The pain hit the other day—suddenly, sharply—on my right side. It was mid-afternoon and I was home alone. I lay down on the living room floor and gripped my belly. As the next minute passed, and the pain worsened, my mind began to churn… Am I dying? Should I call an ambulance? What should I do? Of course, I didn’t want to overreact, but I also didn’t want to underestimate the problem. How could I judge how serious this was?