Why do so many people cut out their appendixes in the western world, as this fair woman in the photograph did?
Why not sweat through a fever and keep it?
Blows my mind.
All auxiliary items cut for the benefit of pain reduction.
A typical "western" behavior. Cut out the evil culprit, eradicate the symptoms, reduce pain with drugs. Who needs an appendix when the road without it shines gloriously.
But a thing to remember is, that an appendix comes in handy in times of need.
Sure, we are not built like cows or sheep, though we act like them at times. We don't need an appendix to double-digest lettuce and grass. We simply eat the cows an sheep. Bloody carnivores we are. But in the back of my mind I still remember - appendixes are useful for something, otherwise God would have not created them in the first place. To just cut them out because you feel pain is a travesty to me.
We are such whiners.
Wednesday, August 19
Appendix
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22 comments:
sunflowers, butterflies, and appendices. ...isn't it true that an inflamed appendix can often cause death? isn't that why they cut them out.... before they explode and poison the rest of the body?
rennaisance man = riccochet rabbit. i think there's balance in awareness and interest in our surroundings. it's varied world. people with narrow interests are so often also very narrow minded. and i think they're the messed up ones.
O darn, me bad Gfid... I didn't spell the plural correctly.
Don't they also cut these things out below your chin automatically when they get inflamed? Can't remember the word for it right now...
And about the appendix (es) - yeah, you can die if you develop a high fever and the thing does burst and nobody is around brave enough to make a cut above your right hip-bone.
Mine was inflamed or irritated when I was in my early teens. Brought the swelling down with chamomile and arnica. What can I say - I'm still alive and kicking.
I had my gall bladder removed in March. Initially, I told the medical people that, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS, that I wanted to keep the darn thing, thank you. However, after a second attack in less than one week, I quickly changed my tune!
Let me tell ya, it's one of the worst pains I've EVER experienced. I tried a wide variety of natural remedies -- things that had worked sufficiently in the past -- yet the pain would not cease.
Re the first attack (actually, I had a serious one the previous year), I went to the ER with a plan to refuse pain meds, but after nearly 6 hours with no relief, I finally succumbed.
When I returned less than one week later with even more severe pain, I walked into the ER and said, "Stick me!" When the doc recommended that it be removed, I said, "OK, let's do it."
So, while I can understand your sentiments, I can also tell you from my experience that, sometimes, having a diseased part of one removed IS a good option.
P.S. That lady in the pic a friend of yours?
i think you can die from a burst appendix?
and you're lucky not to have experienced the kind of pain that would make you consider cutting off your own foot for some relief.
Hi again CYM,
I am sorry to hear about your loss!
A friend of mine had to have the same procedure done, now his diet is a bit stricter. After all, the gall bladder is a vital organ, not an appendix as the appendix is...
When I grew up, doctors recommended to remove the appendix almost obligatory - just in case and to eliminate the possibility that the thing will get inflamed in the first place. I was one of the few kids that didn't have "the scar" on my belly. (back in the 70's)
My lament on this post was mostly directed towards doctors who act more like sales-people instead of healers. The more drugs and procedures they can subscribe, the better for them. It is sort of contradictory to the oath they once took before they started in their profession.
Oh, and the picture - NO, I did not take this one. My apologies, I should have mentioned it since almost all other pics on this blog are taken by me. Oh well, I will make up for it.
Did you have to cut off your own foot Sera?
This is the 2nd time you've responded to one of my comments and addressed me as CYM. What does that mean? Is that an acronym?
It means:
Clearheaded
Youthful
Maid
and if that is not good enough for you, and the old fashioned "maid" tones bother you, we can simply choose to give your virtual name a twist like this:
Constant Yearning for Methaphysics
Let's opt for the latter! : ) I realize that maid is just a word, but it usually refers to a female and, since I'm a male, it sounds sort of weird.
Oh you silly goose, I follow your treads in the desert, and even though I have been known twice in my life to be bi-sexual, I can still smell the aroma of of the ones who are opposites, the ones I favor the most. Those are my true attractions. Well, you are one of them - and since you are not a male at all (or should I say mule?), you are doomed to be in the category I fancy.
You do have an absolutely fine attire, attitude and body, no kidding. So keep it sacred until the moment arrives when a person will arrive to honor your assets.
Until then, I will just entertain you with my folly, pass the time as we speak. I am your "back up man", that's all - just a friend who means well.
I wish I could say I have the foggiest notion what that last response means... : )
Nearly everyone who gets abdominal surgery in the US gets the appendix removed, too. The surgeons just do it. They don't consider the appendix to be "medically necessary."
The beach is lovely and so is the girl.. sometimes a little scar can only highlight the perfection of a moment.
So far as having things removed is concerned I think you were searching for the word 'tonsils' earlier. There was a time when just about every kid was having them removed. It was a fad in the 50's. I still have mine and happily, have never suffered appendicitis either.
More to your original point I think you're right that western people have a strong tendency to avoid any kind of discomfort by swallowing pills for both physical and emotional pain. We'd be made a healthier, happier culture if we could just sit through many of our pains and understand them.
Zee, I read through the comments in this post, particularly your exchange with Rambling Taoist, and I can't help thinking that there may be a bit of mistaken identity here. To set the record straight, the Rambling Taoist is not CYM, nor has he to the best of my knowledge ever used that name, but is in actual fact a male, named Trey, living in the pacific northwest (I don't know the guy personally, just going by what his profile says).
I feel compelled to comment here because 1) I'm female, 2) I live in the desert, and 3) my name is Cym. It is not an acronym but is actuality my real name, being of English origin, meaning "ruler", and is the female version of Cymbeline, former King of England, of which Shakespeare wrote a play.
I could be wrong here, but since I'm the only Cym who has ever commented on your blog, it is my assumption that perhaps you are confusing our online identities. I used to call myself the Taoist Poet a couple years back, so I'm thinking that might be the source of confusion here; well unless this is just a big practical joke you're pulling, well then if so ha ha ha, good one Zee, what's up?
I was going to comment on the content of your actual post, but I think I'll have to come back later for that.
Oh shit CYM, real CYM that is - I am loosing my mind. I am not constituted anymore to separate Taoist's from Taoist's.
My mistake.
I apologize.
And this is not a joke.
All of you people who seek the healing of the sun, and avoid the intensity of singular rays, may peace be with you.
No kidding, not a joke? Well then, that actually makes the whole thing all the more comedic, particularly if you reread your exchange of comments!
Too bad about losing the gall bladder though. And the appendix. I don't really know much about appendicitis, not something I've ever experienced, but I always figured they only removed it because it was a life threatening condition, rather than just because of pain, which although certainly not a trivial matter, is just not something I'd recommend, not unless all alternatives have been thoroughly explored and exhausted. I'm thinking that perhaps some doctors may encourage speedy organ removal, instead of rigorously exploring less invasive treatments, because its probably rather profitable. Hmm, wonder what your typical gall bladder removal surgery, and appendectomy costs these days, I suspect quite a bit.
My gallbladder surgery cost around $20K. I didn't have to pay for it because I'm disabled and on Medicaid. Yes, one of the glorious benefits of being dirt poor.
And just to clarify more of what the real Cym found on my profile: I'm 51, male, and I live in an area that receives over 80" of precip per year -- not desert-like conditions by any stretch. Also I don't think anyone in their right mind would refer to my typical attire (overalls, t-shirt and converse high tops) as "absolutely fine". : )
i've felt like cutting off my foot, yes.
All right my friends!
The Rambling Taoist & CYM the Tao seeker are now officially individual entities in the consciousness of my appendix-ed brain lobes.
One is wet, whereas the other is dry. One walks life by means of a classy sneaker, the other perpetuates movement on the edge of earth and sky. Both have a journey to fulfill.
Best wishes on your travels - and stop occasionally by again. I truly enjoyed your company.
Its not like a cold, you can't just stick it out until it goes away... once your appendix gets infected the pus inside it builds up until it bursts and the contents of your intestine start leaking into your abdomen... and then you die!
Don't you think if it was just the pain that caused people to get it out, wouldn't they go for a simplier method of pain relief, say medication!? lol
An appendicitis is an emergency.... it doesnt go away by itself!!!
Hello Ferguson,
no mal intent, I do apologize.
Haven`t been on my Blog for quite a while. You made sure by your comment that this thing actually exists. Blogger, after after Google took over, changed somewhat. Hence my previous settings of "free to all" changed...
I will see into that.
Well, have a great day, and I must say I laughed my ass off revisiting the comments and the confusion created in all these Taoist remarks and my total ignorance or lack of clarity.
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