appendicitis

[anotherfinemess]

Has anyone had this?  I have had pain in right lower abdomen for four days.  also bloating and tenderness entire abdomen.  I went to dr, he suspects appendicitis.  I get a ct scan, and its questionable,  the appendix is inflamed, but borderline.  I talk to the surgeon, he says "lets operate now" (Thursday evening). I say, lets not, since I have no nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, fever, or excrutiating pain (right lower abdomen only really hurts when you press on it).  The other possible diagnosis is that its a ruptured ovarian cyst.  So I decided to take an antibiotic for a week and see if it improves.  If not, I'm getting an appendectomy next week.  I'll have to spend the night in the hospital, I'll have to take a week off from work, and I'll have to get PAIN PILLS.
I don't even want to FLIRT with this after the hell I caused myself (now 60 days clean).
My question is- has anyone had appendicitis-- and what were your symptoms?  I don't want surgery, but I don't particularly want my appendix bursting at any moment either.

[limontee]

Honey, if you're re sober for six months ... you do NOT want to have this surgery unless it is absolutely necessary.  The pain pills will absolutely cause you to relapse.  That's just bottom line.  I had my appendix out on the advice of the Doctor, and it was completely unnecessary.  I had ovarian cysts that were rupturing and one side is very close to your appendix.  So the symptoms were the same.  They didn't ultrasound the ovary closely but did see some sort of matter in the appendix so they took it out.  Very hard surgery only to lafter find that everyone has some of this matter in their appendix!  It wasn't till several years later I had to have a partial hysterectomy that they found the state my ovary was in from rupturing so many times and removed it, too ... which was also unnecessary.  You may have Poly-Cystic Ovarian Syndrome which causes the outside layer of the cyst that prepares the egg each month to be very tough.  So when it opens for the egg to come out, it can rupture badly enough that you even bleed enough for it to be found pooled at the bottom of your uterus!  How do I know?  Because they mistook my ruptured ovary for a tubal pregnancy and threw me into the hospital for emergency surgery to remove the tube and the baby.  Only after I came out of surgery did the doctor tell me that maybe he had been a little "hasty" with that decision, because there was no tubal pregnancy, just a badly ruptured cyst that had bled.  I had to lay flat in bed for three weeks to keep from miscarrying.  One other condition your should know of is an immune disorder called angioedema. This can be hereditary or ideopathic.  It can cause swelling in ANY PART of your body!  Including your appendix, including your intestines, and including the duct from your gall bladder.  Shoot, it can swell the cornea of your eye and close your ear canal!  I had two unnecessary surgeries because I had this condition, but it had not been diagnosed yet.  Bodies are complicated!  Please don't let them operate unless they are certain about what is wrong.  Doctors are simply not going to care about your sobriety.  It will not even be on their radar.  What IS on their radar is the risk of a malpractice suit if they DONT operate and your appendix actually DOES rupture ... which is quite unlikely.  Most cases of appendicitis clear up.  So take ANY advice from a doctor (or a nurse) with a huge grain of salt!!!  Their malpractice insurance is sky-high to begin with and if a lawsuit is filed against them, the cost will skyrocket.  It's not their fault.  They are dealing with the effects of too many people filing too many lawsuits and it becoming a "get rich fast" scheme.  (It's not the lawyers' fault, either.  Behind every lawyer is the client who told them to sue.). You're sobriety is so important and has got to figure into your decision here!!  

[anotherfinemess]

Thanks Shari.  I have been on the antibiotic for 3 days and the pain is subsiding.  I have  my surgeon on speed-dial, as well as the anesthesiologist I've requested, and my parents to pick me up and take me there if necessary. (I've assembled  my team!)
In the meantime, I feel just fine, my appetite is great, my bowels are normal, so I'm going to wait and see.  If there is any change (any nausea, vomiting, fever, increased pain, whatever) you bet I will get ball rolling on this. Thanks again for your help.
Lisa

[lurker]

Also, I had appendicitis 25 years ago - very subtle right lower quadrant pain, they thought it was a ruptured cyst and back then they always operated on them so when they went in, they found the appendicitis  the pain was really bad if you pressed on my abdomen and it was hard to stand up straight or sit - I laid in the fetal position.  But, that was my first experience with Demerol and it's been a long ride since so I really understand your concern.  Good luck!!   Shari

[lurker]

My professional opinion as a nurse is don't wait until it gets too bad to have it out or you'll be in real pain.  They can do it with a scope if it hasn't ruptured, which is doesn't sound like it has and there will be minimal pain because there are just three tiny little incisions.  You may be able to get by without pain meds.  It can be very subtle, but if it ruptures, you'll have a very big infection, open wound and tons of pain.  Just follow up closely wiht your doctor - make sure he knows your concerns about the meds and make sure he/she uses the laparoscope to take it out.  If you have the ruptured ovarian cyst, that will go away on it's own - get your hiney into the doctor if the pain gets worse, if you run a fever or start having diarrhea/vomiting.  
Keep us posted- I'll pray you'll be out of pain soon!!

[Kaleb_question]

i've had diarrhea,threw up 6 to five times in 2 and 4 hour, I've also had loss of appetite, pain in the lower right stomach , and also had a temperature of 101 and 102. Should I go to the doctor?

[atthebeach]

yes. if it is appendicitis it needs to be treated immediately or it could rupture. my seventeen year old sons ruptured he was in the hospital for two weeks and sick for months with complications.