Up until that point, I thought I was in relative control of my body. It was a shock to discover that sometimes, when I least expect it, my body has other plans. I had never been intubated or under general anesthesia, and the pain coming out of major abdominal surgery took my breath away. Even now, 20 years later, I haven't forgotten the experience of becoming a total passenger to my body's limits, and also to modern medicine.
It prepared me well for when I gave birth by c-sections though years later. While visiting one of the schools, I came down with a [high] fever and started to feel lightheaded. Later in the night, I started to feel a sharp pain coming from what seemed like my lower stomach.
At first it would come in waves, then at some point the pain intensified and didn't leave. At one point during the night the pain became so intense that I couldn't move.
My uncle then inspected my lower stomach and put pressure on different parts of it. We called my other uncle, who was a doctor, and he confirmed that the symptoms sounded like those of appendicitis. We rushed to the hospital where they took me straight to the emergency room for surgery. It's a sharp pain that doesn't go away, and it especially hurts when you apply pressure to the appendix area.
Yep, four times. The first time was when I was 26 years old. The back story as to why I've had appendicitis four times is because the first time, my appendix wasn't completely removed. Only a portion was removed, unbeknownst to me until two years later. I had an appendectomy in in New York City, where my appendix was thought to be completely removed.
I had a second appendectomy in Boston in the spring of Between and , I was admitted into the hospital two other times too. I tried to do some Downward Dogs to relieve the pressure, but that didn't work. Then, I thought maybe it was just an upset stomach from dinner the night before. I proceeded with my morning, went to work, tried to eat breakfast, but the pain got worse. It became excruciating and was isolated to the lower right side of my abdomen.
There's truly nothing like it. The pain is stabbing, aching, sharp and constant all at the same time. It feels like someone is stabbing you, twisting the knife and going deeper and deeper into your stomach, for days. I thought they were just cramps. So for the next two weeks, I continued to feel debilitating pain without thinking anything of it. This just goes to show you what women go through every month.
But the pain was so bad that I began to cry as I waited for a red light to turn green. When my mom saw me crying through the rear view mirror, she knew something was wrong, as I rarely cry. So when we arrived on campus, she ordered that I go to the emergency room. They did a CT scan and [determined the issue was] my appendix. They put me under that night, before it burst. I was weak for the next month or so and also ordered not to drink alcohol, coffee, or spicy food.
I was 42, and in a small town in Turkey along the coast. We had just had lunch—crab pulled from the water—then got on a boat. I thought I had food poisoning. In order to reduce the risk, doctors tend to treat all cases of acute appendicitis with surgical removal of the appendix through an appendectomy. Stomach pain is common, so it can be tempting to just wait and see if it goes away. However, appendicitis does not get better with time.
In fact, early diagnosis and treatment are important in order to avoid more serious problems. If there is a delay between the time your appendix ruptures and when you receive treatment, other complications can occur. An abscess can form in the abdomen, which makes surgery for removal of the appendix dangerous. It may require treatment with high doses of antibiotics first, and a procedure to drain the fluid from the abscess.
Then a second surgery will be performed later for the actual removal of the appendix. An appendectomy typically requires general anesthesia. The surgery to remove the appendix may be performed through open surgery, which involves an incision about four inches long. Open surgery is required if the appendix has already ruptured. However, laparoscopic surgery is more common in which small incisions are used to insert a small camera and surgical instruments.
Laparoscopic appendectomy carries lower risk and requires a shorter amount of time for recovery and healing. Patients are typically able to move around within a few hours, and make a full recovery to their normal daily activities within two or three weeks.
Appendectomy is a common surgery, with good success rates. However, because of the risk of continued infection, there are important things to watch for as you are recovering. You should seek medical attention right away if your abdominal pain increases rather than decreasing. Others may have less common symptoms.
Children and infants may not experience pain in one specific area. There may be tenderness throughout the body, or there may be no pain. Children and infants may have less frequent or no bowel movements. If diarrhea occurs, this may be a symptom of another illness. While children and infants may not experience precise pain as older patients do, research suggests that abdominal pain is still the most common symptom of appendicitis symptom for this age group.
Older adults and pregnant women may also experience different symptoms. The stomach pain may be less severe and less specific. Possible symptoms include nausea, vomiting, and fever. During pregnancy, the pain may shift upward toward the upper right quadrant after the first trimester.
There may also be some back or flank pain. Abdominal pain can be a symptom of other conditions that seem like appendicitis.
Appendicitis can be life-threatening, and it requires immediate medical care. It is likely to worsen the longer it is left untreated. Initial symptoms may feel like gas.
If over-the-counter OTC medications do not relieve the gas, or if there is severe and worsening pain, the individual should see a doctor at once. It may be advisable to go straight to the emergency room.
Treating appendicitis as soon as symptoms appear will prevent it from worsening and causing further complications. The patient will be asked to provide details about what symptoms they are experiencing, how severely, and for how long. The appendix can burst or develop holes or tears in its walls, which allow stool, mucus, and infection to leak through and get inside the belly.
The result can be peritonitis, a serious infection. Do not take pain medicines. They may hide other symptoms your healthcare provider needs to know about. Appendicitis symptoms may look like other health problems.
Always see your healthcare provider to be sure. Your healthcare provider will ask about your past health and do a physical exam. He or she may also have you take the following tests:. If your appendix has not burst then your recovery from an appendectomy will only take a few days. If your appendix has burst, your recovery time will be longer and you will need antibiotic medicine.
You can live a normal life without your appendix. Changes in diet or exercise are usually not needed. Health Home Conditions and Diseases. What causes appendicitis? Who is at risk for appendicitis?
Appendicitis affects 1 in 1, people living in the U. Most cases of appendicitis happen to people between the ages of 10 and 30 years. Having a family history of appendicitis may raise your risk, especially if you are a man.
For a child, having cystic fibrosis also seems to raise the risk of getting appendicitis. What are the symptoms of appendicitis? The following are common symptoms of appendicitis. Your own symptoms may vary.
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