Appendectomy at 30 weeks

[Gingersnap88]

Not really sure where to post this or why, other than its been a really hard few weeks and it feels good to share!

I had terrible stomach pains last weekend, spent a night in hospital on a drip before being sent home. The pain & sickness got worse so I went back in last Monday and was admitted straight away to have my appendix removed at 30 weeks pregnant.

It has to have been the scariest and most painful thing I've ever endured. There was a risk of me either losing my baby or going into labour early. Thankfully neither happened, and I was highly monitored for 24 hours, given steroids, anti biotics and morphine. So much so for a natural pregnancy eh? I know it was a medical emergency, and that as they removed my appendix it burst do 30 minutes longer and I seriously could have lost DD. I just feel so riddled with guilt for putting her through it. Is that completely mad?

After I was moved off the labour ward, I was placed in antenatal (although not a recovery ward) which was awful. The other women were all waiting for inductions and I was in A LOT of pain. It was impossible to sleep or rest, and I got very little aftercare until I broke down.

I came home at the weekend and am a bit lost. I have a huge scar across my bump, which while on the one hand I know was needed as it saved our lives, I can't help but feel sad as I was just starting to feel as though I was "blooming" and enjoying my figure. I'm still in a lot of pain and have been signed off work until my mat leave. My DH has been wonderful looking after me but I'm going mad with boredom already, you can't do anything after abdominal surgery!

I'm also really worried because DD is breech, and they've said I may well need a c section. Obviously I will do what's best for DD but on a personal level, I'm not sure how I'll cope with this pain again so quickly after.
I really wanted a water birth in the birth centre and feel that I've completely lost control. There's still a risk that I won't reach full term, and if I went into labour before 37 weeks they'll c section anyway (so they say). Even if I got past 37 weeks, and she turned (I can't do most of the spinning babies techniques as I'm too sore) then I probably wouldn't be able to use the birth centre as they are very strictly only for "low risk" pregnancies. Argh.

Sorry, I just needed to let it out somewhere. I feel guilty for feeling sad for myself because I am so aware that we both nearly died. I feel like everyone I know is avoiding me too, although they are probably trying to give us some space..

Oh my goodness, what a flippin' awful time to get appendicitis. So sorry for you.

But did you want this? Did you do something to cause it? Do you have any control over your appendix? Of course not! There was absolutely nothing you could have done except this -

"The pain & sickness got worse so I went back in last Monday..."

It sounds like you saved your own life and your DD's life by going back in that day so I think guilt is the last thing you should be feeling.

I sincerely hope the rest of your pregnancy is a breeze and please don't give your guilt another thought. And look on the bright side, what a 'hilarious' story for the 'father of the bride' speech - if you can laugh about it by then of course!!

I'm wondering who it was that said you might need a c-section?

Appendicitis is surprisingly common. When I worked at the local general hospital there were routinely three or four appendicectomies every day, so staff on the general surgical wards would be well used to providing the appropriate after-care. But, statistically, very few of those patients would also be pregnant, and it could be a rarity for staff on the maternity wards.

Maybe you could contact the director of midwives and ask for a one-off appointment with either a midwife or a consultant who is knowledgeable about such surgery and its effect (if any) on your birth plan. And maybe also get some advice on how to deal the pain you're still experiencing.

It must have been a frightening, as well as painful, time for you, but you are still blooming (actually, I'd say you've done blooming well! ) and there is still loads of time for your little one to change position, whether you do spinning exercises or not.

Ouch you poor thing.

Hugglymuggly has given some really good advice. I would contact the DoM for a consultancy appointment - I actually had one of those last week for a different issue and it was a huge help. It should give you a better idea of what to expect and perhaps make you feel a bit more in control again. It will also make sure staff are fully briefed.

Please try not to worry too much about whether your plans for the birth will need to change. You honestly can never know what to expect and it's so important to go into the birth expecting that anything could happen!

Try to take it easy so that you heal as quickly as possible and agree that there is loads of time for your little one to wriggle around... and again, even if they were in a perfect position now, there is absolutely no guarantee they still would be when the time comes!

Take care and get well soon :)

Thank you everyone

I will take huggly's advice and speak to someone at the hospital. It was the consultant midwife at the time who seemed very certain that I'd need a c section. I remember waiting to go into theatre, while they were giving me the anaesthetic, the surgeons were discussing how they hadn't added c section to the consent form but they would just do it anyway! All a bit daunting when you thought you had food poisoning a couple of hours ago.

I think I need to read lots of positive stories to try to cancel out my bad hospital experience, and just hope that baby doesn't decide to come early!

Thank you again, I think I just really needed to voice it to people who would understand.

hi , im so glad i saw this thread !
i too had my appendicts out 2 years ago in feb when i was 19 weeks pregnant with my 6 baby !
i poo'd my pants when the told me i had to have them taken out , they told me there was nothing they could do for my baby as she wasnt classed as old enough ( not been 24 weeks ) she was given 50/50 chance . i crossed every thing and let them do it , she is here all heathly and happy , i still to this day carnt beleive she's here to have gone through all that so small !!
the worst thing is the pain after , your bumps still growing and pulling on your scar daily , i had nothing but paracetomal :( .
i was too told i may need a c section , but with it been half through the pregnancy my scar heal'd well and had a normal birth at 38 weeks .
i hope you heal quick and all goes really well for you , im so glad to have heard of some one else with the same story ! good luck :)

You poor thing. I just wanted to say that I had my appendix out a few years ago and I felt truely dreadful for weeks afterward but in hindsight I don't think it was the surgery, but was the fact that I'd become really quite poorly before they removed the appendix (same as you by the sounds of things). So I guess what I'm trying to say is try not to panic about a possible c section, as your current pain may well not be due to the surgery x

oh you poor thing, how awful and how scary. I had an appendectomy when i was 20 and i remember how much it hurt. They left a bloody awful scar too. The GP who came to see me at home (it was late at night) asked if i tended to have painful periods, as did the doctor in the hospital, i felt like killing them, the pain was so bad i was hoping for, well I won't say but it was excruciating, far worse than labour. In fact it was only after several hours on a hospital trolley and a nurse insisting i was looked at again (i was slipping in and out of consciousness and could just hear her), that they finally took me seriously , and then i must have gone into Theatre as I don't remember anything else until I was in recovery. There were 4 appendectomies that night, mine was the only one which had anything wrong with it- that's why they have a wait and see a policy. I remember being told not to do any heavy lifting for 6 weeks afterwards. For me the timing was fortuitous as I had a year travelling all organised exactly 5 weeks after my op- i can't imagine having to have had that op in a South American hospital and the recovery in a dodgy hostel rather than at home. Anyway I managed my very heavy rucksack 5 weeks later with no problems on the scar. You may heal easily. I'd follow advise above and ask to speak to a consultant.

also if you need any help or to talk to someone about the experience then ask for it. I have a friend whose pain was also not taken seriously- his case was even worse than mine and he ended up with a burst appendix . It really traumatised him for a long time afterwards and he kept saying how he almost died.

Your friends and family were probably very frightened by what happened to you and are not sure how to act now. See if you can get your partner or someone who understands to have a word with them. Or maybe send them an email saying you'd like to talk - (if you would). You will probably need to go over what happened many , many times until you come to terms with it as it was very traumatic.