the night of June 1st, I went to bed with a stomachache. I didn't think anything of it until I woke up an hour later and the pain had intensified. I usually just try to sleep off any pain that I have, but this just felt awful. Finally, at about 2:30 in the morning, I called the zone leaders and the mission president, and we decided that I needed to go to the ER.

When I arrived, everyone started asking me the same questions over and over, and started looking really confused. They drew blood, and eventually told me they had no idea what was wrong with me. They gave me some morphine and sent me home, speculating that I might have acid reflux. I spent the next couple days in bed, trying to get some rest. After about three days, the pain became manageable, and I got back out to work. I found that I had no appetite and got dehydrated really easily. That week I lost about 10 pounds. All the while the pain persisted, and I had a lot of trouble standing for long periods of time.

That Saturday, the pain increased again, and on Tuesday morning I went to the doctor. I was going crazy, just wanting to know what was wrong with me. After doing some poking around, the doctor told me that it was probably my appendix, and sent me to get a CT scan. After drinking about a gallon of some really, really disgusting liquid that the nurses gave me, I got the scan done and, lo and behold: I had appendicitis!

The first thing that went through my mind was overwhelming relief. I was so happy to actually know what was wrong with me! They sent me to the ER, which was about two blocks away. We had gotten dropped off and didn't have a car, so we had to walk over to the hospital. When they checked me in to the ER, one of the nurses that helped me out was someone that I had the opportunity to teach several months ago. Her name was Megan, and she walked me through everything that was wrong with me. Apparently they would not operate on the appendix that day, as my appendix had burst several days earlier and there was a huge risk of infection. Basically, I had walked around with a burst appendix for a week (I have to admit, that made me feel pretty manly). Fortunately, my body had walled off the infection in an abscess. They doctors would drain that out for a few days and then operate. The exact same thing had happened to Megan, so she was able to let me know what I was in for. The next day I got the drain put in me.
(Here's where we get the fun, juicy details. If you get sick easily, stop reading)
Basically it was this tube that came out of my stomach that went into a little water ballon-looking thing. I got to watch the pus come out of me every day and that was pretty close. When I went to surgery about five days later I was pretty calm, because things had gone pretty well so far. What they had hoped would be a quick labroscopic surgery ended up being an open appendectomy. They found that there really wasn't much of the appendix left. There was a hole in my colon where the appendix used to be, and so they cut off part of the colon and reattached it to the other intestine. The first thing I remember after the surgery was pain. Crazy pain. If you want to know what it felt like, read Breaking Dawn.
The doctors gave me a little button that I could press every six minutes when I wanted more pain meds. I pressed it a lot. It was certainly the most under the influence I've ever been in my life. Also, there were other tubes and things stuck in very uncomfortable places. But all the while, things were still pretty good. I'd like to think of myself as a positive person, and I determined to keep that attitude during this whole thing. I think the thing that helped me the most was keeping a sense of humor throughout the whole thing. It actually became really entertaining...I had a great time with the nurses and everybody who came to visit me. I can honestly say that being in the hospital was one of the most fun experiences of my whole mission.
Things are going well now. The recovery has been going quickly, and I'm finally back to work. I can't lift anything above 20 pounds for another month, and then I'll be totally back to normal. Plus I got a car, which isn't half bad :)
I've pondered a lot upon what I was supposed to have learned from this experience. I don't know if I can sum it up in anything profound, or if I even should. But I am certainly grateful for the experience that I had. After all, is that what life is all about? We gain experience that forms our character, and then we act upon what we have learned. My belief and faith in God has been solidified, and my love for life is stronger than ever. Life is so awesome! I love being a missionary. It's great to be back to work!
Thank you all SO MUCH for your thoughts and prayers for me during this time. I felt those thoughts and prayers, and they have helped me heal quickly and keep a positive attitude. I love you all!
- Elder Miller