appendicitis in children

[cutekids]

my son has been busy rehearsing for a show he was meant to be starting TONIGHT!
this morning at about 5.45am he came into my room crying that he had terrible tummy ache.i put him in our bed and,to be honest,put it down to last minute nerves.however,when we got up he was still in pain around his belly button and i noticed that when i rubbed his belly he yelped when i took my hand away.i immediately phoned the doctors for an appointment and my hubbie took him down.(it obviously wasn't nerves as he was crying when he came home cos the doc told him he needed 24 hrs rest with no food, and he was worse when he saw his x2 sisters going to the theatre for the dress rehearsal!).all of a sudden, the tummy pains disappeared but he's still holding his side and walking slowly.(a few days ago,he was going for a no.2 alot and sitting on the toilet for ages but that seemed to have got better.)anyone's child had appendicitis?

[cutekids]

?

[Sawyer64]

My DS had this when he was 5. he had abdo pain,slight temp,"change" in bowel habit,all usual signs,central pain which moves over to the left side eventually.

We spent a night in A&E, and childrens ward,and they decided it was "Mesenteric Adenitis" a weird similar pain,often called Viral,but definitely not Appendicitis.

3 weeks later we went again,stayed in,spent next day on Childrens Ward, whilst we waited for Theatre slot,eventually he had the op,and it had been inflammed.

He's now 12 and seems to suffer from similar pain,which I'm beginning to think is IBS.....
peppermint seems to help as does Windeze tabs.

Still yet to work out the trigger.

most Abdo pain in kids can be Constipation,their tums will be tender,but a GP will feel hard faeces on examination.
even though he may have been doing lots of No 2's,What was the consistency like?(sorry TMI)

If it was hard,or like Rabbit droppings,then it could be constipation,even Diarrhoea can be constipation,believe it or not!

After the 24 hours,Try simple remedies for constipation such as lots of water,orange juice/fruit,beans etc.

If that doesn't help see GP again.

If he does go to No 2 properly,you'll have ruled that out,and Appendix's can "grumble" and then get better,and come back again later on.

Sorry not much help.....

[cutekids]

thankyou!

[Sawyer64]

Oh and obviously IBS is connected with Stress,you may see a pattern develop later around times like this.

Even my DS has noticed he gets his tummy pain when he is excited or worried about something the next day etc.

[Lilymaid]

When DS2 had appendicitis he pulled his knees/legs up towards his tummy a lot. Apparently this is a common indication of appendicitis.

[wannaBe]

I don't want to worry you, but if gp thinks it is apendicitis and the pain has now gone away you should take him to the hospital asap as this could mean the apendix has ruptured.

I had my apendix out when I was 10, and although I don't remember the pain in detail I do remember that it was excrutiating.

[Sawyer64]

Would be quite ill if the appendix ruptured.sounds like he is "recovering" from this acute attack of ? what.

Just keep a close eye on him,if he becomes unwell,skip GP and go to A&E,if not try alternative diagnosis ie like constipation etc.

[cutekids]

well,the pain moved around to his right hand side so i contacted the doctor who rang me back later on.he thinks that if he's playin(not running around or anything)and he doesn't have a temperature,then he's probably ok.he just seems to have a "niggle"on his right hand side now..but now low down.almost sounds like a stitch.although he's still walking a bit lop-sided!?

[cutekids]

sorry that was meant to say NOT low down though!

[tissy]

does he have a temperature?

does he have an appetite?

[cutekids]

well,since yesterday,he said he feels better in himself.however,he is determined he's going in the show from today.he still has a pain which seems to have moved UP his right hand side.is there anything else this could be?he didn't seem to be able to walk very well with this yesterday but has improved slightly today...or so he tells me!!!

[inspireddance]

Could be a kidney or UTI infection.