After our low-key stay at The Springs, we made our way to Cooper Lake RV Park, located near Interlachen, Florida. The drive was only 40 minutes, but honestly, it felt like a lifetime—because that morning, I was having my worst day yet.

Despite barely making it, we settled in quickly, thanks to John the Rockstar Husband Laverty, who did all the work once again. He even handled all the dog walking that night, because, at that point, I was officially down for the count.

When Self-Medicating No Longer Works…

Whatever had been slowly destroying me over the past several weeks had finally won the battle.

• I couldn’t keep anything down.
• Walking more than a few feet was a struggle.
• The abdominal pain was next level.

By evening, John finally convinced me to seek help, because at this point, even my Advil-Tylenol survival strategy had given up.

The Insurance Lifesaver & A Trip to Putnam

We have STF travel insurance (GSC), and I cannot say enough good things about them.

• They found a hospital within 30 minutes.
• Gathered all my info.
• Sent everything ahead so I didn’t have to worry about payment.

At Putnam Hospital, I walked into an empty waiting room (thank goodness), and they got me in right away.

After listening to my symptoms and the weeks of struggle, the doctors had two theories:

1. Gallstones
2. Chronic Appendicitis

Turns out, I was unlucky enough to have chronic appendicitis—which, fun fact, I didn’t even know was a thing.

Apparently, instead of bursting dramatically, my appendix had been slowly leaking into my abdomen, wreaking havoc on my system. Awesome.

Surprise! You Get an Ambulance Ride to Gainesville!

Unfortunately, Putnam wasn’t equipped to deal with my rebellious appendix, so after some pain and nausea meds, I was loaded into an ambulance and sent off to Gainesville.

Meanwhile, John had to head back to the RV and the chis, undoubtedly wondering how a quick Florida detour had turned into a full-blown medical drama.

Shoutout to the ambulance crew—they were absolute gems. Though, in hindsight, they could’ve taken the scenic route, because when I arrived at the hospital, I was stuck in a bed in the ER hallway for most of the night.

Meet My Medical Dream Team: Dr. Cocky & Dr. Rose

The next morning, they finally found me a bed, and I met my two doctors:

• Dr. Cocky (not a joke, that is his actual name)—handled the hospital side of things.
• Dr. Rose—the surgeon who would eventually kick my appendix out for good.

The plan? Put in a drain, stabilize me, and then send me back into the wild.

Four days later, after levelling out, they released me, and I was free once again! The dogs were most excited as it meant no more alone time n the RV while John came to hang at the hospital. It also meant Casey had no one to bite all week.  So good news for everyone!

Final Thoughts: 10/10, Wouldn’t Recommend Chronic Appendicitis

Despite the whole “surprise medical emergency” twist, I have to say:

• The doctors and nurses were incredible.
• The hospital was top-notch.
• The care was absolutely spectacular.

My next steps are to get well, check in with the surgeon in two weeks and find out if insurance will let me do the surgery here or ship me home. So we decided to hang out by the Ichetucknee State Park while I waited and healed.
Now, let’s see what’s next on this RV adventure, hopefully without any more unexpected medical plot twists!