Appendicitis or Diverticulitis?

[JKJ]

Hi-I was in the ER Tuesday for several hours with severe lower right stomach pain, nausea, low-grade fever & diarhea.  I thought it was my appendix.  They did blood tests, urine tests and a CT scan.  Doc said it was not my appendix, but he thought it was diverticulitis.  Doc gave me some meds, including antibiotics, and sent me home with no further instructions (I'm a veteran, so I was at a VA hospital).  The meds made me sicker.  I'm still having the lower right side pain.
I don't trust the VA docs at all!!!  But I have no other insurance.  Any thoughts???

[JKJ]

They did a CBC and told me it was normal....but I'm going to get the records myself tomorrow (I don't trust the VA).
The pain started in my lower right side....kind of a crampy/sharp pain.  I had a chiropractor appt and he was poking around and when he poked on that lower right side I about came off the table!  The pain doesn't move too much....just stays there.  I'm still having diarhea.  The VA doc gave me Imodium, Bentyl and an anti-biotic.  Taking all 3 of those made my entire stomach cramp horribly and gave me severe headaches.  So I stopped and those symptoms went away---I'm just still left with the lower R side pain.

Like I said, I don't trust VA docs.  They are absolutely horrible!!!!

[Fuzzz]

Hi there.  I'm very sorry you are ill.  They should have checked your white count.  What was that number?  Can you describe how the pain progressed?  Where did it start?  Where did it move to?  Where is it now?  Are you still having bowel movements?  What medication did they give you - antibiotics?  

I'm not an MD, but my husband started having abdominal pain, and by his description of the pain I told him we were going to the ER because he had appendicitis.  I called my surgeon who had just taken my gallbladder out a month prior, and he was incredulous that our family could need general surgery again so soon.  I said, "I know, but it's classic!"  So he said we should go to the ER, despite our both knowing that abdominal pain is usually very hard to diagnose, and I'm no MD, but have just had medical secretarial jobs.  

In the ER, his white count was 21,000, which the doc in the ER thought was "too high" to be appendicitis, so she thought he had diverticulitis, but she wouldn't actually come out and say very much because I'd already called my surgeon.  The surgeon examined my husband and stated I'd made a good call - he agreed.  Therefore the higher-than-usual white count meant that it was already gangrenous (infected).  He had to be put on IV antibiotics, and six hours later, his "soupy" (gangrenous) appendix was removed.  

So I was right and the ER doc was wrong!  

[JKJ]

Well, there's no chance of seeing a specialist at the VA.  My prime care physician refuses to refer me any specialist!  And in the VA that is the only way you get to see one.  And also in the VA you can't change prime care providers.  The entire system is horrible.

[Heart2Heart81]

If its colitis, you need to have a certain diet that your body wont reject. You really need to see a G.I. specialist ...they can run a colonoscpy on you and other things to make a correct diagnois of exatcly what they are dealing with and what treatment they can gave to you. hang in there (( hugs ))