I think i probably have appendicitis

[Monkeyandanimal]

Last night I went to the out of hours on call doc after calling 111 with my symptoms. The pain wasn't that bad, but it was keeping me awake and I had a hunch all was not right; it was like a tummy bug pain, with a stitch-like pain in my right hand side that hurt more when i coughed or pushed it. But it wasn't awfully excruciating.

Anyway, the on-call doctor said it was appendicitis, and my options were to go the hospital or come home and go to a & e if it got worse. It was very late and i was exhausted from the day feeling rotten, plus i had left my EBF baby at home and didn't want to be admitted to hospital without preparation, plus i had the family car so the husband and kids would have been stranded at home if i had gone in. So I came home and fell asleep, shattered i think from sleepless nights as well as earlier pain.

Anyway, i have woken up and my symptoms are a lot better; no nausea or general tummy pain; pain in my side is a little better if anything. Can appendicitis ease off like this? Or do you think it was something else? And what should i do about it today? I do not want unnecessary surgery, or to leave my BF baby without sustenance if it is not really appendicititis. The on call doctor gave me a letter for thehospital if i got worse and had to come in, but he didn't say what to do if i was feeling better; don't want to ignore this either....

Go in to hospital with the letter and get checked out. Not unusual for pain to ease a bit, but a ruptured appendix is extremely serious, even life threatening.

I would err on the side of caution. I hope all is well.

I would go too, especially after you've made plans for feeding your baby etc. It would be far more traumatic if your pain returned tomorrow night and you were admitted then. Fingers crossed they tell you you're ok x

Yes appendicitis can ease off like this. But equally it' s quite common for it not to be appendicitis. I'd go and get checked out for piece if mind, but from experience you might find you are turned away if you aren't currently in a lot of pain. (Ds ruptured appendix age 3 despite multiple trips to a&e)

Hope you feel better soon

Do you still have pain in your side ?

When my appendix went the pain and tummy upset but the pain in my side got worse and worse - like a stitch but worse.

They will not do unnecessary surgery - they will scan you if they aren't sure.

I don't want to scare you but I left mine for day or two - oh it's just a tummy bug, cant go in today im busy etc.

Got much worse the middle of the night. Phoned 111, had to get the kids up at 3 am and take them with us, seen a gp within an hour and was operated on within 2. They said to me afterwards it was very close to rupturing and that it could easily have been fatal.

I do still have the pain in my side, but it's better than i t was. It's like a stitch or strain, but really not bad a t all now.....

Will they be able to scan me to tell for sure? I don't want to ham up symptoms in case it's something else, but I think they will just send me home again if i say it's not too painful right now. And i really wasn't ready to stop bf....not even sure if she will take a bottle....

letting DH get a bit more sleep before waking him to tell him what we a re going to do.

Isn't that when they refer to it grumbling?

I don't know....i wish i knew for sure whether it was just a bug or constipation or anything silly like that. How long are you supposed to let it grumble? If it was just like this and i could guarantee it wasn't going to burst then i could easily carry on like this for a few days.

About twenty years ago I had a night of lying knees up to my chest with severe 'wind' pain. When i woke up in the morning the pain had eased to a dull ache and i got ready to go to work. I blacked out in the shower and when I came round I called my DH who took me to the Doctor. She sent me to a Surgeon with a suspected appendicitis and he confirmed it (stuck a finger up my bum - don't ask but apparently this confirmed it) I had surgery that night and the surgeon showed my DH my removed appendix and said it was minutes away from rupturing and that I was very lucky. We live abroad and at the time didn't have medical insurance but luckily had some savings so in the end we were okay but it cost fifteen hundred pounds.

Please go and see someone and get it confirmed its not a tummy bug etc x

If it is your appendix and they catch it early they can remove it keyhole surgery. You'll be up and about in a couple of days.

If you leave it and it bursts they may have to do it non keyhole (can't remember the word) and they will need to open you right up - will then take weeks and weeks to heal.

Feed the baby - nip out and buy some formula/bottles etc and go and get it checked out.

She will take a bottle if you are not there and she is smelling your milk.

They actually can't tell its appendicitis for sure until they operate. I know this because DS1 had symptoms last year but was not in awful pain. They ummed and ahhed all day before operating late at night. It was inflamed and they were relieved not to be operated for nothing and I was relieved he was never in too much pain. He was out by lunchtime although he did have 2 weeks off school.

But that's the point really, no one knows when it might go. if that's what it is

Google mesenteric adenitis. It's often confused by doctors for appendicitis

I wouldn't google

Thanks all. Held off going in yesterday as pain was so much better. Then felt crap and got dizzy at about 11am so went in with letter. Got straight to surgical assessment and they took my appendix out at about 6.30pm. Twas inflamed, apparently, though really felt not too bad. Thanks for the advice. I'm home again, they were able to do keyhole. Husband barely coping with three kids and sick wife though...wish they had kept me in!

My emergency appendectomy scar is 4" long plus an extra 1" where the drainage tube went out. I don't really care about the scar though.

I care about the fact that it had been ruptured for so long before surgery that I got peritonitis which killed off a significant amount of my small bowel which also had to be removed. I wasn't far off sepsis and death to be brutally honest.

Exploding internal organs is never a causal thing.
A

*casual

I'm glad you got sorted monkey - hope you feel better soon!

Thanks Savestheday; i'm glad i went in early, i'm sorry about your terrible experience.

Glad you have been sorted out Monkey. My appendicitis was not really painful either but I still knew 'something' wasnt right. But Im boggling at the quick turn around .You barely had time to warm the bed before you were out again.

I had about 3 days in hospital and then took about 2 weeks of very light duties at home before starting to increase the amount I took on.

If you can ,take to your bed and call in help from family and friends for at least a week. I would hate to think any if my family were struggling after an operation when I could easily help . Just someone to do the washing /ironing or a bit of shopping will help the whole family.