That people in their 50s don't get appendicitis?

[lolaflores]

Pain in my right side. NOt unbearable pain but bloody uncomfortable. Like a knot just beside my pelvis.
Been coming and going for a week.
Had gallbladder out December. Surgeon told me I Have loads of adhesions around the general area.

But I keep thinking, it's not my appendix is it? At 55?
No temperature.
No appetite but no vomiting.
I'm buggered if I know what to do but AIBU to think I'm too old for appendix?
And I love hearing peoples appendix legends and stories so feel free to chip in.

Guarding is a term used to describe the flinching/tensing response when the abdomen is pressed as part of an examination. It can be voluntary or involuntary. And you can definitely have appendicitis in your 50s. One of the other possibilities that they would probably consider in A&E is a gynae issue eg troublesome ovarian cyst. Definitely worth being seen!

I just love your name! Brilliant.

The ovaries (and their cysts) are but a distant memory now but the buggers caused havoc back in the day. This pain though is typical of their carry on but maybe they were innocent.

You see this is the thing with appendix. It manifests in so many tricky ways. Some people don't have much happening and Bob's yer uncle...appendix.
There are others and it's fine one minute then in agony, ruptured, sepsis, emergency surgery with seconds to spare.

And God be with the days of GP access. I remeber being through that a couple of times in the rosy days of old.
I'll get seen to. I don't want to worry anyone and thank you all so much for your answers and taking the time to reply. It's been so helpful. I've been driving myself round the twist

That's exactly it. I feel like I've been kicked, and it feels like a hot golf ball almost then expands and deflates is the only word. A crescendo that spreads then eases.
I have fibromyalgia and am in the middle of a flare-up. Ive heard IBS is a symtom. . And it is like a bruise afterwards but somehow less painful

What's age got to do with it? That said you'd be in extreme pain if it were appendicitis, I have first hand experience and it is unbearable - writhing around pleasing for help unbearable

Not necessarily, sometimes there is no known cause for pain. It's actually very common

I had it at 39, and for the most part the pain was above my belly button, I had no temp or vomiting and I was eating. It took 48 hours to move down to the lower right. I'd say the pain was a 7 out of 10, the main issue was it was constant and no pain killers would help and it was too painful to fall asleep with so I was exhausted before I got to hospital and then had a 12 hour wait to be admitted. In terms of pain I do have very painful periods and have had worse period pains, and it was noway near as bad as labour pains. This surprised me, but mine was close to rupturing on removal.

One test is jumping or hopping on one leg and if the pain is localised and severe it is likely appendicitis. I did this at home and the pain was sharp in the lower right, though I was generally feeling it elsewhere at the time. That's when I knew it was appendicitis and started prepping to go in. My advice is take some codeine in with you if you go, it is the only thing that helped and they kept leaving me waiting hours in-between doses in a&e.

You can certainly get it at any age. I had the odd geriatric present with it and I recall one where it was thought likely they wouldn’t make it off the table due to fragility and general health. Does always present a niggle in the back of my mind as none of my kids (now adults) have had theirs out.

DM's started grumbling when she was 82... taken out shortly afterwards.

Mil in her 60s had to have hers out at the beginning of this week....

2 to 82 we got told when I was a student nurse... before two the appendix is too tight to trap food and become infected and as we get older, like a lot of things it's gets flabby so less likely keep food trapped...
No idea if it's true but it was what we where told.

@lolaflores My granny had a burst appendix at 90 years old

Iola please see your gp anyway, you need a diagnosis before you can be sure. I manage ibs with Buscapan / cramps, there are several but the cramp version works best for me personally.
Incidently I've never had vomitting, high temp either just the severe contractural pains which double me over.
Please let us know how you get on with things if you can.

Meant to say if I was presenting other symptons with the severe cramping I would def go to a&e, that's why I needed the medical diagnoses for ibs first to rule out appendix problems.

Dear dear lady (I presume) I've been on the Buscopan and its really helped. I shall see GP in the morning to see if there is an industrial strength one she can prescribe.
I don't have other symptoms just this pain. Did a temperature check and its normal.
Rest assured, if it gets out of hand, I'm gping to A&E.
I've been told IBS before but it's just so relentless I want some I formation or something to stop the train of thoughts that I get into.

YABU
They do

Thanks for your update, Iola, hope all goes well for you.💐

My Mum thought she had an IBS flare up age 68 and her appendix burst. 3 weeks in hospital in Spain, so it can definitely happen when you're an adult.

Appendicitis starts in the middle then moves? When my DS had tummy pain they made him lay on his back and lift his right leg. Said if he could do it easily it prob wasn't appendicitis, his turned out to be a kidney infection

Classically, yes, but many people have not read the text book and do not have the classic symptoms (me included - when I had appendicitis, I had hardly any pain anywhere, in fact).

It is rarer in older people,but can happen. A friend of a friend had it at the age of 60!

Saw GP this morning. Did a pee test and said there was UTI. bBlood in the sample as well but she felt sure it easnt appendix.
. The pain has largely settled down again. Antibiotics for 7 days, if the situation changes then A&E.
Have an MRI booked for more investigations and we'll go from there.
Thank you everyone for your answers and your Time. I really appreciate it

Good to hear you are getting things sorted out Iola, hope the antibotics resolve the situation and you feel better soon.💐

Thank you so much. X