Appendicitis

Today I found out that my niece had appendicitis.  My sister knew she wasn't feeling well; my niece didn't even go trick-or-treating last night, so you know it must be serious.  They went to the doctor today, and he thought she had pneumonia.  He sent them to the E.R., and they figured out that it was really what it was.  They operated and found that the appendix had ruptured (which, from what my sister said, is normally the case for children her age who get it), so she gets to spend several days in the hospital.  And I wonder - how do you keep a child who's not even 4 occupied and in okay spirits in a hospital for that long?  I know that there are other children who spend lots of time in the hospital.  :(

When I found out the news earlier today I thought about modern medicine and how grateful I am to live in the time I do.  Otherwise - well, I don't like to think about it.  I'm glad to live in a prosperous country, too, where there's access to help.