I Walked Around with a Ruptured Appendix for 6 Days
It was unintentional. I wasn’t trying to be a tough guy. I recommend that if you feel any odd pains to go check yourself out ASAP. It started as a small pain on the right side, which I shrugged off as being a mild strain from having worked out. The pain was bearable and rarely occurred. For the next few days it remained the same, an annoying pain in my side that I was able to shrug off. It wasn’t until I got home on Saturday night from seeing Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium with the family that it got really bad. My entire abdomen was in pain so I tried taking a laxative to rid my body of what I thought may be some sort of food poisoning.
Bad idea! The laxative, which I will never take again in my life, caused my stomach to get even worse. Now I had stomach cramps AND side pains. I was unable to sleep. I slept maybe only a total of two hours in 20 to 30 minute increments. That’s when I decided to induce vomiting to get rid of the laxative that was causing me even more pain. For the next 30 minutes I threw up some of the nastiest stuff I have ever seen come out of my mouth. It helped for a bit, but then the pain returned.
It wasn’t until I did some research on WebMD.com that I narrowed it down to being either Appendicitis or some form of intestinal damage. At around 10 am I decided to wake my wife up (she tried to help but was unable to so I asked her to go to bed and rest) and tell her that I was thinking of going to the emergency room. She recommend I go to the Doctors Walk-In Clinic that was nearby. I thought it was a great idea since I don’t have health insurance and the cost to visit them would be about $90. She offered to drive, but me being a hard headed warrior, asked her to stay home with the baby.
So I drove to the clinic and was told by the doctor there that I had “rebound” pain around the appendix and that I should go to the emergency room. I then drove to the hospital and waited for about 15 minutes in emergency before being seen and taken in by the staff. I was told that I would most likely be operated on, but needed to have a Cat Scan before they would know exactly what my condition was. They immediately connected an IV to me and after three hours and drinking some clear fluid that was supposed to help with the scan, I was finally told that I had Acute Appendicitis. They weren’t 100% sure if they were going to need to cut me open or perform a Laparoscopic Appendectomy (also known as an Appendicectomy). During a Laparoscopic operation they make three small incisions and use a camera to guide them. I am happy to report that they did end up performing a Laparoscopic Appendectomy. The doc scared me a bit because he said that if my appendix was ruptured that they would need to cut me open.
He must be really good because afterwards he told me that my appendix was ruptured. I couldn’t stop thinking about my family and leaving them behind. I am not afraid of dying. But I am afraid of not being there for my family, my wife, my beautiful baby girl. I kept on tearing up as I thought about the possibility of losing them. Even now, I am getting teary-eyed as I think of it. It is one of the worst feelings in the world. When the accounting rep. asked me if I had a living will I almost flipped on her ass. Stupid bitch. I know she was doing her job, but damn. From what I have heard people with ruptured appendixes don’t normally survive, especially when the bacteria enters the blood stream. Which happened to me.
This post has gotten way too long, so I am going to cut it short here. I will post the second part of my emergency appendix surgery experience tomorrow. Take care folks. Peace.
Hope you feel better and i know you will pull through. Stay strong and think positive. peace.
Thanks.
It sucks- mine burst when i was just 11- 3 months before had pains the docs told me it was the flu- it burst 7 or 8 days before it got taken out- we (you and me and alot of other people) are lucky to be alive.
Wow, you are lucky! Thanks for stopping by.
I had this sharp pain on my right abdomen. It’s started this past friday after eating and a few drink during a BarB Q. I think it is the same thing you had because I’ve get a pinch when eating a small meal. I hope it’s not the same thing.. Give me some advice.. I know your blog said it all but I need some more motivation to get myself checked up…
Go check it out now!!!!!!!!!!!!
Wow, same thing happened to me. I’d like to hear more about what happened to you if you are willing to share.
I NEED HELP ..NEED HELP…MY SISTER IS IN THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW..WHAT SHE NEED IS MONEY FOR MEDICINE…ALL I NEED IS 100 DOLLARS…OR ANY AMOUNT WILL DO JUSY HELP ME..I’M BEGGING YOU GUYS..PLEASE HELP…THIS IS MY NUMBER 09351456797 AND MY EMAIL ADD IS awatin_charise@yahoo.com
Hey man get better soon!!!
What a scary episode! I am glad that you went to the ER when you did. I am glad that you will be healthy again. Whew. Take care and I hope that you have an easy recovery from this.
thanks Janb, it was scary indeed.
Wow! I hope you’re feeling a lot better now. Make sure you take care of yourself and don’t worry about working out until you’ve recovered from all this.
Hang in there!
Yeh, i have had to cope with the no exercise. thanks.
You had an angel on your shoulder. Get better soon and God bless.
I suppose I did. thanks Shawn.
best of luck man. take the time you need to recover. i feel you on the insurance.
thanks Hustler, It’s much appreciated.
Take care Israel! Positive note: it happens only once, me I don’t have the appendix removed yet, so it can happen to me at anytime. Hope you’ll be fine soon.
I hope it never happens to you man, it sucks!!! In more ways than one.
Hello Israel,
Thank you for your post. It was posted so long ago, you may not even check these anymore. But I am 26 days out of surgery. My appendix burst too. Thought i had the stomach flu…dry heaved for 2 days so I thought my stomach muscles were just sore from all the dry heaving. HA! wayyy wrong! 26 days later i’m still so weak. Going for another CT scan tomorrow to check for any more infection. I spent 12 days in the hospital. Good news I quit smoking and lost 12 lbs. I prayed that God would help me quit smoking and lose a few pounds about a week before this happened…OK..moral of the story…be careful what you pray for! Or at least…remember to pray for the STRENGTH to handle his answer HA!…how long until you were fully recovered 100%?
Bea, I read EVERY comment left here and am honored that you chose to leave one. Thanks so much for that. I hope you get better. The appendix is a weird piece of the body that can kill people, as is witnessed by all the folks leaving comments on here. It has been one of the most scariest times of my life.
Glad you caught it and you’re ok 🙂
My entire family is glad too. LOL. Thanks.
Wow man. I don’t know are you aware of it, but you are happy to be alive. You waited to long to have that checked out. I remember when my pain started, I was sure it wasn’t stomach ache. I don’t know how you managed to walk with that.Damn, you should join marines or some other tough guys organization 🙂
I didnt know it was my appendix. I a have a high tolerance for pain so I figured it wasnt that bad. I did go to marines bootcamp, piece of cake.
I never knew you could still walk when you have a ruptured appendix. I always feel some pain on my side. Maybe it’s time to have a doctor check it out.
GO CHECK IT OUT ASAP. Dont try fat man unleashed at home kids…
your basically a moron.
Phoenix, what’s your deal? You jealous cuz I am a real man?
what kind of guy swallows the back of a book? weirdo?
eh? book? swallow? you have flash backs bro? lol.
Wow man! Can’t you die from a ruptured appendix? How did you survive for 6 days like that? I had my appendix taken out when I was 14. A friend of mine nearly died when his ruptured, and had to be airlifted to a hospital.
That’s what I keep hearing. I don’t know how I was able to make it man. The last day was really painful though.
My ruptured appendix horror story
I was seeing an acupuncturist for about four weeks to treat a supposed small intestine / ileocecal valve issue (he established that). The ileocecal valve is located right next to the appendix. Tuesday before Thanksgiving 07 I saw him for a treatment and the very next day I suffered from a fever and pain in my abdomen. I initially thought it was a bad case of IBS and called his office to inquire. He suggested to take acidophilus and Vitamin C.
The pain never went away and I called his office again on Monday after Thanksgiving. He suggested I come in. I was in no shape to do this, but drove the 40 miles to his office anyway. He insisted it was a missing enzyme, tested me with biofeedback to establish which enzyme would be best for me and sent me on my way with the remedy. I had explained the location and severity of my pain. He simply shrugged it off. This is a man who has 35 years experience and claims to be the guru of acupuncture – Dr. Sunderlage of Elgin, IL. Yet, he was unable to pick up the usual symptoms of appendicitis. Where does that leave biofeedback and acupuncture? Sometimes we simply need a Doctor!
The pain got more and more excruciating. The next morning, I finally could not take it anymore. Early in the am, my boyfriend took me to the ER at Chicago’s St. Joseph Hospital. I cried and moaned in agony, I needed assistance walking. I would have done anything for the pain to go away. The Doctor suspected an appendix problem right away. I was given some pain killers and prepped for a CT Scan. In my agony, I had to drink a big bottle of white liquid for them to see my abdomen on the scan. I hurried up drinking the liquid. I wanted to move on and get rid of whatever was bothering me. The pain grew more and more intense.
The CT scan confirmed a ruptured appendix. I was getting nervous but felt relieved we knew what the issue was. Within an hour I was in surgery. The anesthesist confirmed the surgeon had 25 years of experience and knew what he was doing. I begged the Doctor to put me out right away. I could not lie there much longer. Never in my life had I experienced pain like this.
A couple hours later I woke up in the recovery room. I was freezing and felt weird. After about an hour they put me in my room. Shortly thereafter, the surgeon paid me a visit and told me my appendix case was the worst in ten years. The appendix must have burst a couple days back and it was free-floating in my abdomen. It had also blown a hole into my colon which make stool leak all over my abdomen. A couple hours later and I would have been in ‘septic shock’ and all help would have been too late.
The surgeon just shock his head, wondering why I had waited for so long to come in. I explained the situation to him, mentioned the fact that I thought it was IBS and the acupuncturist story. He could not understand how I could bear the pain.
I expected to be out of the hospital within a few days, but the surgeon warned me I’d be there at least four or five days. I ended up staying for five days. Five days with lots of pain and discomfort. For three days I was given morphine for the pain. I suffered from fevers for two days. Fever as high as 103.5. Anti-nausea medicine, Morphine, Anti-biotic were given intravenously and Tylenol by mouth to lower the fever. The Morphine gave me psychedelic dreams and visions. I could not sleep, every time I closed my eyes, I was in another world. It got kind of annoying after a while, but it surely helped the pain. A drain was also attached to my abdomen, puss drained out for seven days.
The second day in the hospital, I called the acupuncturist (on Morphine) and informed him about what happened. He acted dumb, but admitted he should have picked up the typical symptamology for appendicitis. In the meantime I have written a letter to him, asking for a refund for his near-deadly treatment.
Only days after the surgery I realized how close I was to death. I am grateful and lucky to be alive. I ended up in a great hospital with wonderful care – thanks to my boyfriend who reacted quickly.
Now, two weeks after the surgery, I am still hobbling around, but getting stronger. Total recovery is six weeks. I can’t lift anything over 10 lbs, can’t work out. I am trying to gain the weight back that I lost in the days after surgery. My appetite is only slowly coming back. It is amazing what kind of grief a little appendix, a remnant from the past, can cause. Remember, sometimes a real Dr. is the only one who can help. Natural medicine is great, but it nearly killed me. If surgery is needed, only Western medicine can help.
If you ever suffer from a pain in the lower, right corner of your abdomen – go to the ER right away!
I too had a ruptured appendix removed 6 days ago. I have had two children by c-section and this is by far the worst thing I have ever experienced. I had a great doctor and am recuperating well. I still can’t tolerate much food but I am hoping it is just a side effect from the antibiotics. I had pain centralized around my belly button for 21 hours and a fever before I gave up and drove myself to the emergency room. I never had pain in the lower right side of my abdomen. My recommendation, for what it is worth, is that any pain which lasts and lasts should be checked out. Had I gone in earlier my recuperation would be much easier. I have since read that appendicitis rarely occurs in third world countries. My question is this “Does it rarely occur or being third world countries is it just not found?”
Connie
I think Susanne pretty much wrote a blog entry. That comment has to be longer than the actual article. lol
Now that you’re feeling better, which was worse, the pain from the appendix or “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium?”
Sorry, I had to ask. 🙂
Wow, I’m going to have to go with the appendix, but it was close.
Isreal…. first of all you look HOTT in a hospital gown… second im glad you’re doing better and safe. I hope that you can get back to your old self before the surgery. I am sure that it impares a lot of your functions. Im glad you’re feeling better
I moved to Ireland from the states, got married, and a month ago, had a tummy ache. I hate doctors and hospitals, so I blew it off. A week later, it was back and I threw up all day. By 10pm I rang an abulance and went for an hour ride to the hospital on the tangle of roads they have here. A day later and after a camera down my throat, Xrays, Ultrasounds and a Key hole surgery, I woke up to find a huge gash in my tummy where they extracted my Ruptured appendix.
6 doctors (only one of them Irish) and none of them communicating, sent me home 8days later. Pain was horrid, an the leaking fluid worse. I was readmitted for a few more days, pumped full of antibiodics, and released again. The gash they cut was 8″long, with only 4 stitches that went 6 inches across. They took two out, and a week later the other two. No bedside manner, no communication and me in so much pain. Finaly I have one doctor, that told me the surgury was because it had ruputred and been inside me for a week, causing serious problems. For two weeks I was told it was just removed, and then I got the explaination.
I thought you died instantly when they ruptured, but, you dont, not always. The doctors need to explain it better to the world, and take sensitivity training.
I never missed the US of A so much. Being a woman 37 with one child, I can safely say that I apprciate my life and loves so much more now.
I am still recouping at a cousins house near the hospital. Pain still a bother, and I cant wait to take the dressing off soon. Hugs
Wow my surgery was totally different. I’m glad i was in the USA
Hi Janise,
Mine too had ruptured. I had a great doctor in California from Syria who told me if anyone else had done the surgery they’d have cut a big incision down the middle of my stomach. I too was told it had probably ruptured only the day before. They can tell usually by what has started happening inside of your stomach, puss pockets, etc.. Drink lots of water and walk, walk, walk. Good luck on your recuperation.
Connike
Wow, I’m really sorry this happened to you – but “stupid bitch”? If you know that she was just doing her job, why all the hate? It’s so offensive.
Best wishes for your recovery.
what are you on about, with the swearing and name calling? I dont know who your refering to, by saying ‘she was just doing her job’? All the hate??? The hate comes from the brutality of the treatment at the hospital here in Ireland. I delt with it gracefuly while there, but, was shocked as was my Irish family at the treatment of patients in the hospital.
I also had ruptured appendix and it was just 3 days after it busted it got remove and believe the pain is very serious indeed it took 2 months for me to get fully recovered people also say im lucky to be alive and also congrats to all who has survived this because its a 50-50 chance of survival
I agree. It took a few months to heal fully
I just got back from the hospital where my husband has had his appendix removed. For 7 days he was in pain but here’s our story. My daughter had just gotten over the stomach flu which lasted three days. My husband had gone to her house to take her family some dinner. That next morning, 3am, he woke up in pain. I figured he too was getting sick. His urine was dark yellow and brown, I thought that was because he had just started taking vitamins and I know your urine changes color.
He laid around in pain for days, no nausea, but he did go in and out of hot and cold spells. He got sick on Sat. and
Weds. he went to the doctor where they took blood and urine samples. Friday they called and said things looked fine with his white cells and never gave him any more info. I knew he wasn’t fine so today went to a different doctor who asked him a lot more questions then the other idiot doctor had AND he listened to his abdomen with the stethoscope. I could see that there was an area where he stopped and listened intently like he heard something. He then said he wanted my husband to go across to the Emergency Room for more blood work and CT Scan. This was at noon today. He had surgery at 7:30 pm and once over the doctor, bless his heart, said he removed a cup of puss. That it was real nasty. He also put a drain in. He’ll be in the hospital for 4 days and recovery is six weeks.
The ER doc said he has real strong white cells and that they showed normal. It was the scan that showed the rupture. 7 days with a ruptured appendix! I am so grateful to God tonight!! They said he was lucky to still be here. I don’t know what I would have done if one morning I would have woke up and found him gone.
I knew he was sick and I knew it was time to go to the doctor but man I feel so very bad I didn’t insist he go to the doctor earlier.
I’m making a pact with him that whenever one of us is ill we have to use the scale of pain from 1-10 on how much it hurts. BECAUSE he said it hurt but only tonight did I know that it was at a 10 when he told the doc!
It’s been a long day and I left him at the hospital on drip meds. Now they are talking about the other complications they need to watch for. Infection, pneumonia etc. guess until he’s released it’s scary.
Take care, glad everything ended up good for you. Thanks for sharing your story with us all!
Sheri
Sheri, that sounds very familiar to what happened to me. I am glad he is okay. Us men tend to try and be tough, not anymore for me.
I have to say, I lived 10 days with a ruptured appendix. I was sent home from the emergency room the night it burst. I was flipping my bed when the pain hit me 10 days later. They had to do a 5 inch incision and take out a fallopian tube with the appendix.
After all that I stayed 11 days in the hospital, and 2 months stuck in bed with a very deep open wound. But honestly, it was worth it. It showed me what was really important to me in life.
I know how it feels to be in the situation. I am glad to see so many have made it through.
Wow, 2 months in bed? 11 Days in the hospital? That’s a lot. I am glad you made it through.
Israel and Shadow,
Thanks for your comments! Sounds like you both had a journey! I’m glad Israel that you are better too…yeah, there is something about this tough guy syndrome…lol.
And you Shodow, what an experience you had! Wow! I’m glad you were able to find a new reason for life.
Thanks,
Sheri
the same thing just happened to me, im only fourteen and i was walking around for six days too. but i never had any serious pain, it just hurt a little so my mom took me to the docter after six days, and they rushed me to the hospital. after a cat scan they told me it had been bursted for six days and i had to go to surgery. they found it very odd that i was seemingly fine, and they think i am missing a bunch of pain sensors. but i got out of the hospital abouta week ago. i was there for five days.
haha so yeah.
but glad you got through it your family sounds great. 🙂
That is similar to what I was told, that I should be lucky to be alive. Thanks for sharing.
I pretty much did the same thing. I felt pain but not severe. I decided to go to my primary doc who said I either have a bladder infection or UTI so he sent me off with a RX for Cipro and said if I didn’t feel better w/in 2 days to go the the er. This I did 2 days later only to find out my appendix was ruptured, when this actually happened, who knows. They told me in the er that they were trying to contact the surgeon and I would be having surgery that night.This was after I had all the tests done. The surgeon came to my room the next morning and said we normally put the pt on anti-biotics for a week so that all the “garbage” in the abdomen abcesses then they will set me up as an out patient and remove the remainder of the appendix along with the garbage abcess. I was to ill to go home and after a week told the dr. just to operate. He wasn’t too happy to do this but the surgery was done, I have a not to beautiful scar from navel to pubic bone and spent a total of 18 days in the hospital to the un-insured tune of $96,000. This doesn’t include the other docs bills. At this time I am recovering at home, this is going slower that I thought it would, it really knocked me for a loop. But, I’m alive and thats what matters.
My daughter is a student at Trinity Law School in Dublin, Ireland. She went into the ER with classic burst appendix symptoms and they gave her Tylenol and sent her home. Diagnosis, intestinal bug.
She went back to the ER over the course of 2 months and got the same diagnosis, all the while dealing with excurciating pain in her lower right abdomin.
9 weeks after the first day she went to the hospital, they performed exploratory surgery and found a ruptured appendix that had been leaking infection into her abdomin for 2 months. Her large bowel had wrapped around it and seemed to limit the extent of the rupture. But now her reproductive organs are severely damaged and as a newly married young woman hoping to have a family in the future, she is devastated.
If any of you would like this kind of experience here in the U.S., then push hard for socialized medicine.
Diane and I so sorry to here such a thing could even occur. I hope your daughter makes a well enough recovery to be bear children and live a satisfying life. Thank you so much for sharing your story.
Amen!! People in the US don’t realize what socialized medicine will do. I have relatives in Canada and the months/years they have to wait sometimes for surgeries is just not right. Socialized medicine looks really good on paper and sounds good in a speed, but people need to do their research and find out what it is really about. Obama may just be our man to bring socialized medicine to the US!!
so are you for against socialized medicine?
I have a question, and this may sound dumb, I don’t know. I have been in the hospital for 4 nights now with symptoms of appendicitis. The doctor consulted with a surgeon who said I don’t have appendicitis because I don’t have fever or elevated WBC count. But here is the kicker…when they did the CT scan, they were unable to see my appendix….at all. So NOW, they are trying to send me home. I still have all my same symptoms, my pain is worse and my abdominal area is swollen, I’m wondering, how in the heck can they send me home saying I’m fine when they can’t even see my appendix to know if it is enlarged or not. What could make them unable to see it?
GET A SECOND OPINION! If you have read some of the horror stories in the comments left here, then do just that. Don’t go home if you are in pain.
On 12/12/08 I began to have a faint cyclicak ache below the sternum — an hour later it moved to the left ribs. A fews hours later it was a stabbing pain on the right ab area. I was freezing and burning up simultaneously. The pain was excruciating enough that I thought I would pass out, but did not. It subsided a bit after 6 hours, throwing up only saliva, no bowel movement. I wrote it off as a stomach virus. Pain increased tremendously the next day, again lasting a good 6 hours, then subsiding, not completely, but the pain was tolerable. Sunday it returned with a vengeance, and needed to get an ambulance — could not sit up.
Had 2 CT scans, ultra-sound and stomach x-ray. Docs were baffled and said it sounded like I had a virus that caused an ileus of the colon. Was in hospital for 5 days, then sent home thinking it was a bowel obstruction that would fix itself.
Follow-up stomach x-ray the following Monday showed my small intestine was hugely inflamed now…. though I was in less pain. Re-admitted to hospital and 13 days after the pain had begun the docs said they had to do exploratory surgery. OH lest I forget, they first needed to put a NG tube up my nostril down to the stomach to pull out tons of fluid and gas – OOOOOOOUUUUCCCCCCCCCCHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Surgery on Christmas Day finally showed I had a ruptured appendix, with a huge pus pocket in the pelvis. Was on flagyl and levaquin, New Years Day.
Still in major recovery — praying to God that no secondary infections set in, no errant scar tissue causes any obstructions………
That’s my story of my Christmas vacation. 🙂
Dorothy, I am so sorry to hear. How horrible this must have been. I didn’t go through nearly as much as you did. Is it safe to say you are lucky to be alive?
I had hernia surgery on December 2nd. A couple days later, I had severe abdominal pain and my stomach was swollen big time! I contacted my hernia surgeon’s office – they suggested I had gas or a stomach flu. On the night of December 11th, I headed to the E.R. Turns out my appendix had burst (about one week prior)! I had emergency surgery (10-inch incision) on December 12th. After tons of intravenous antibiotics, two abdominal drainage tubes (Jackson-Pratts), and other treatments, I was released from the hospital on Christmas Eve night. I hope (with God’s help) there will be no residual effects of all the infection that was within me. I’m back at work, but still have a doctor appointment or two left. My surgeon (who did both the hernia and the abdominal) said the timing of my burst appendix (days after the hernia surgery) was just terribly bad luck/timing. Bottom line, the whole experience was excruciating, but I’M THANKFUL TO BE ALIVE!!!
Mike, that sounds horrific to have to go through. I know that my appendix bursting has been fine ever since.
I have a cousin that was not so lucky feb 4, 09 my cousin died, with the same thing as you. It is so hard to think that now days this can still happen. I feel angry, He was only 35, He just got married on Aug 23rd. His wife and 2 kids left behind. he was born on Aug 2, we were very close more like brother & sister. Feels Like I will never get over this.
sorry to hear that. there was a moment as I sat in the hospital where I thought I may die and my wife and daughter would be gone from me. I cried for a bit after that. Horrible feeling. Thanks for sharing.
Hi i am a 4th yr student nurse here in the philippines..and i have experienced to assist a doctor in operating room and the case i assisted is explore appendictomy..i remenber when i was there assisting to the doctor i felt that it so hard to the patient because the doctor cut and put an incision to the patients body..its very difficult for the patient to under go the surgery..and yet the procedure is not easy to perform..the doctor cut the ruptured appendix.& after they cut we use saline to clean the whole abdomen to prevent the infection cause by bacteria and to prevent bacteria to enter the bloodstrem of the patient..i know what the feeling of the person having that kind of sugery..now i shared to all of you what experience i have..now my husband in united state experience explore appendicitis & he is undergone the surgery and it was very difficult and hard to accept that why is he experiencing that how i wish i could be the one not him.Because he is a good person,husband and a father of our children..he sucrifice his family to earn money for our future & i ask why my husband?why not me?& during his hospitalization how i wish im there to care for him but sad to say i cant be there because of miles away in here n the phils & he is in the united state we dont have money to buy ticket so that i pray for his speedy healing..& i thank god he is ok..i really love him & really miss him…
Hello Israel, There is some great information on here about a ruptured appendix. I was diagnosed Tues morning on March 24, 2009 with a ruptured appendix. On Sunday I had a pain in my abdomen whiched got worse and worse. I felt like I had gas and vomited, only dry heaves. I did nt have an appetite. My fever was around 102 and spent Monday in bed asleep as that was the only time I had relief. I did thank goodness make a doctor appointment for 2:30 Monday. The doctor thought I had gall bladder issues. My urine had bile in it. Scehduled an ultrasound for Tuesday morning @ 10:15. Was instructed not to eat or drink after 2 am. That morning about 4:30 I woke up soaked in sweat. Checked my temp and it was 103. I called the ER where the ultrasound was to be performed and asked whether I should come in earlier. They said wait till 10:15. Thats what I did. The ultrasound showed nothing wrong with my gall bladder, and my doctor order a CT scan to check my appendix. They found a ruptured appendix. This was 11:00am. My surgery was scheduled for 6:00 PM. Which I dont understand why so long of a wait. Anyway, that day of waiting was horrible, the pain wasnt that bad I just felt “horrible”. Wanted an end to my misery. As time goes by and your laying n your back, you start thinking about things. Hoping other problems and complications dont result. You also start to question whether they dianosed it right. The surgery went well, and I felt 100 times better right after the surgery. My girlfriend flew in from North Carolina and was great help to me. I couldnt have done it without her. The pain was excruciating. I love her so much for being there with me. I didnt realize just how serious this really was till I started reading these postings. Things seem to be going well, I had to go back to the surgeons office Tuesday, they removed my JP drain, and opened the incision and I having to dress it 3 times a day. There is a ton of drainage which has a horrible odor. The nurse told me this morning that its from some of the fluids that leaked into the abdomen area and will just need to drain out. At least I am getting rid of the infection. I have had a slight fever off and on all week around 99 to 100. But the antibiotics have to do their thing. Time now to just wait and heal. I wanted to thank my doctors who basicaly saved my life. And most of all, Allison who was there with me, leaving her kids to be by my side. Having to deal with the missed connection in Memphis and coming in super late. And then the fiasco in Chicago with the plane that broke down and having to spend the night when going back. Thank you also to her parents for watching the kids while she was here.
Al, thanks for sharing your story. That must have been really scary. I went through the same thing and sitting in the hospital room, in the bed, in the gown was one of the worst moments of my life.
I’m searching appendicitis symptoms and found this. For 5 days now I’m having right lower abdominal pain , it is tolerable for me , if I score the pain, about 3, when I put pressure, the pain increased. However i know i have a high pain tolerance. I do not have fever but I’m very cold , chilly ,feel like I’m freezing inside. I’m also a type II diabetes. I’m aware some diabetic person doesn’t feel the extreme pain because of our diabetes condition that our body part feel numb. I notice since yesterday that my appetite not the same, not too interested about eating and I throw up a little the other night After reading all your experience I don,t wanna take chance putting my health at risk. I,m a single mother with 2 kids age 11 & 13 y/o. I’ll go to walk-in doctor tomorrow.
Arlinda, please go to the get checked out ASAP. Let us know how it goes okay?
All these stories are sooo familiar!! I really felt like no one understood what I went though. It was a Monday afternoon when I first went to the ER with mainly upper stomach pain, they thought it was my gall bladder and did an ultrasound, finding nothing, so they told me to take Zantacs the antacid and set me home, that night about 4 a.m. I started throwing up and didn’t stop until about 9 that night when my husband called the doctor and got an anti-nausea medication for me. I laid in bed eating nothing for about 3 days and still in extreme pain and nauseous, I forced myself to eat jello and even walk around, thinking I had stomach flu. When things were still not better by the weekend I made a family doctor appointment for Monday, at that appointment they seemed to not be concerned by the fact that I had gone to the ER for this pain and that it had lasted a week, they took a urine sample and I waited for the doctor. My fever was at 103.2 and he pressed on my stomach and made me stand on my toes and quickly slap my feet flat which I started to cry from the pain, he said he was pretty sure it was an appendicitis and to go the the ER again for a CT scan. When I went to the ER my heart rate was 180, which the normal for a woman my age is 70’s- 80’s even to 100, not 180! So before they could even do a CT scan I’m getting chemical compressions to slow my heart rate, while on oxygen and the IV I had to drink the gross gastro liquid and do the CT scan when they saw that my appendix and ruptured but was trying to enclose the infection, but my heart rate was too high to do surgery, my surgeon said I would instantly have a stroke if he even tried, so they put a drain in from my back while me being completely awake, I stayed in ICU for 2 days and the hospital for a week, on strong antibiotics, then they took the drain out and I got to go home. I go back in 6 weeks for the laparoscopic surgery; I just want the whole ordeal to be over with. It is a very traumatic experience to have never spent a night in a hospital to almost dying.
Katie, yet again the story sounds horrifying. Why is it that hospitals don’t know what the heck they are doing when it comes to appendicitis?
my husband has had a bad experience with his appendix, he has been sick for mor than a year, his temp and blood count kept going up and they would treat him with antibiotics sometimes for ninty days at a time.three weeks ago he went to the er and they made him suffer all nite finally at four in am they took him too surgery, it had gangrene and busted, this caused him to have an illeus. he was in hospital for two weeks he has come home, he still feels in a fog sick no temp, how long did it take to feel better?
I felt better as soon as they gave me some medicine to dull the pain, even before they took it out.
Uhmmm…..I’m kinda lost.
I mean my abdomen area kinda hurts, I dont throw up, just diarrhea. And feel gassy? I think somethings wrong with my appendix but im not sure. My mom said that if I still feel bad today that I have to go to the doctor. What are the symptoms do people with appendicitis have? And what is the amount of days people can survive without having it removed?
You should go to the doctor ASAP.
I was looking for info about appendicitis since my lower right abdomen is hurting. Wow horrible stories! I also have one about my daughter. When she was seven she would have these bouts of severe abdominal pain and I would take her to the er to hear she had a virus or strep throat. Well in the beginning of December 2006 she got really sick again so I took her to the pediatrician the said she had a nasty uti. Well I always felt she had appendicitis. They gave her huge amounts of antibiotics and she got better. Well the day after Christmas she complained again so I took her to the er convinced it was appendicitis. They gave her pain meds and fluids and she got better so they said just a virus I did not believe it for a second but I took her even though my gut told me different. So we went home she even ate Wendy’s on the way. I know crazy right! Well that next morning it started again. I took her back the the childrens er they said well she has been on antibiotics for awhile it could be this thing called c-diff and we can take cultures for that and they will be back in 72 hours. I lost my mind! I told the doc it is not c-diff it is appendicitis and I want a cat scan now!!!!! Trust me i know my kid! So she said well let me examine her. So she went in and hit her on her right heel and she flew off the bed and screamed. So she looks at me and says I think we need a cat scan! I should have been a doctor! So the doc comes back a little while later and says she has appendicitis but it has ruptured! That is why she felt better the night before. Then she tells me it has been so swollen for so long it was pressing on her ureter to her right kidney so her rt kidney was all swelled up hence the uti a few weeks before!!!! She has immediate surgery and was in the hospital for 7 days. Apparently her abdomen was filled with pus. Some cultures came back a few days after and the infection was horrendous so they had to add more antibiotics. She has a blood clotting disorder so they had to change her iv daily. She developed and ileus it was horrible she was in so much pain the meds did not help to control it. Since then she developed some strange stomach issues called abdominal migraines with cyclical vomiting. I am happy to report after almost three years she is off her medication and is now a normal 9 year old little girl. Woo Hoo Praise the lord! I hope this is not what I have my side is aching and it hurts when i move or cough or bend over but it is not horrible. It feels like something is in there that does not belong. I have no right ovary or a gall bladder so I know it is not that. It even hurts around to my back. I am eating fine and I am not nauseated just pain. Sometimes it feels like it goes from my belly button diagonally down to the right. No fever this is really weird. I guess I will see how it is tomorrow and call the doc if it is not better. Although when i had my gall bladder issues earlier this year my doc kept telling me nothing was wrong with me! He finally sent me to a surgeon who said I had classic gall bladder symptoms. I had a hyda scan and found out my gall bladder was only functioning at 11%. When he got in there it was white(supposed to be robins egg blue) and thick and adhered to the surrounding tissue. So maybe I will call another doctor.
Patty Mary, that is simply horrific. To know that your child is suffering and have to deal with incompetent doctors and medical staff is simply the worst experience ever. I am extremely happy to hear that your daughter is doing better now. Lesson learn, go with your gut (no pun intended) feeling!
I had exactly the same experience, my appendix burst and i was unaware and remained in bed for 3 days until i went into shock and almost died.
The appendix poisoned my bloodstream but i made a comeback after a laproscopic appendiceptemy. The appendix didnt just rupture but exploded and damaged quite a few other things inside me too..
It is a horrific experiece to lie there dying, especially in a far away no family and real friends. lucky for me the doctors were amazing.
Very similar story to mine. A few weeks ago, I started feeling like I had the flu. But I merely shrugged it off and just took to bed rest. Finally, I went to my personal doctor and he told me I should have a cat scan performed. The results showed I had a ruptured appendix the burst five days previously. They performed surgery two hours later. But because I went with the ruptured appendix, it released a dangerous amount of stool and poison through my abdomen, which resulted in a larger than would have been necessary incision. Due to the large incision and high amount of infection, they decided to keep my wound open. This has knocked out the rest of my summer sadly, but I’m just happy to be alive. I’m planning on taking it easy until my wound heals, and then I’ll try rebuilding the strength and weight I’ve lost so I can be ready for my freshmen year as my goal has long been to make the Varsity baseball team.
Jake, my incision wasn’t that bad and I don’t think the toxins spread into my body. The doctors never mentioned anything like that to me. I hope you get well. Thanks for contributing.
Hi Israel.I’ve been reading everyone’s comments with interest, since our 10 year old daughter returned last Tuesday from hospital treatment for a ruptured appendix.She first had pain in her stomach/abdomen after lunch one day,and that evening vomited after dinner-we thought it most likely flue or gastric infection.At the local emergency clinic she was given various tests, and several days later was admitted to children’s hospital, where doctors opinions varied.Finally, ultrasound scan revealed ruptured appendix, which they thought had happened on the evening when she first vomitted.After that,she’d had background pain with periodic severe crampy pain.In view of the abcess that had formed following the rupture, doctors decided to drain the puss and treat infection with antibiotics.This was done with a pipe inserted through the backside, exiting through the wall of the intestine into the infected area, and it worked very well, without need for any external surgery.There has been talk of surgically removing the now redundant appendix in several months time, after the body has settled down from the infection.Here New Zealand, medical practice is to remove the remains of the appendix.But a Norwegian doctor on the surgery team commented to us that in Norway they would not remove the vestigial appendix, unless it was causing a problem.He said there is no researched evidence of any advantage in doing so.We think this makes sense, since every surgical operation carries with it the risk of infection, complications etc.Can anyone comment on this area from experience or medical knowledge? We are grateful to God and competent, caring doctors and nurses for the remarkable recovery and return to active life for our daughter, less than 2 weeks since the operation to remove infection.Blessings,Roger.
Roger, I am glad to hear your daughter is well. Recovery time varies tremendously between patients. I was up and well in a few days after my surgery. As far as not removing the appendix, i will have to defer that question to some experts out there that may be reading this. From what I have read, the appendix is not needed to survive as it is not used. I actually asked one of the doctors on the team before I went under the knife and he had his removed and said it wasn’t necessary to have.
Wow, years later and you still get hits on this. I totally understand. Mine ruptured in 2005 and it still creeps me out thinking about how close to death I was and didn’t even know it. I was driving cross country to go see my mom. Over a period of three days, I went through four different hospitals and the first three couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. The first hospital told me there was nothing wrong with me and they thought I was after drugs, the second said my white blood count was in the 40’s but they couldn’t find the infection. I don’t remember the third hospital, but I was told I went to it and they couldn’t figure it out either. The fourth hospital had me in surgery within four hours. One week and four operations later, when I finally woke up, the surgeon told me I wouldn’t have made it through that night (the night I showed up there) and that my appendix had ruptured at least nine days prior. I was in a coma for three days after the fourth operation. I spent six weeks total in the hospital (not counting the first three visits). I lost 45 pounds in that five week recovery period because I still couldnt keep anything in my stomach. I have a six inch scar on my lower abdomen, and a “near death experience” memory that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Not to mention that once I was released from the hospital, weighing 97 lbs. ( im 5’3 by the way), I still had six weeks of recovery to do at home, I was on antibiotics for two months after being sent home, and pain killers too. It took me forever to get back to my life. Bottom line is, don’t mess around with your health. If you feel that something isn’t right, than dammit something isn’t right. If you don’t get help where you go, ask for a different doctor, or transportation to a different hospital. I should have never driven away from that first hospital. Thanks for letting me share.
Kristen, I could not have imagined going through what you or many of the other folks that have commented on here have gone through. In retrospect, my experience was a smooth one when compared to you guys. Oh, and thank you for sharing!
I am currently in the hospital with my 23 month old son. He has a ruptured appendix for over a week and the only syptom he had was a high fever. After surgery the dr told me and my husband that he is very lucky because he had one of the rarest conditions possible called Ayman’s hernia. This is where he had a hernia that irritated his appendix causing it to rupture. Then his intestines became surrounded by pus that cause his genital region to swell. He is in day two after surgery. I thank God that he survived. This is truly a miracle. Hope you are feeling better and thank you for sharing your story.
Amber, I wish your son well in his recovery. That is fortunate that it was caught on time.
Glad that you are getting better. I walked around with a raptured appendix for ten days thinking that I am recovering from a really bad case of food poisoning. I spent two weeks in hospital hooked up to IVs 24/7 in both arms and hands. I have to wait for another 2 months until everything heals so that they can perform the surgery and remove anything that may be left over.
So yes, any stomach pain should be taken seriously and be examined! 🙂
my son went into the hospt. with an ependics ruptured they kept him in loma linda hospt for 5 days with an iv and treated him with antibiotics sent him home told me it could happen again if it does bring him back and they would operate right away. it was a new study about some marines where they didnt need to operate i didnt know my son was the ginny pig .well were home so far so good with no op on him . have my fingers crossed.
keep an eye on him for sure.
I had posted a while back about my 23 yr old son with the appendix that caused a hernia(Amyand’s hernia) WE ended up back in the hospital for another week because he had developed SEPSIS! Im sure yall know this is extremely deadly. I am proud to say that God has finally healed him and he celebrated his 2nd birthday today.
Amber, that is great news to hear.
I think one important thing to note is why your appendix ruptured in the first place. People use to think that the appendix was not important and useless but in fact it really is. It is there to neutralize toxins that flow backwards from the colon. This is typically a sign of severe constipation (being backed up) and being overly toxic. It is best to cut out all processed foods and sugars from your diet and allow your body to detox naturally and safely.
Back on 9/10 my husband and I went to the walk in clinic because he had something in his eye that made his eye swell up. I had been feeling lower right ab pain but just thought it was the flu that had been going around while sitting in the room with my husband the doctor noticed that I was really pale and she asked me if I was ok I told her about my ab pain and that I had been having it for a little over two days now she then asked me to stand up and try to bend over and touch my toe’s I tried to bend over but could not my eyes teared up and I started shaking from the pain. The Dr. then had one of her nurses take me to the hospital which was right behind the clinic in a wheel chair once at the hospital since I hadn’t had an appetite and had not eaten anything all day took me immeditaly into a CT scan where the results had come back within 45minutes showing my appedix had ruptured I was up in a room before 11:00 pm that night. My husband had come over to the hospital after receiving some cream for his eye finding that I was going up to a room went home to get me some clothes and other things by the time he come back I was already in bed with IV’s hooked up with two different antibiotics flowing through my veins oh not to mention the pain meds. I was to go into surgery on 9/11 @ 11:30 am ended up having surgery @ 9am. Now two months after surgery I am having pain in my upper left abdomin which the Dr. told me is scar tissue, it’s a burning tearing feeling. I now and then feel nasauses with vomiting and if I vomit through out the day my incision will start to hurt and cramping in my right lower abdomin. I am 36yrs old have two children through natural child birth with no pain medication since I wanted my children to come out alert and not groggy due to pain medication that was given to me since my open appendectomy I have been ill and not the same. I’m not sure what to do
Lynetter, thanks for sharing. I sincerely hope you get well soon.
I found your story on the internet after searching for “ruptured appendix” — you have a good Page Rank on the topic 🙂
I too am a former Marine who started getting cramps and nausea on a Saturday even. I attributed it too a night of heavy drinking on Friday, but on Sunday, the pain was worse and felt like stomach flu. I seemed to have to urinate frequently and painfully. I attributed the sharp pains in my gut to the violent dry heaves from the night before.
Monday morning I could barely stand up. Like other posters, I had no BM, vomited saliva and was feverish. My wife took me to the ER. I suspected appendicitis but was more worried about liver issues, gallstones, or ulcer.
The young doctor at the urgent pushed on the right side of the gut, found one tender spot that indicates appendix issues, and sent me to ER. I finally got some painkillers and felt ok for once.
I got the ct-scan, and they found a ruptured appendix. Surgery and 4 days in the hospital, the last one being Thanksgiving. I thought I would die in that dump. Many of the nurses just let me suffer in the unmade bed, took their time getting painkillers, and lazy. A few were great, but it was my worst time in the hospital, Orange Coast Memorial.
At one point I was short of breath while 2 inept nurses where tearing off my dressings like velcro. It was then that I thought I may not get out of there alive, and thought of calling 911 to get a transfer. I was having a serious panic attack. The bloating and cramps were excruciating.
I write this at 4 in the morning, the night after I was discharged. I too have the enlarged genitals that another writer mentioned, so I want to Google that next.
Good info, thanks for sharing. Bottom line, if you get weird cramps on the lower right side of your gut that keep you up at night, see the doc soon and at least rule out the appendix. This episode makes me never want to go back to a hospital, and I am quitting my 2-cigar/day habit and cutting back the booze.
Semper Fi.
Hi Kevin, that is a horrible story. It was one of the worst experiences of my life. I hope you be well.
I have been out of the hospital for 7 days recouping from surgery for appendix rupture. Doc said he had never seen one so bad. I had gangrene in places. It had evidently ruptured before I had real bad pains. When the pain hit it progressed overnite until I could not move in bed and had to call ambulance because i could not move. I am 57 female and never thought of this happening to really debilitate me. I have had broken bones, two children, migrains, bronchitis attacks, hysterectomy, hemmoraging and never anything that was like this. The hospital responded quickly and after my cat scan I was in surgery in few hours. They did laproscopy and cleansed all the areas as best they could. Doc told me I could have complications up to 2 weeks after. It has been 10 days and I m hoping none.
In the past year I have suffered from what I thought was IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) caused by stress. Had it before and just thought that was what it was. Lots of gurgling in bowels, constipated then not. And two times in the past year I thought I had food poisoning from severe pains in abdomen. Now I know these were probably flags. But like many people I dont have insurance so you dont go get it checked out. Just a heads up to you out there, if you have any pains in stomach or intestines, go get checked no matter what! I was lucky. SOOOOO lucky.
I was so swollen when I got home and miserable. Now Im better but hoping nothing comes back. If I had known this, I would have had them remove my appendix in previous operations!!!! just to be on safe side.
I have read where some of you had trouble catching your breath at times, so did I. Even now I dont have the problem so I figure it was the ongoing problem with my gut. Thank goodness we made it. Pray for better health coverage for those of us who need it.
Mona
I walked around with a ruptured appendix for a YEAR 🙂
My story is kind of similar. The difference is my appendix ruptured and I walked around with it for about 2 years. Yea I know it sounds impossible. Now that I look back on my life I now know the exact day it burst. It was the day of my grandmas funeral. I was in 7th grade. It was the worst pain ever and everyone basically ignored my complaints. I couldn’t even sit up straight. Then the pain went away. For the next 2 years I had the same pain every so often an it would last a few mins then it would go away completly. Finally in 10th grade I started getting the pain more often and one day I got a fever of 104%. I went to the hospital and got emergency surgury. When I woke up the doctor said he had never seen anything like it in his life. He said it looked like it had been ruptured for years and scare tissue had built around the infection, keeping it from spreading throughout my body. This was when I realized what the pains I were have for the last few years were from. Also this long term infection caused me to have crohns disease which I have had two surgerys from since and resulted in a lifetime of problems. So you are kind of lucky to just have had to go through problems for a short period of time. My appendix ruptured when I was 13 and I am 23 now and still dealing with it.
Wow. that is amazing!
I have had abdominal pain and bloating on and off for years. This past summer, the pain became unbearable and I went to the emergency room. Since my sister had a ruptured appendix that almost killed her and she never had the classic symptoms that the doctors usually look for, I informed the ER doctor about the family history and told her to check my appendix. She refused a CT scan and sent me back home saying it might be “a pulled muscle”. On January 4, I again had acute abdominal pain and I was throwing up as well. I did not want to return to the ER because I thought they would send me back home without a diagnosis. Well, this time I had a ruptured appendix and a huge infection all through the abdominal cavity that traveled well into my liver. They performed surgery right away and the pain after the surgery was excruciating. I stayed in the hospital for seven days without any food or water and throwing up every day five to six times per day. I lost 12 pounds, which for me is way too much and I went back home feeling very, very weak. Four days after being at home, I had intense pain on my shoulders and torso and I was gasping for air. When I went back to see my surgeon, the nurse said that it was anxiety (the gasping for air). This time, I took a more aggressive stand (which I should have done in the summer – I am convinced my appendix was inflamed back then and I could have had a simple appendectomy in the summer rather than a burst appendix/ huge infection that I had in January) and I DEMANDED an x-ray as I was convinced I had pneumonia. My surgeon ordered the x-ray and indeed, I was diagnosed with pneumonia. The shoulder and torso pain kept me sitting up for three nights and the surgeon said that if it did not go away I would need another CT scan to make sure there was no secondary infection (he said the pain was a result of the “ugly, ugly” infection that I had. Luckily the pain went away after three days of torture. The whole ordeal took four weeks. I am a very fit person and can’t wait to go back to exercising again. These days I am taking it easy, walking, working and watching movies. I think it might take a few more weeks for me to be back to my exercise routine. I think that the people who wrote here about the evils of socialized medicine don’t know have experience with it. My family lives in a country where a system of socialized medicine exists and I am always happy to know that my mom is very well taken care of. What I find horrifying is that people in the USA lose their medical insurance when they lose their job. We just had someone from my work who became sick and was absent quite often. As a result, she was fired and is now sick and with no health insurance. That is a lot worse than having bad luck with the socialized medicine system (which, by the way, can happen in private, very expensive hospitals as well). At least, with socialized medicine everyone has access to care. My neighbor just came back from Italy, where he fainted at the beach and hit his head badly. An ambulance came to get him and he was taken to a hospital where the doctor spent 45 minutes taking care of him. When he asked for the bill, the hospital staff looked at him surprised and told him that it was free. Free care for tourists and locals happens in quite a few European countries that have far fewer resources than the USA (Italy, France, Spain and Germany that I know of). I think taking care of people regardless of their finances is something to be proud of! And by the way, the countries above mentioned all have higher longevity rates than the USA, in part thanks to socialized medicine AND the countries also spend less money per person in health care (I am not sure how but I have read the statistics and the USA spends a lot of money in health care.)