I spent Thursday & Friday (half the day) in the hospital with an appendicitis scare.
I had nausea and pain in my right side all night on Thursday and it was still there when I woke up, so my co-workers made me call the doctor. The doctor ordered a CAT scan, which showed that my appendix was inflamed and immediately sent me to hospital for surgery. But by the time I was in OR prep, the pain had subsided, so they decided to hold off on surgery, do some blood work (hello, why wasn't this done first??!) and keep me overnight for observation.
My bloodwork came back normal and my pain never really came back, although I did get a migraine from lack of food, sleep and caffeine. And there wasn't anything they could give me for it other than Tylenol (might as well take a Flinstone's vitamin) or Morphine. I took the morphine, which didn't really help the headache, but it did make me feel like I was hideously hungover, nausea and all. Fun times. Ugh.
So, anyway, they discharged me yesterday afternoon without having to cut me open and said to just come right back in if the pain came back. So, who the heck knows what was actually wrong with me since the CT showed appendicitis, but the bloodwork was normal and my pain went away. I'm just glad they didn't have to slice me open.
That's awful. I hate hospitals! That happened to me once too, my doctor thought my appendix had burst-only I was 9 months pregnant and in the hospital in the process of labor with my first son. They ended up doing an emergency c-section because they didn't know what was wrong and didn't want my appendix to burst (could have killed me and the baby). In the end, the appendix didn't burst, nothing was wrong with my appendix and I ended up with a 12 inch vertical scar and a 10 lb baby. Soooo-look at the bright side-at least you don't have a huge scar! I don't know what it is about appendixes but they seem to be so mysterious-lots of ailments get blamed on them.
That sucks you had to go through all that. But at least you started feeling better before surgery. It is kind of uneasy to know they were going to go to surgery without knowing for sure that is what it was.
That sucks you had to go through all that. But at least you started feeling better before surgery. It is kind of uneasy to know they were going to go to surgery without knowing for sure that is what it was.
I agree. I'm glad the surgeon had the sense to hold off on operating. The first time I actually saw the surgeon was in OR prep. I'm just annoyed at the unecessary hospital bills I've incurred from this.
Wow, that really sucks! Sounds like the whole process was really disconcerting. And nothing is worse than feeling bad and not knowing what is wrong. Hope you're feeling better now!
Hey, I don't want to scare you, but be very, very careful with the appendicitis thing. If the pain comes back even a little, I would go straight to the emergency room and make sure they give you another CT scan, and if it shows appendicitis again, have the surgery, because you don't want it to burst!
I just had my appendix out a few weeks ago. I actually had chronic appendicitis and didn't know it. For me, the pain went away and then came back -- only three times over the course of almost a year. The first time, I went to the doc and he didn't think my blood work was "that abnormal" -- my white count was only slightly elevated. The second time I ignored it. The third time I went to the ER and they didn't think I had it because I wasn't nauseous, was refusing pain meds, didn't have pain concentrated on my right side, etc. Luckily, my blood work was bad enough that time that they kept me and did the CT, which showed appendicitis, which the pathology confirmed as 'acute.'
Anyway, just to say, I think you can have appendicitis and not fit the "usual" profile, so keep a super close eye on it. I would trust the CT over the blood work.
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Oh, I'm sorry! Hey, I don't want to scare you, but be very, very careful with the appendicitis thing. If the pain comes back even a little, I would go straight to the emergency room and make sure they give you another CT scan, and if it shows appendicitis again, have the surgery, because you don't want it to burst! I just had my appendix out a few weeks ago. I actually had chronic appendicitis and didn't know it. For me, the pain went away and then came back -- only three times over the course of almost a year. The first time, I went to the doc and he didn't think my blood work was "that abnormal" -- my white count was only slightly elevated. The second time I ignored it. The third time I went to the ER and they didn't think I had it because I wasn't nauseous, was refusing pain meds, didn't have pain concentrated on my right side, etc. Luckily, my blood work was bad enough that time that they kept me and did the CT, which showed appendicitis, which the pathology confirmed as 'acute.' Anyway, just to say, I think you can have appendicitis and not fit the "usual" profile, so keep a super close eye on it. I would trust the CT over the blood work.
Thanks, poptart. I am keeping an eye on it. I haven't really been bothered by it at all since Friday.