Appendicitis Research... Please Help?

Question

I am doing some research on what causes Appendicitis and what the symptoms are. If anyone can share an experience... that would be great... or professional knowledge. Thanks.

Answer 1

Symptoms - I was 12 years old and had just started junior high school.  My mom says I complained off and on for about 3 months that my stomach was hurting.  No fever at that point, only occasional mild nausea that didn't include vomiting, no constipation or diarrhea.  Just this hurting in my lower abdomen.  She took me to the doctor twice, once in September and once in early November, and he couldn't find anything wrong.  He speculated that I was about to have my first period.  (He was wrong.  It didn't show up for almost 2 more years.)

Thing is, I DON'T REMEMBER ANY OF THIS.  I don't remember cramps or abdominal pain or stomach aches or anything else, until Christmas.  I remember that for the entire 8 or 9 days that we were visiting my grandparents in another state, I was uncomfortable, crampy and bloated and gassy feeling.  Pictures taken during that trip almost invariably show me sitting somewhere with my right knee bent and my right leg pulled up to my body - I didn't hurt as much with my right leg drawn up.  What started as just aching on a come-and-go basis turned into constant pain accompanied by fever just 9 days later.  Mom made a long-distance phone call (this was when long distance was EXPENSIVE, so this was in her mind a drastic situation) on the Monday morning to our doctor 200 miles away and made an appointment for me to see him that afternoon, so we packed up and left.  Doctor saw me sitting with my leg drawn up, listened to my symptoms, poked my stomach, and said, "You're having surgery tonight."  

In the hospital for 5 days, with a 4-inch scar.  Stayed home from school for a week and still had to take mid-terms with everybody else starting the very day I came back.  But I did get excused from taking PE for about 6 or 8 more weeks, which meant I completely missed out on the section where we girls were supposed to be learning basketball .... which I suck at and had no interest in learning anyway, so it didn't bother me in the least.

Oh, and this was back when almost all hospital rooms were semi-private, but the hospital only had one open bed in the whole building when I came out of recovery.  I didn't have a room - I had a SUITE.  Two tvs, two phones, a separate sitting area.  Remote controls next to my bed to open and close the drapes, as well as lock and unlock the door.  My parents tell me the entire hospital bill plus the surgeon's bill were less than $600 and our insurance covered everything except $12.50.

Answer 2

With Appendicitis,  

First: Pain in the lower right abdomen but may radiate to the left or even towards the bellybutton

Second: High fever

Third: With blood work the white blood cell count will go way up

Fourth: For a proper diagnosis an abdominal Cat Scan or Ultrasound is needed.

Fifth: An untreated Appendicitis or rupture can be deadly