# Has anyone here had appendicitis?



## anothersam (2 Apr 2020)

If so, I'd be interested to learn how it presented.

This afternoon my wife had symptoms which prompted a call to the doctor, who wants her to come in today - which we're doing. Given that they don't want anyone _near_ the surgery if at all possible, this is mildly alarming. She's not in pain at the moment, else I wouldn't be posting.


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## Sharky (2 Apr 2020)

Last year I had severe pains in my side and thought it was appendicitis. When I eventually got seen at A&E, they diagnosed it as a kidney stone. Was agony for a few weeks. 

Hope your wife doesn't have appendicitis or a kidney stone.


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## tom73 (2 Apr 2020)

They will want to see if she is showing signs of "guarding" or "rebounding" when they exam her. 
Which will soon rule one in or out.


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## ColinJ (2 Apr 2020)

Sharky said:


> Last year I had severe pains in my side and thought it was appendicitis. When I eventually got seen at A&E, they diagnosed it as a kidney stone. Was agony for a few weeks.


I passed a kidney stone one night when I was in my late teens. I peed blood and then got those pains. It was the most excruciating pain that I have ever experienced. I was bucketing sweat and had to bite down on a piece of wood to avoid screaming and waking up my family. Fortunately, it only lasted for 4 or 5 hours!


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## matticus (2 Apr 2020)

I had it when I was 17. Years later I diagnosed a friend's! Probably complete luck, but the symptoms are quite different to typical stomach pains. It will become VERY painful, at which stage you need to be pretty near a hospital; when/if they explode it can be very nasty, even fatal for some.

It's a very localized pain - ideally find someone with an appendectomy scar, or find a picture of one. I don't recall any other symptoms.
I AM NOT A DOCTOR!


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## vickster (2 Apr 2020)

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/appendicitis/symptoms/


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## Shearwater Missile (2 Apr 2020)

Best way to describe it when I had it, it felt like I`d been kicked by a horse in my lower right stomach area. I tried to put it off thinking that it was bad stomach ache but then I had had it off and on for a few days.


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## numbnuts (2 Apr 2020)

It starts on the left side, yes I did say left lower abdomen after many hours the pain goes to the right hopefully you should have been seen by a doctor by then.


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## Shadow (2 Apr 2020)

Stomach pain in lower right side of stomach area, almost groin. 

This was many, many years ago when I was a child, Dr visited, sent to hospital and it was removed. I mention this because as an amusing aside, it was presented to me in a surgical jar which I donated to the science lab of the school I was then attending!!

Best wishes to your blueberry muffin wife and hope it gets treated quickly.


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## anothersam (2 Apr 2020)

It wasn’t appendicitis.

Thanks for posting about your experiences. Although we were well aware of the typical symptoms, having addressed Dr Google aprox. .025 seconds after the terrible pain started, as with many other conditions _<cough cough corona>_ it’s possible this particularly useless organ may find different ways of telling you that it’s deeply unhappy… Though it’s true, most cases appear to stick to a standard script.

On an even more personal note, were I to require emergency abdominal surgery, someone had better tell the surgeon that I have intestinal malrotation, i.e. my guts aren’t all where they’re supposed to be – a rare thing to discover in an adult.



Shadow said:


> it was presented to me in a surgical jar which I donated to the science lab of the school I was then attending!!


Have they expressed an interest in any other organs from their generous alumnus?






_At least they got my good side_


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## Drago (12 Apr 2020)

Never had it myself. However, not long after I'd made sergeant one of my female staff complained of feeling a bit icky, then a few hours later right out the blue she collapsed with severe pain very low on the right. Just light that - felt a bit unwell then BANG, agonising pain. We called ambo, and I guessed with was appendicitis and was very pleased with myself when that's what it turned out to be.


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## Archie_tect (12 Apr 2020)

I had to have my appendix removed a few years ago... started with feeling sick, then dull achey pain which slowly got worse and increased off the scale when I pressed on it... don't remember anything clearly after that!


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## Julia9054 (12 Apr 2020)

anothersam said:


> intestinal malrotation


I used to teach a lad with cerebral palsy that also had this. His special ability was to be able to clear the classroom with the most eye wateringly evil farts!
He was very good humoured about it.


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## anothersam (12 Apr 2020)

Fortunately I don’t have that particular superpower.


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## Shut Up Legs (21 May 2020)

I had my appendix removed at age 15, and my tonsils removed at age 7. Is there anything else I don't really need? It would really help my power to weight ratio when cycling.


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## Dave Davenport (21 May 2020)

I had mine out 25 years ago, they thought it was a large, cancerous growth and did about an 8" incision up my stomach. It was quite a relief to wake up and be told it was just the largest swollen appendix they'd ever seen.


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## Beebo (21 May 2020)

Shut Up Legs said:


> I had my appendix removed at age 15, and my tonsils removed at age 7. Is there anything else I don't really need? It would really help my power to weight ratio when cycling.


Circumcising?


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## fossyant (21 May 2020)

Beebo said:


> Circumcising?



I'll raise you... part of my left shoulder drilled away - 10 grams maybe, half an L1 vertebrae, 20g, and part of a left nut, 1g.


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## Jody (21 May 2020)

anothersam said:


> it’s possible this particularly useless organ may find different ways of telling you that it’s deeply unhappy… Though it’s true, most cases appear to stick to a standard script.



Had mine removed in January. It had been an ongoing issue for a quite a few years but the doctors couldn't pin point it as it didn't follow the usual script. I knew it was my appendix but it's difficult to argue with a trained professional. 

The surgeon who removed it said it looked quite nasty and surprised it hadn't caused any issues before


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## itboffin (17 Mar 2022)

Had mine removed Sunday just gone, don’t recommend it, it bloody hurts


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## classic33 (17 Mar 2022)

itboffin said:


> Had mine removed Sunday just gone, don’t recommend it, it bloody hurts


Hope it settles down soon for you.


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## itboffin (17 Mar 2022)

42 hours without food or water whilst waiting for emergency surgery or so they said, 12 of which I had no bed just a chair in the waiting room (not A&E) three bed a ward changes in one day then finally the op at about 1am I was discharged at midday the same day with a bag of codeine.

What I observed in that time was the overly free handing out of morphine to anyone and offering it to pretty much everyone as a first option.


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## fossyant (17 Mar 2022)

Ohh morphine...


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## itboffin (17 Mar 2022)

fossyant said:


> Ohh morphine...



When I arrived at the surgical unit about 5pm this lady waiting kept asking for more and more codeine until she maxed out what she could have, but oh no that didn’t stop her, she switched to morphine until that too maxed out and then get this she left saying she’d be back in the morning for her op as her daughter lives across the road. You could not make it up.

Friday night in Swindon who knew


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## classic33 (17 Mar 2022)

itboffin said:


> When I arrived at the surgical unit about 5pm this lady waiting kept asking for more and more codeine until she maxed out what she could have, but oh no that didn’t stop her, she switched to morphine until that too maxed out and then get this she left saying she’d be back in the morning for her op as her daughter lives across the road. You could not make it up.
> 
> Friday night in Swindon who knew


It's only Thursday night up here!


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## Jody (17 Mar 2022)

itboffin said:


> Had mine removed Sunday just gone, don’t recommend it, it bloody hurts



It's definitely painful and then the sore abs after. Takes a few weeks for that to settle.

I was impressed where they remove the drain pipe and it didn't need stitching. A couple of days later and you couldn't see any incision marks.



fossyant said:


> Ohh morphine...



Top stuff. Took as much as I could


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## fossyant (18 Mar 2022)

Jody said:


> Top stuff. Took as much as I could



I suspect they were dishing it out in ITB's case as it has a 'calming effect' - especially if there are bed shortages and stressed staff trying to attend to all the patients. I 'lost' about 3 weeks of my 6 1/2 week hospital stay to morphine - just kept passing out mid sentance.


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## itboffin (22 Mar 2022)

i seem to have picked up a cold which is my first in 5+ years and its flooring me, i'm so tired i dont remember if thats a normal thing but god damn i'm tired and sneezing is agony.


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## ColinJ (23 Mar 2022)

itboffin said:


> i seem to have picked up a cold which is my first in 5+ years and its flooring me, i'm so tired i dont remember if thats a normal thing but god damn i'm tired and sneezing is agony.


I was going to tell you a great joke to cheer you up, but laughing might hurt more than sneezing... 

I hope it stops hurting soon!


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## lazybloke (23 Mar 2022)

Might have posted this previously, it happened about 3 years ago.


I knew a 10 yr old kid (not one of mine) who feigned abdominal pain as a means of getting out of school.
The GP didn't take any chances, and sent him straight to A&E with suspected appendicitis. A&E booked a theatre for an emergency appendectomy.

It was only when consent forms and a surgical gown were provided that the rather scared lad whispered to his mum "I was only pretending" 

That wasn't the end of it. The doctors thought he might be saying that just through fear of surgery. They couldn't be sure if his appendix had just ruptured or not, so he was kept in all day for bloods and other observations, and they only let him go home that evening on the strict condition that he return the next morning for a further assessment.


I can only imagine how relieved, mortified and utterly furious his parents must have been. He's probably still grounded now.


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## Jody (23 Mar 2022)

itboffin said:


> i seem to have picked up a cold which is my first in 5+ years and its flooring me, i'm so tired i dont remember if thats a normal thing but god damn i'm tired and sneezing is agony.



A technique I found for this was to massage the part just under the cartledge when you feel a sneeze building. Almost 100% success rate.


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## itboffin (23 Mar 2022)

35 miles on the bike today with some of that off road, all good but tiring after about 1.5 hours in, scars have healed very well I’m guessing thanks to them using super glue and internal stitches. What is weird is the holes either side of each cut with thread sticking out, nothing a good set of nail clippers couldn’t sort out.


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## itboffin (23 Mar 2022)

Jody said:


> A technique I found for this was to massage the part just under the cartledge when you feel a sneeze building. Almost 100% success rate.



Gaffer tape tiz all good


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## MontyVeda (23 Mar 2022)

itboffin said:


> ...
> What I observed in that time was the overly free handing out of morphine to anyone and offering it to pretty much everyone as a first option.





fossyant said:


> Ohh morphine...





Jody said:


> ...
> Top stuff. Took as much as I could


Kicking myself now... should have got some when i was stuck in with pneumonia. That would've taken the edge off the boredom


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## fossyant (23 Mar 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> Kicking myself now... should have got some when i was stuck in with pneumonia. That would've taken the edge off the boredom



Not so sure it's recommended for that.... Codeine (similar stuff) surpresses coughing - fab if you've busted ribs etc., not a good idea with lung issues as you need to cough to get the crap out....


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## MontyVeda (24 Mar 2022)

fossyant said:


> Not so sure it's recommended for that.... Codeine (similar stuff) surpresses coughing - fab if you've busted ribs etc., not a good idea with lung issues as you need to cough to get the crap out....


It was more for recreational purposes than medicinal


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## Jody (24 Mar 2022)

MontyVeda said:


> It was more for recreational purposes than medicinal



That's the spirit


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## itboffin (24 Mar 2022)

Is codeine a recreational drug? It seems to have little to no effect on me not even for pain relief. After yesterday’s successful 35 miles on my gravel bike I chose to go out on my race bike today, super bad idea every bump was agony so back on painkillers this evening. Bah grrrrr


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## Jody (24 Mar 2022)

I don't think it's a widely abused prescription drug like some others but no doubt somebody will take it recreationally. Tend to only take it when my backs playing up or something where I'm in a lot if pain. Either one or two 30mg and find they work well. 

Won't take them more than a couple of days in a row.


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