Two of my FB friends are posting right now that they are at the hospital being told their kid has appendicitis and his appendix has burst. They are, understandably, not particularly interested in sitting around posting more to facebook.
If this is all the information I have, is there a judgment it makes sense for me to make concerning the kid’s prognosis? Is this serious, serious danger time? Or is it dangerous but probably okay? Or something else?
Advanced (i.e. perforation or gangrene has occurred) appendicitis is a very serious matter. It’s generally a surgical emergency (though some particular cases may be managed non-operatively for a time). Chances are generally good if the child hasn’t become unstable or shocky, but bad outcomes are sadly not rare.
Without more info, it’s hard to say more than that.
Okay, thank you.
After the kid is in surgery, they’ll have some time to get coffee and update facebook. My appendix went *kaboom *when I was about 12, it was bad but not the worst thing that’s ever happend. Back then (30 years ago) I spent a few days in the hospital, so if your friends have dogs that need walking or younger children who need tending while they are visiting, you migh offer to help.
QtM is correct. A “burst appendix” can mean anything from a microperforation (which would not necessarily be any more complicated than regular appendicitis) to full blown peritonitis (infected abdominal cavity) and sepsis (blood infection).
Well, my dad had a burst appendix and peritonitis back in the early 1940’s when medicine was considerably less advanced and antibiotics still experimental. He’ll be 84 this June, recovered fully and never had any problems since.
So… assuming the boy was attended to promptly… yes, it’s very serious but there is much reason to be optimistic.
When mrAru was 14 he had a stomach ache for about a week … then the appendix exploded and he ended up hospitalized. They got him cleaned out and sewn up except for the drain and topped him off with lots of antibiotics. If they could keep him alive back in 1978, they should be able to manage with the kid today barring any unforseen issues.
He should be just fine - again barring unforseen difficulties. They have a lot better tech now to manage cleaning up the inside of the abdominal cavity, and another more advanced generation of antibiotics.
[and yes his mother the nurse got a predictable ration of shit from her coworkers about the ‘just a stomach ache’ for a while, and mrAru has a large scar on his stomach, but it worked out in the end]
Friend of mine a a burst appendix last month. He had immediate surgery and a lot of antibiotics, but he cleaned up rather nicely end of the day. This is something he had to stay in the hospital for several days, so it’s not what you’d call a quick outpatient procedure.
Any updates, frylock?