Post appendix nightmare - anyone got any advice

[Mascarponeandwine]

My 11yo son had his appendix out by keyhole surgery 10 days ago and life has been a nightmare since. In and out of hospital 3 times, now been in since Thursday. He has a wound infection (subcutaneous?) but ultrasound didn’t show a large mass, and his temperament keeps spiking. He’s been on two lots of iv antibiotics but tbh it’s not really making a difference. No preexisting conditions and the doctors can’t work out what’s happening with the temperature spikes. Feels like all this is far worse than the appendix symptoms. Anyone know anything about this - will it ever end?

Glad you’re home. Hopefully he’ll improve rapidly now x

Really pleased your home. Hopefully he’ll eat more now & pick up quickly.

Just taken his temperature 37.9. He then had a shower and I took it again 37.4. Please not let this be the start of temperature spikes - we can’t face going back.

Surely it would be rare to need yet another surgery to remove abscess/pus/infection? How badly wrong can an appendectomy go

He has been pooing a lot today so hopefully it’s that.

They said 38.0 which didn’t go down with calpol warranted readmission.

To be fair, he had pain the last night we were in hospital, writhing and gasping. but it went off. Registrar examines him very comprehensively last night and said he was 99% sure he would now be ok. Perhaps his bowel is still adjusting .
Am I being paranoid? I can’t tell any more.

I don’t know OP,just keep tracking the temp.Are his bowel movements normal or loose?

Today, one normal, one normal and loose combined.

Well that’s not too bad considering the antibitotics.Has he had any bursts of pain again?

Not that he’s admitting to. He was happy at sinner and ate well but seemed to go downhill afterwards. He has been awake all day though.

Dinner not sinner

Maybe he is just tired then and will sleep soundly,and his temperature will hold.I know the anxiety of all this,I really feel for you.

Thank you, I really really hope so. If the consultant said 90% chance it’ll be fine, and the discharging doctor said 99% then I must focus on that.

I’m not getting the panicky gut instinct to return him to A&E. Not yet anyway. I guess if it goes above 38 we have no choice.

I think I have a cold coming on, so guess we can’t discount a virus either.

I'm sorry to hear of your upset, sounds like you've all been put through the mill this last couple of weeks.
I hope your Son is now on the mend x

Sounds like you have been through total hell.
I hope he doesn't get worse again x

😕

Just done his temperature in the middle of the night and irs ok - 36.5. Phew. I am fast becoming the obsessed mum constantly wielding an in the ear thermometer.

You must be exhausted andwine . Guess no chance of you all having a lie in or at least a quiet day today?

Glad the temp is stabilising .IME spikes in evening v common .

He was 37.8 just now. I have a cold so I’m at 37.2. So maybe it’s not high enough to be scared?

He also has a bit of a pot belly. It doesnt feel hard but it’s definiteky a little protruding. Bit sore on the right (where the abscess was) if i gently press it. He denies that it hurts otherwise though. Temp down to 37.3 with ibuprofen.

He is doing the most health normal poos I’ve ever seen him do though (with no laxative).

I have been reading but not posting - lets hope he continues to improve and you can remember how to relax in a week or two wine.

I have been there with a really poorly child (heart surgery and post surgery infection) and you forget how to trust yourself and your own judgement for a while until things return to some sort of normal.

No chance of a day off work - I’m in 5 days a week and used up a lot of goodwill. I don’t mind work - I can forget and feel normal for a while.

Hi OP, my DS was similar after his appendix drama. His tummy would seem to randomly swell & he’s have discomfort & sometimes real pain. The GP tested for celiac which came back clear. The main feeling was that as his bowel had undergone a trauma it would just take a while to recover, we cut gluten out of his diet for a while. Took a good few months to see things properly back to normal despite him being well iyswim.
I hope you manage a good sleep tonight!

Thank you, it means a lot to talk to people who know a bit about this.

It’s got to be unlikely that he’d have yet another abscess and need more surgery. Particularly as the consultant did the second op and we felt he was good. A third op and another abscess - that would set a record for the most post op appendectomy complications ever recorded.

My heads spinning. Will see how the night goes