The following post mat contain some TMI medical info, so if you are squeamish you may not want to continue reading.

SO had been traveling for work for 3 or 4 straight weeks; we seriously hadn't spent more than 8 total waking hours together in three weeks, which was starting to grind on me. His final trip, he returned home Wednesday night and was complaining of bad abdominal pain. I suggested appendicitis, but he said he thinks he is probably just constipated. The pain persists and on Friday, he says he will go to the doctor. I race home from the gym to take him, when he announces that he is feeling better and is not going. He took some laxatives and had a tiny bit of success and had some relief. He stayed in Friday and relaxed, and Saturday we spent allllll day at the Liverpool vs AC Milan soccer game. We were tailgating with friends, went to the game, then went out after. By the time we got home it was almost 2am and we slept until noon the next day. We went to brunch Sunday and ran some errands, and by late Sunday he was not doing well at all. He was up ALL NIGHT sweating and in pain.

Finally Monday early morning he made a 3pm appt with his doctor. By 9:30 he was in serious pain so I convinced him to let me take him to the ER. After 2 hours they decided it was appendicitis, but said it wasn't perforated/burst so they would take their time with surgery. We were in the ER (no chair for me, just an uncomfortable rolly doctor stool) for 9 hours before they were finally able to put us in a hospital room. Finally around 10pm they were ready to take him to surgery. The entire time, I am texting BM/EXW1 (BM to SD 14 and 11) and BM/EXW2 (BM to SS5 and SS4). I get along extremely well with BM/EXW1 and I tolerate the existence of BM/Exw2. BM/EX2 didn't even have my phone number until today, but I had to tell them he was in the hospital and they asked to keep them updated (both are out of town).

They kept telling us "Oh, only three people ahead of you" etc etc. When we get to pre-op the nurse was surprised he had been in the hospital for over 12 HOURS with appendicitis and hadn't been operated on, especially since "Someone just came into the ER an hour ago and was just operated on." I was pissed, but happy he was finally going in for surgery. They put me in this EMPTY waiting room around 11 (seriously, no one working on the whole floor, it was eerie) and said they would call the phone for me. They called about a half hour later and said "Surgery has just started, everything looks good, we will call in about an hour when it is finished". TWO AND A HALF HOURS GO BY! By this point, I am freaking out. Were there complications? Did something happen? Why has no one called or come to get me?

Meanwhile, I have been texting both of his Exs with progress reports all day, and they have been extremely kind and supportive. When I was freaking out in the waiting room, Ex2 who I normally can't stand was extremely supportive and reassuring, which was pretty surprising.

Eventually I had to call the hospital operator because I was freaking out. Oh, it turns out they took him back to his room and he's just sitting there. Surgery finished, post-op and recovery finished, and no one bothered to call me or come get me. I WAS LIVID. Then I get the room and HE is upset that I wasn't there when he woke up and "all the doctors were looking for me" BULLSHIT I was exactly where they left me in the waiting room. I explained what happened and he was OK.

And worst part! They open him up and realize his appendix WAS perforated and burst! They made the poor guy sit for 12 hours with a burst appendix poisoning him....he could have died. I finally went home to sleep around 4am and was back at the hospital by 7:30am.

Because of the perforation, the operation took longer and the complications were worse. They took out his catheter the next morning, and he wasn't able to pee all day. Turns out whatever MORON put in the catheter damaged his urethra and bladder so badly they actually had to put the catheter back in, and he will have it for days, even after he goes home.

We spent 3 additional days in the hospital in pain before he was able to go home. 4 days of regular communication with both EXs/BMs. It was the most civil, and even kind, BM2 has ever been, which is a huge improvement. She sent little videos from the boys where they said "get well soon, we love you daddy" and even face timed when he felt better. BM1 (who lives in our city and I really like) was in NH on vacation, so she called with the girls, and they sent flowers.

Now that we are finally home, my texting with both BMs is able to cease. As stressful and awful as the situation was (staying at a hospital for 17-20 hours a day for 4 days), it actually showed a more human side to the normally bitchy EX2/BM2. She maybe opened her eyes that SO isn't some evil jerk, he is a vulnerable man who is a great person (most of the time). She even sent a text to him separately that I saw saying how great I was, how much I kept them in the loop, and how much she appreciated it. Maybe out of darkness came some light, who knows if she will keep it up. We are bringing her kids, SS5 and SS4 to our city for a week in 9 days.

And yes, SO joked that BM2 was only being so nice and concerned because she was worried he would die and her payments would stop. LOL we had a few laughs over things like that. However, I do think she was genuinely concerned, and she was extremely kind and supportive of me. At first I thought she was faking, but it really was genuine. Maybe this will be a turning point in my relationship with his ex2, who knows. I'm not getting my hopes up though...

We go back Monday to have the catheter removed. If this jerk doesn't put a ring on it soon, I'm leaving him. After the gross things I've done for love while he's sick, I have MORE than proven "in sickness and in health" LOL