It is Appendicitis
Jul 19, 2008 03:03AM
- 7 comments
Still in the hospital. Still not allowed to eat. 5 days and counting.
The pain was getting worse each day. The doctors were arguing is it or isn't it. My obe was insisting they proceed with surgery (she said in pregnancy the rule is if in doubt go with surgery) and though the surgeon was reluctant he was being convinced. They decided on Wed night that I would have surgery on Thursday.
Thursday morning my Filippino Mum came in and raised hell. Why wasn't there a gastroenterologist on my team and why wasn't my endocrinologist on the team and didn't they know I was high risk and complicated. And they needed a case conference before proceeding with surgery.
So the surgery was delayed for a few hours while the doctors argued and held a case conference. Meanwhile the pain was much worse. I was crying and telling them I didn't care what they did but I couldn't live with the pain like that. Finally the gastro doctor came in and did another examination and declared they should proceed.
Epidural and sedative. I was pretty awake most of the time. Felt like I couldn't breathe and they kept telling me not to hyperventilate, until they upped the sedative or whatever and finally I stopped struggling. Could feel the movements, and hear them talking. They examined everything. They found inflammation at the
appendix and colitis on the right side. Interesting experience being awake while your insides are being manipulated. Though I don't really want to repeat that for a long time (READ - EVER!)
Fast forward 2 days. I am just becoming able to walk around. Man this is so painful. My obe came in the morning with the pathology report. Subacute appendicititis and with fibrocytic changes (basically meaning scar tissue from chronic inflammation). She was apologising to me for her gastro colleagues who kept fobbing me off and said she was embarrassed for how they treated me. Told me she will have words with them. In fairness to her, she has been saying chronic appendicitis since she saw me 2 1/2 months ago. This stage of pregnancy, the end of the 1st trimester, is apparently the safest time for surgery. The baby is mature enough to handle the drugs without undue effects and yet the uterus is still small enough not to impede the surgery or get in the way.
Just goes to show, there is such thing as chronic appendicitis! THough it seems gastro doctors don't believe in it. The gastro doctor this morning was trying to tell me, yes you had appendicitis, but that doesn't mean that the three months of preceding pain was from that! Come on! Pull the other leg!!!
The right sided pain is gone. What a relief! The recovery from the surgery has been very painful. They did a laparotomy (big incision) cause they wanted to have a good look around. Am really bloated, a consequence of them doing a manual examination of the colon and intestines (which tends to disrupt normal bowel movement) plus the medicine to stop contractions. They won't allow me anything but clear liquids until the bloating goes down.
Still have epidural in place and catheter. I think they will release me by Monday or Tuesday (after I go to the toilet and do number 2!). Though how that's going to happen with no food I don't know!
Enough for now. Am quite tired from sitting up. Will lie down after housekeeping come and clean up. The catheter got disconnected. What a mess!!! Won't bore you with that.
They checked on Peanut this afternoon. He/she was doing summersaults and looking good! Am ok, and recovering. I'll update you in a few days once I get out of this hospital.
Sally
The pain was getting worse each day. The doctors were arguing is it or isn't it. My obe was insisting they proceed with surgery (she said in pregnancy the rule is if in doubt go with surgery) and though the surgeon was reluctant he was being convinced. They decided on Wed night that I would have surgery on Thursday.
Thursday morning my Filippino Mum came in and raised hell. Why wasn't there a gastroenterologist on my team and why wasn't my endocrinologist on the team and didn't they know I was high risk and complicated. And they needed a case conference before proceeding with surgery.
So the surgery was delayed for a few hours while the doctors argued and held a case conference. Meanwhile the pain was much worse. I was crying and telling them I didn't care what they did but I couldn't live with the pain like that. Finally the gastro doctor came in and did another examination and declared they should proceed.
Epidural and sedative. I was pretty awake most of the time. Felt like I couldn't breathe and they kept telling me not to hyperventilate, until they upped the sedative or whatever and finally I stopped struggling. Could feel the movements, and hear them talking. They examined everything. They found inflammation at the
appendix and colitis on the right side. Interesting experience being awake while your insides are being manipulated. Though I don't really want to repeat that for a long time (READ - EVER!)
Fast forward 2 days. I am just becoming able to walk around. Man this is so painful. My obe came in the morning with the pathology report. Subacute appendicititis and with fibrocytic changes (basically meaning scar tissue from chronic inflammation). She was apologising to me for her gastro colleagues who kept fobbing me off and said she was embarrassed for how they treated me. Told me she will have words with them. In fairness to her, she has been saying chronic appendicitis since she saw me 2 1/2 months ago. This stage of pregnancy, the end of the 1st trimester, is apparently the safest time for surgery. The baby is mature enough to handle the drugs without undue effects and yet the uterus is still small enough not to impede the surgery or get in the way.
Just goes to show, there is such thing as chronic appendicitis! THough it seems gastro doctors don't believe in it. The gastro doctor this morning was trying to tell me, yes you had appendicitis, but that doesn't mean that the three months of preceding pain was from that! Come on! Pull the other leg!!!
The right sided pain is gone. What a relief! The recovery from the surgery has been very painful. They did a laparotomy (big incision) cause they wanted to have a good look around. Am really bloated, a consequence of them doing a manual examination of the colon and intestines (which tends to disrupt normal bowel movement) plus the medicine to stop contractions. They won't allow me anything but clear liquids until the bloating goes down.
Still have epidural in place and catheter. I think they will release me by Monday or Tuesday (after I go to the toilet and do number 2!). Though how that's going to happen with no food I don't know!
Enough for now. Am quite tired from sitting up. Will lie down after housekeeping come and clean up. The catheter got disconnected. What a mess!!! Won't bore you with that.
They checked on Peanut this afternoon. He/she was doing summersaults and looking good! Am ok, and recovering. I'll update you in a few days once I get out of this hospital.
Sally
Sally
Wow ! 2 1/2 months of pain and now they want to say it wasn't your appendix . Crazy doctors ! Well you and baby are fine , that's the biggie now . Now you can go home and enjoy your pregnancy . And being a mom .
I wish you all the best . Let us know how you're feeling when you get home.
Love and prayers and hugs
Jo
Wow ! 2 1/2 months of pain and now they want to say it wasn't your appendix . Crazy doctors ! Well you and baby are fine , that's the biggie now . Now you can go home and enjoy your pregnancy . And being a mom .
I wish you all the best . Let us know how you're feeling when you get home.
Love and prayers and hugs
Jo
Sally, Hey Sweetie, well I am sooo glad to hear they got that appendix out!!! How awful it has taken them so long to figure this out!!! You have been telling them that far too long!!! I am glad to hear that you had your mum there to raise some well deserved hell and be there by your side!!! I know we all have been worried about you and your little Peanut. My G-Pa had a appendicitis many years ago and he didn't want to go to the Dr and ended up getting gangrene from it, if I remember that right. He had let it go until it burst, I am so relieved they did the surgery and got it out before something like that happened to you.
I am thinking of you and your little one, Sally. I hope you recover fast from this Sweetie.
Love,
Ada
I am thinking of you and your little one, Sally. I hope you recover fast from this Sweetie.
Love,
Ada
Sally, I'm glad you and Peanut finally got the treatment you deserved. May you recover quickly, and may the rest of your pregnancy go smoothly.
Holly
Holly
My God Sally...your doctors must be related to mine eh? he he I am so glad though that they finally got it together and looked after the problem and you are recovering...we were worried about you and when we hadn't heard anything I assumed it was because you probably had surgery and I am glad the worst is over for you now and that the baby is doing well. We will be looking forward to an update as soon as you are able honey!
Lots of hugs,
Rena
Lots of hugs,
Rena
OMG!!! No such thing as a chronic appendicitis??? Where are they supposing the "scarring" came from? Honey, I'm so sorry you went through all of that, How Awful!! And we see intransigence and arrogance in other specialties, too. I'm glad you're past it and hope this bloaty, healy, time passes also (along with some other things) and you eventually get to eat. They are giving you nutrition enough for Peanut aren't they? You've not been able to eat for going on two or three weeks now.
We are thinking of you night and day. Blessing to your "mum" and the internet connection there.
Much love, say hi to Peanut.
Quix
We are thinking of you night and day. Blessing to your "mum" and the internet connection there.
Much love, say hi to Peanut.
Quix
Sally- I had chronic appendictis for 2 years before they took my appendix out. My appendix were wrapped around my intentines and when I ate something that would inflame my intentines it would throw me into appendictis. I went through a pregnacy and whenever my daughter was 3 months old my family doctor said no more you have to have exploratory surgery I can not have you go through this again. My problem was after 12 hours my pain would go away, even though I had all the sympthons of appendictis. I was in the hospital 4 times, had a laposapy (sp) whenever I only had been married 3 weeks and the doctor was sure I had accute venarial disease. Talk about upset!! My husband was pointing and me and I was pointing at him. It was horrible!!!
After the doctor that did my exploratory was retiring he sent me my files. In the files he wrote he had never heard of chronic appendictis but I showed him that it happens.
My grandma, mother and myself had appendix where they were not supposed to be. Whenever my youngest got the side ache and hurt so bad I insisted after waiting in the emergency room for 5 hours that they check her appendix. She had a appendicits and her appendix were not where they were supposed to be.
I am so glad that you did not have to go through any more months of that pain. After I had my oldest and was having my 6 week checkup I told my OB doc that having a baby was nothing compared to my stomach pains that I got once a month!!!
So, look at some of the good side! Having little peanut will be a piece of cake!!
After the doctor that did my exploratory was retiring he sent me my files. In the files he wrote he had never heard of chronic appendictis but I showed him that it happens.
My grandma, mother and myself had appendix where they were not supposed to be. Whenever my youngest got the side ache and hurt so bad I insisted after waiting in the emergency room for 5 hours that they check her appendix. She had a appendicits and her appendix were not where they were supposed to be.
I am so glad that you did not have to go through any more months of that pain. After I had my oldest and was having my 6 week checkup I told my OB doc that having a baby was nothing compared to my stomach pains that I got once a month!!!
So, look at some of the good side! Having little peanut will be a piece of cake!!
I have had a long scar from my belly button down to the pubic area ever since my first c-section (big baby, let's get it out fast). I had read that it is common to remove the appendix during c-sections, in case it ever causes trouble. I asked, but since it was sort of a spontaneous vaguely emergency situation on a Saturday, they said no. I never had labor, but I was hospitalized because of pre-eclampsia. They would have induced, but an x-ray showed his head and my pelvis weren't a good match, so went ahead and cut him out. There wasn't an ultrasound machine to be found in that small town 27 years ago, which explains the x-ray.
That scar has been reopened four times since then:
2nd baby and tubal ligation
Hysterectomy (endometriosis invading the uterine wall, it turned out)
Ovaries and ventral hernia (hernia was reason, but ovaries looked bad, and they had endo in them)
Surgical adhesions removal and finally, the appendix.
I'd been having pain around the lower right side for about a year, had a laparoscopy showing ovarian cysts and a few adhesions. Each time I had a surgery I asked for the appendix removal, and always got turned down. After the ovaries, the surgeon said "you have a retrocecal appendix, be sure and mention that if you ever are suspected of appendicitis."
When I went back to him because I was still having lots of abdominal pain, and it was bad enough to risk more adhesions to remove the ones that were tugging on my intestines, he agreed he would take it out that time. Afterwards, he told me when he re-opened the incision, it was right there, pulled to the midline by the adhesions. No wonder it was hurting me. I still get a little of what I call my phantom appendix pain now and then.
My dh had his taken out when he was 17 after it had perforated. His family doc kept insisting it was a pulled muscle. He was in the hospital for over a week because of that, and his appendectomy scar is most impressive.
Holly
That scar has been reopened four times since then:
2nd baby and tubal ligation
Hysterectomy (endometriosis invading the uterine wall, it turned out)
Ovaries and ventral hernia (hernia was reason, but ovaries looked bad, and they had endo in them)
Surgical adhesions removal and finally, the appendix.
I'd been having pain around the lower right side for about a year, had a laparoscopy showing ovarian cysts and a few adhesions. Each time I had a surgery I asked for the appendix removal, and always got turned down. After the ovaries, the surgeon said "you have a retrocecal appendix, be sure and mention that if you ever are suspected of appendicitis."
When I went back to him because I was still having lots of abdominal pain, and it was bad enough to risk more adhesions to remove the ones that were tugging on my intestines, he agreed he would take it out that time. Afterwards, he told me when he re-opened the incision, it was right there, pulled to the midline by the adhesions. No wonder it was hurting me. I still get a little of what I call my phantom appendix pain now and then.
My dh had his taken out when he was 17 after it had perforated. His family doc kept insisting it was a pulled muscle. He was in the hospital for over a week because of that, and his appendectomy scar is most impressive.
Holly
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