appendix?

[NoahFence]

Say, when your appendix goes, is that instant drop on the floor and writhe in agony pain, or can it be subtle?

[Professor Yaffle]

What do you mean by "goes"? Are you talking about appendicitis or a ruptured appendix?

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Appendi.../Symptoms.aspx

[Segnosaur]

Originally Posted by NoahFence

Say, when your appendix goes, is that instant drop on the floor and writhe in agony pain, or can it be subtle?

When you say "appendix goes", do you mean just flairs up, or actually bursts/ruptures?

I suspect its different for every person. My appendix apparently burst, and I didn't end up going into the hospital for about a week.

[NoahFence]

Originally Posted by Segnosaur

When you say "appendix goes", do you mean just flairs up, or actually bursts/ruptures?

I suspect its different for every person. My appendix apparently burst, and I didn't end up going into the hospital for about a week.

I guess I meant burst. It's pretty sore in that area, but I've no clue what it is. I always thought that either you didn't know it was there, or you were on a gurney headed for emergency surgery.

So there are places in between those?

[Professor Yaffle]

Originally Posted by NoahFence

I guess I meant burst. It's pretty sore in that area, but I've no clue what it is. I always thought that either you didn't know it was there, or you were on a gurney headed for emergency surgery.

So there are places in between those?

Check my link for the symptoms.

[MG1962]

Originally Posted by NoahFence

Say, when your appendix goes, is that instant drop on the floor and writhe in agony pain, or can it be subtle?

I had these symptoms when my appendix flared up

Dull pain near the navel or the upper abdomen that becomes sharp as it moves to the lower right abdomen. This is usually the first sign.
Loss of appetite
Nausea and/or vomiting soon after abdominal pain begins
Abdominal swelling
Fever of 99° F to 102° F

Obviously I don't need to tell you to get yourself a doctor. This stuff can kill you, nearly did me in.

[Segnosaur]

Originally Posted by NoahFence

I guess I meant burst. It's pretty sore in that area, but I've no clue what it is. I always thought that either you didn't know it was there, or you were on a gurney headed for emergency surgery.

So there are places in between those?

I started feeling sick on a Monday night. Felt like a severe upset stomach. Still felt bad on Tuesday. Wednesday was the worst... threw up, felt really bad. I suspect that's when my appendix ruptured.

On thursday I felt fine again... I could eat, no upset stomach, etc. I ended up going back to my daily routines.

I did start feeling worse by the weekend.... lethargic, no appetite. Finally went to the clinic on Sunday. Doctor initially thought it was "just a virus... nothing he could do" until he pushed on my right side. That's when he sent me to go to the nearest emergency room.

[NoahFence]

I'm getting none of the severe pain even if I press in. My appetite is fine and otherwise I'm OK so maybe I'm just being paranoid...

[big-E]

I had general abdominal discomfort for two or three days before anything became localised and specific enough to diagnose appendicitis. Appetite was fine to begin with. It was nothing like the classic severe pain in the lower right quadrant until much later.

Fortunately due to socialist death-panel medicine I was able to be seen by my GP the first day, got sent to hospital, triaged and kept in for observation so that by the time it actually got serious I was already in hospital and being monitored. As I recall (well, the last thing I recall) I was on the way to get an ultrasound scan when I passed out, and the next thing I remember was post-op recovery!

I'd get it checked out if I were you...

[rcfieldz]

Got mine...

[aggle-rithm]

Originally Posted by NoahFence

Say, when your appendix goes, is that instant drop on the floor and writhe in agony pain, or can it be subtle?

If by "goes", you mean "converts instantly to pure energy", then no, it doesn't hurt a bit. You are simply vaporized before you know what's happening.

[Doubt]

My mother's appendix burst a couple of years ago. Mild pain and a slight fever for a week with no other symptoms. Docs thought it was just a mild case of food poisoning except it just did not get better. Note that she is also in her late 70's.

Obviously she was not a typical case. Usually it would hurt a lot more and she could have died from it. Not all burst appendixes will have the usual symptoms.

[Bindamel]

I had a few flareups that I dismissed as food poisoning before I had "the big one". When I had "the big one", my wife called 911 while I remained curled up on the bathroom floor, unable to unbend at the waist.

In the hospital preparing for the surgery, they tried to give me a pain pill followed immediately by an anti-nausea pill. They didn't have a chance.

On a side note, whenever I'm asked "On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the worst pain you've ever experienced...." they generally get fairly low numbers from me (with an explanation).


Your mileage may vary. Take care of yourself.

[rjh01]

If pain lasts more than a day or so see a doctor anyway. It may not be appendicitis. It can easily be confused with other things. See Professor Yaffle's link for more details on this point.

[Tony99]

Originally Posted by NoahFence

I'm getting none of the severe pain even if I press in. My appetite is fine and otherwise I'm OK so maybe I'm just being paranoid...

This was me.
I was used to having stomach/gastro issues so I passed on the fairly mild mid-stomach aches. No sharp pain, no lower quadrant pain, just a general dull ache in the middle.
Went to my GP after about a week out of curiosity. He said he could order some test to find out what it was and it would take a few days for results, but since it had been more than a day or two since it started he urgently recommended I walk across the street to the ER and they would tell me right away. I was being prepped for surgery 5 minutes after the MRI.
It had not "burst," but was certainly "a leaking mess." Did have to stay in hospital for 2 days to complete some courses of IV antibiotics then sent home.
Just go get it checked out.

[Dave Rogers]

Originally Posted by aggle-rithm

If by "goes", you mean "converts instantly to pure energy", then no, it doesn't hurt a bit. You are simply vaporized before you know what's happening.

Alternatively, if by "goes" you mean "experiences a spatial translation relative to the rest of your body," then you're probably already on an operating table, surrounded by people who know exactly what they're doing. I would say don't worry, but since you'll also have been anaesthetised, if you're in a condition where you're capable of worrying, you probably should.

Dave

[leon_heller]

When I was about 12 years old I started getting occasional bouts of abdominal pain and vomiting that cleared up in a few hours. Our doctor diagnosed a "grumbling appendix". One weekend, it didn't clear up, the doctor called an ambulance, and I was operated on that afternoon.

[Dave Rogers]

Originally Posted by leon_heller

When I was about 12 years old I started getting occasional bouts of abdominal pain and vomiting that cleared up in a few hours. Our doctor diagnosed a "grumbling appendix". One weekend, it didn't clear up, the doctor called an ambulance, and I was operated on that afternoon.

I got that too, apart from the bit about the ambulance and the appendectomy. It seems like my appendix, for some reason, is now the only part of me that doesn't grumble.

Dave

[Dave_46]

Got sent home from work by the boss on the morning of my second day of discomfort (abdominal pains, not too severe, but persistent). Saw the Doc that afternoon and was admitted to hospital the same day. Operated on 3 days later.

Dave

ETA this was at age 50

[Tacita]

My mother had a few bouts of pain, then seemed to get better, this went on for a few days. She would throw up, but not from nausea, but because doing so seemed to make it feel better (so she was doing it on purpose). One day it didn't go away and she finally went to the ER where they discovered it was about to burst.

Incidentally, I had severe nausea a few times, where I was literally hugging the toilet, and they removed my gall bladder. So you should go get checked out either way.

[NoahFence]

OK the soreness is gone, I never had nausea, but now I'm reading this thread again and I feel like doggie doo.

thanks guys.

[Skeptic Ginger]

Originally Posted by NoahFence

Say, when your appendix goes, is that instant drop on the floor and writhe in agony pain, or can it be subtle?

A typical course is nausea and vague abdominal pain that by the end of the day or several days becomes sharper and localized to the right lower side of your belly.


But there are dozens of ailments that present in similar ways.

[Brown]

My appendix went bad in the year 2000. For me, the first sign was intense nausea, which I chalked up at first to bad food. There was also a pain in my lower gut, which got worse if I pressed it with my fingers, and it was this pain that got me thinking that maybe it wasn't the food after all. The nausea and pain were bad but not totally disabling; I was able to walk to work (a little more than one kilometer) and I was able to walk from work to a nearby cab stand to get a ride to a hospital emergency room. A few hours later, I had my appendix removed.