I literally staggered into the ER one night, then had three doctors examine me and conclude that I was merely constipated. They sent me home, telling me to come back the next day if it still bothered me. I did what they said because, after all, they were doctors. I was also thinking an appendectomy is “routine” surgery, so it’s no big deal if I wait another day. Meanwhile, the pain and nausea were so intense that I don’t even remember what happened until the next day, when I returned to the ER . . . and passed out. They took one look at me and immediately rushed me into surgery. My appendix had totally ruptured, and I had peritonitis. They said if I’d waited another hour, I’d be dead.
Then the surgeon botched the “routine” surgery, and I had to go to another surgeon (several times) to fix the mistake.
I would have been my two little sons’ hero for a day. I also vote for cool, since nothing else happened and you were okay as a result. That’s the stuff of family lore right there.
Yeah, my Mom suggested the same thing when I relayed the story to her while I was in the hospital. It hadn’t occurred to me while I was recovering, but I just might. I’m more pissed about the doctor’s lack of bedside manner than anything else, since it appears that from some angles, appendicitis is harder to diagnose than I initially suspected.
Damn…that sucks. I suppose its more of a “routine surgery” when its like mine was, before any bursting/gangrene than after those things occur. I’m feeling pretty good today…I think I might risk a shower instead of the sponge/washcloth baths I’ve been giving myself.
IANAD. But I’ve had a couple of them tell me appendicitis is one of the more difficult things to diagnose because the syptoms (a) are a lot like many other things and (b) vary considerably from one person to the next.
My daughter had appendicitis when she was a pre-teen. We waited most of the day for the bellyache that woke her up to go away. Based only on the office exam our pediatrician had her admitted immediately to the hospital for observation and evaluation. After a surgeon checked her out, I was told that it might be the appendix, but then, again, it might not. The pain was not in exactly the right place, plus she was a bit too young for it, her blood tests showed a slight elevation of whatever would indicate appendix infection, but not a lot.
The surgeon said they could operate and risk having performed unnecessary surgery with all its attendant unpleasantness. Or they could not operate and risk that it was infected after all and have a worse emergency later. Hmmm… uncomfortable kid for no reason or dead kid for no reason. Not a tough choice. She had the surgery, the thing was infected, and she healed up perfectly.
Frankly, I don’t understand why it should be any other way. I mean, yes, there are risks with any surgery, but the possible consequence of guessing wrong and not operating are a heck of a lot worse.
Wait, where was the pain then? Because from what I’ve read, classic appendicitis pain starts in the middle of the abdomen (mine felt like the worst indigestion ever), then later moves to the lower right quadrant. So unless your pain was on the left side, I don’t see how abdominal pain can really be “in the wrong place for appendicitis.” In either case, that doctor sounds like a major league asshole.
I’m glad you got taken care of and are feeling pretty OK. In my case, waking up from the anesthesia to find that awful stomach ache gone was a beautiful thing, regardless of surgery pain, etc.
At my follow up, my surgeon told me “Now you can go hiking in the Himalayas and not worry about getting appendicitis.” I felt like I was in that joke that goes, “Doctor, will I be able to play the piano?”
Take care. Go for a little walk if the gas pain gets too bad - that seems to help.
It was as you describe. It was kinda at the “top” of my abdomen and it hurt pretty much all around there. It never really had a chance to migrate to my lower right side AFAICT.
And like you, waking up after the surgery I DID feel enormously better, despite the surgical pain. Heck, I feel a LOT better today than I did even yesterday.
You know, sometimes, being on salary ain’t half-bad…
