What does appendicitis pain feel like? From sharp stabbing to excruciating cramps. 13 people share their personal stories of dealing with appendicitis.

Appendicitis Pain: 13 People Share Their Experiences

Dealing with mysterious abdominal pain can be a daunting and concerning experience. One of the potential culprits behind such discomfort is appendicitis – the inflammation of the appendix. Appendicitis can present itself in various ways, often making it challenging to diagnose. To shed light on this condition, we’ve gathered firsthand accounts from 13 individuals who have encountered appendicitis.

The Telltale Signs of Appendicitis

Appendicitis is characterized by pain in the lower right quadrant of the abdomen, often accompanied by nausea, bloating, and potentially a fever or vomiting. However, the initial symptoms may not always be so straightforward. “The gut nerves really only tell you a general area of where something is wrong,” explains Dr. Kyle Staller, a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. “When something’s angry in that area where your appendix is, people actually feel discomfort around their belly button.”

As the appendix continues to swell, the pain may then migrate down to the lower abdomen, signaling that the appendix is irritating the abdominal wall. This is when the body’s distress signals become more pronounced, urging the person to seek medical attention.

The Agonizing Pain of Appendicitis

Many of the individuals who shared their experiences described the appendicitis pain as excruciating, with one person likening it to “knives mercilessly carving up my insides.” The pain was often sudden, intense, and unrelenting, leaving them curled up in agony and unable to find any position for relief.

Lauren, a 25-year-old, recounted her experience: “It hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to cancel my plans because I was curled up in a ball on my bed in the fetal position trying to find an angle to position my body that would give me a moment of reprieve. Nothing worked.”

Distinguishing Appendicitis from Other Ailments

One of the challenges with appendicitis is that the initial symptoms can be easily mistaken for other common gastrointestinal issues, such as food poisoning or menstrual cramps. This often leads people to second-guess the severity of their condition and delay seeking medical attention.

As Laura, another individual who experienced appendicitis, noted, “I thought, ‘What if my pain threshold was just low, and this was nothing more than a bad stomachache?'” This hesitation can be dangerous, as a ruptured appendix can lead to life-threatening complications.

The Importance of Seeking Prompt Medical Care

When dealing with persistent and unexplained abdominal pain, it’s crucial to seek prompt medical attention, even if the symptoms don’t align perfectly with the textbook description of appendicitis. As Dr. Michael Klein, a trauma surgeon at NYU Langone Health, explains, “Once in a while we see this in the emergency room. A patient will come to us in excruciating pain, and all of a sudden out of nowhere, the symptoms go away. Usually this is an indication to the care team that your appendix has ruptured.”

Ignoring the warning signs can have serious consequences, as a ruptured appendix can lead to severe infections and potentially life-threatening complications. Seeking medical attention promptly is the best way to ensure a successful outcome and avoid these risks.

Navigating the Appendicitis Journey

The personal accounts shared by these 13 individuals highlight the challenges and uncertainty that can come with appendicitis. From the initial confusion over the source of the pain to the eventual realization that something more serious was happening, their stories illustrate the importance of trusting one’s instincts and not dismissing persistent or severe abdominal discomfort.

By understanding the varied presentation of appendicitis and the potential for complications, individuals can be better equipped to advocate for their health and seek timely medical intervention when needed. The insights provided in these firsthand accounts can serve as a valuable resource for those facing similar experiences in the future.

What Does Appendicitis Pain Feel Like? 13 People Share Their Experiences

Having a horrible stomachache or mysterious abdominal pain is never fun. And it’s even less fun when you’re sitting there curled up in a ball mildly panicking and googling your symptoms, unsure if it’s just horrible gas, nasty period cramps, a bout of food poisoning, or something more severe—like appendicitis.

Appendicitis just means inflammation of the appendix, which is “a vestigial, meaning not useful, cone-shaped organ that we have hanging off the right side of the colon,” Kyle Staller, M.D., M.P.H., a gastroenterologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, tells SELF. The cause of appendicitis isn’t always clear. In many cases, the appendix gets clogged up, like with a fecalith (a hard mass of poop), causing it to become swollen and infected, Dr. Staller explains.

An infected appendix is notoriously painful and uncomfortable—and it also can turn into a potentially life-threatening medical emergency if you don’t treat it quickly.

The telltale symptoms of appendicitis include pain on the right side of the lower abdomen (that typically feels worse if you move around), nausea, bloating, and possibly a fever and/or vomiting, according to the Mayo Clinic.

You may not have that textbook, localized pain off the bat, however. “The gut nerves really only tell you a general area of where something is wrong,” Dr. Staller explains. “When something’s angry in that area where your appendix is, people actually feel discomfort around their belly button.”

Generally, a person will first feel sick and notice that pain near the belly button—but these initial symptoms may be tough to distinguish from a typical stomachache, so people often wait it out, Dr. Staller says. Then, as the appendix continues to swell, it will start to irritate the wall of the abdomen, which is when the pain will usually migrate down to the lower part of the abdomen where the appendix is located, and your body will pretty much start telling you, “S. O.S.!”

If your appendix ruptures, you might actually feel a sensation of relief. “Once in a while we see this in the emergency room. A patient will come to us in excruciating pain, and all of a sudden out of nowhere, the symptoms go away,” Michael Klein, M.D., trauma surgeon and assistant professor of surgery at NYU Langone Health, tells SELF. “Usually this is an indication to the care team that your appendix has ruptured. So although a patient with a ruptured appendix might feel relief and think, ‘Oh, maybe this was a bad cramp,’ the physician will still want to confirm you don’t have untreated appendicitis.”

A ruptured appendix is a potentially life-threatening complication of appendicitis—which is why you want to rule out appendicitis as quickly as possible, before this happens. “When it ruptures it can cause very serious infections,” Dr. Klein says. “You never can predict when an infected appendix is going to rupture, so surgically removing the appendix before it ruptures is the best form of treatment. ” (Patients do respond to antibiotics in many appendicitis cases, Dr. Staller notes, but there’s always the chance of recurrence and potential complications down the line if you do delay surgery.)

The truth is, if you are dealing with appendicitis, you will most likely know. Just ask these 13 people, many of whom went through a bit of hesitation and confusion about their symptoms, but eventually hit a point where they knew they were not dealing with run-of-the-mill stomach pains.

1. “It felt like knives mercilessly carving up my insides.” —Lauren, 25

“A few months ago, I came home from work on a Friday with plans to meet up with friends that evening, and the pain came out of nowhere. It hit me like a ton of bricks. I had to cancel my plans because I was curled up in a ball on my bed in the fetal position trying to find an angle to position my body that would give me a moment of reprieve. Nothing worked.

“I had always heard that lower right abdominal pain was the classic sign of an appendicitis, but my pain was a sharp and persistent stabbing below my belly button, before moving to the right. Having suffered ovarian cysts in the past, I also considered that possibility, but again, the placement seemed off. The pain never let up or dulled in the slightest. It felt like knives mercilessly carving up my insides. I couldn’t believe how fast I went from feeling absolutely fine to writhing in agonizing pain and crying. I was worried that I was overreacting and being a baby about it. I thought, What if my pain threshold was just low, and this was nothing more than a bad stomachache?

“So after a good four or so hours of nonstop pain, to the point of tears, I bit the bullet and went to the ER. The last place I wanted to spend my Friday night was in the hospital, especially if it was for nothing, but I couldn’t take it anymore. I was seen within 10 minutes of arriving. Sure enough, they told me I had appendicitis and needed surgery. I had a laparoscopic appendectomy the next morning that took less than an hour to complete. I was released the same day, a few hours later. The whole ordeal took less than 24 hours.”

2. “I was so doubled over in stabbing pain that it took a couple of staff in the ER to ‘uncurl’ me so they could examine me.” —Alena, 43

“I was having breakfast with a friend and had what seemed like a nagging stomachache. I was 23 at the time. I was never prone to digestive problems, or any health problems at that point, so I figured it would go away. As the day progressed, it got worse. I went to the theater to see a show in the evening with some friends. I was in a lot of pain and mused about going to the hospital until someone suggested it could be gas. By intermission, I simply couldn’t sit in a chair anymore with the pain so I went home and straight to bed. I still thought it would pass.

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“This sounds ridiculous, but around midnight, my roommate came home and I was lying in my robe on the linoleum kitchen floor to keep cool, because I was sweating with pain, and still I refused his offer to take me to the hospital. Finally, by about 2 A.M., I drove myself to the hospital. I didn’t want to wake my roommate to take me or call an ambulance, and I couldn’t bear to wait any longer than necessary. I hobbled into the ER and said, ‘I’ll be embarrassed if this is gas, but I think something is really wrong.’

“I was so doubled over in stabbing pain that it took a couple of staff in the ER to ‘uncurl’ me so they could examine me. They did an ultrasound and ran some other tests and informed me that I was going in for emergency surgery to remove my appendix. I had just started dating someone new who I really liked at that time. My very naive 23-year-old self said to the surgeon, ‘Can we do it later this week? I have a date tomorrow.’ He laughed out loud and said, ‘You have a date with me!’

“The surgery and the whole experience really pulled the rug out from under me. I had never experienced pain like that. 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.”

3. “At first it would come in waves, then at some point the pain intensified and didn’t leave.” —Justin, 25

“I was 18 and going on college trips, deciding which school I wanted to go to. 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.

“I was staying in a hotel with my uncle, and I spent the whole night in pain and with a fever. 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.

“The closest thing I could compare the pain to is the feeling a person gets when they get hit in the testicles. It’s a sharp pain that doesn’t go away, and it especially hurts when you apply pressure to the appendix area.”

4. “It feels like someone is stabbing you, twisting the knife and going deeper and deeper into your stomach, for days.” —Kendall, 28

“I’ve had appendicitis four times. 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 2016 in New York City, where my appendix was thought to be completely removed. I had a second appendectomy in Boston in the spring of 2018. Between 2016 and 2018, I was admitted into the hospital two other times too.

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“The first time, I woke up one morning with pain that felt like gas bubbles. 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.

“I’ve never been in labor but I can definitely say appendicitis is the most severe pain I’ve ever experienced thus far. 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.”

5. “I felt the worst pain in my stomach—like someone was stabbing me. I couldn’t move my body.” —Angelique, 24

“Two weeks before my big move-in day for my first year at university, I started to feel excruciating pains in my stomach. I thought they were just cramps. This was particularly interesting because I typically don’t experience cramps when I’m menstruating. 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.

“On my move day, I felt the worst pain in my stomach—like someone was stabbing me. I couldn’t move my body. I’m a pretty tough gal, so I wouldn’t let that stop me, and my mom and I were caravanning the seven hours from my hometown to my university. 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.

“After three hours of waiting in the ER, the physicians found that my white blood cells were three times higher than normal. They did a CT scan and [determined the issue was] my appendix. They put me under that night, before it burst. [The operation] only took 30 minutes. I was weak for the next month or so and also ordered not to drink alcohol, coffee, or spicy food.”

6. “I looked fine on the outside, but the scans showed a mess internally.” —Heidi, 46

“My case was unusual. 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. I felt excruciating, sharp pains on my right lower side. As we traveled through Turkey on a bus later in the trip, going over cobblestone roads and bumps was painful. It wasn’t until about two weeks later that I got home and saw a doctor.

“By the time I got home, the pain had gone down to almost nothing, but I knew something wasn’t right—so I pushed doctors to figure out what was wrong. It took about a week of tests before they gave me the CT scan to figure out what happened—and they were shocked when they found a burst appendix. I looked fine on the outside, but the scans showed a mess internally.

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“They decided the best route was to give me heavy antibiotics. I was in the hospital for four days, and they released me with two more weeks of antibiotics. About six weeks after the original hospital stint, I went back in to have the abscess and remains of the appendix removed. There was a good bit of scar tissue that had formed from the burst that also had to be removed.”

7. “I felt an intense pain in my lower abdomen, and then it subsided and became more of a dull pain, more in my lower right side.” —Challee, 31

“I just had my appendix removed in June. It was a Saturday afternoon when I felt an intense pain in my lower abdomen, and then it subsided and became more of a dull pain, more in my lower right side. Since I didn’t have other symptoms of appendicitis (e.g. nausea or vomiting) and I was still able to walk, I waited until Monday to go see my doctor.

“After examining me, she sent me straight to the ER. After doing several tests and blood samples, I had emergency surgery at 4 A.M. on Tuesday. I spent the rest of Tuesday in the hospital recovering, and at 6 P.M. they discharged me. I had the surgery laparoscopically, and the recovery time was about two weeks. The recovery wasn’t terrible, as this was my second laparoscopic procedure; I had my gallbladder removed three years prior.”

8. “I thought that maybe I had gone too far during a workout and damaged some muscle.” —Luke, 27

“I had appendicitis when I was 20. The first thing I noticed was that my abs felt really sore, but no other muscles or parts of the body did. I’m an athlete, so if anything, I thought that maybe I had gone too hard during a workout and damaged some muscle. But as time went on, the area of the soreness shrunk and localized. Soreness became pain, and I had difficulty sitting up. I vaguely remember a burning sensation. Of course I turned to the internet, and all my symptoms seemed to line up with appendicitis.

“I was visiting my parents in Toronto at the time and thought I’d sleep it off. After pretty much laying in bed not sleeping because of the pain all night, I woke my dad around 6 A.M. and said that I thought I had appendicitis. We headed to the hospital shortly after and went through all the hoops of being an American navigating Canadian health care.

“Surgery went smoothly, no issues. I have three small incision points, each about an inch wide, and minor scarring. Healing largely required rest, also to let the incisions heal. After a few weeks I was able to run and start moving again, and any post-surgery symptoms wore off relatively soon after. It really wasn’t that bad!”

9. “It felt like there was an inflated balloon in my abdomen—and I had that classic localized, constant, dull, throbbing pain on my lower right side.” —Julia, 27

“Over fall break of my senior year of college, I woke up and needed to start getting ready for work, as my sorority sister was picking me to carpool. But I remember laying in bed with just this feeling of overall malaise. My stomach hurt like I was having gas. I got so nauseous that I threw up laying in my bed. It felt like there was an inflated balloon in my abdomen—and I had that classic localized, constant, dull, throbbing pain on my lower right side. It was more uncomfortable than painful.

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“I called mom and she told me to have my friend take me to an urgent care. I walked into urgent care and they sent me over to the ER pretty much right away. You know it must be bad when you get to cut the waiting room line.

“I had to chug this horrendous big gulp of what I would describe as Satan’s piss prior to the CT scan. Shortly after, a surgeon came in and told me I had appendicitis and would be in surgery ASAP. I started crying in fear. I had never been to the ER before or had a surgery like this. Hearing those words was very surreal, especially when you’re without family.

“Recovery was long and uncomfortable. You don’t realize how much you use your core until you have it cut into. It’s the oddest sensation. I honestly can’t describe it, but have you ever eaten so much you literally cannot stand up straight to walk? Seriously, that’s sort of what the recovery felt like. I felt tight and full. Simple things like sitting up from laying down required a friend to help.”

10. “It felt like someone stuck a knife in my side and slowly pushed harder every 30 minutes.” —Alex, 26

“I first noticed slight abdominal pain, almost like gas pains, that started to severely increase. To be honest, I thought it was something I had eaten for lunch, or constipation. But as the pain got worse, it started to align with the horror stories of appendicitis I had heard. It felt like someone stuck a knife in my side and slowly pushed harder every 30 minutes. After about five hours of pain I realized it wasn’t going away and I needed to seek medical care ASAP. Of course looking back on it, I’m realizing I probably waited way too long.

“I learned I did have appendicitis, and my appendix ruptured. But based on my doctor’s recommendation, I did not have my appendix removed once it was ruptured. Big mistake. I didn’t ask as many questions as I should have. I was treated in the hospital for three days until I was cleared to leave. Then, I had outpatient surgery two weeks later. The laparoscopy was seamless, and, years later, I can barely see any visible evidence that this happened.

“My advice would be, when you feel discomfort in your abdomen for more than an hour, I would seek medical assistance quickly. Alert your friends and family, and get to the emergency room (not a local walk-in clinic) ASAP. Also, you can never ask the doctor too many questions.”

11. “At first it felt like indigestion. But it increased rather drastically, and I got to a point where I couldn’t even stand up.” —Sami, 26

“The pain was super erratic, and at first it felt like indigestion. But it increased rather drastically, and I got to a point where I couldn’t even stand up. I had a complete loss of appetite and was feeling very fatigued. I was 22 and in college at the time, and luckily my dad is a doctor. When the pain started to become more severe I FaceTimed him. He had me poke my stomach in different spots, and as soon as I pointed to the pain in my lower abdominal area, he told me I needed to go to the hospital immediately.

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“When I was in the hospital and they were running tests, the pain was so bad that they had to put me on a morphine drip. During the procedure, they also noticed that I had an ovarian cyst that had ruptured around the same time.

“The scarring was very minimal, and the healing process was fine. It definitely felt like my stomach was tight because of the surgery and scars, but the stitches dissolved, so that was easy.”

12. “It was genuinely the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life—it hurt to breathe, walk, even speak.” —Eliza, 25

“I had been having stomach issues for a few years. I had also been in Thailand for two weeks, and my diet was super out of whack and I was on my period. So I thought I was either experiencing the worst cramps of my life or that I had caught a virus while I was away.

“After returning from Thailand, I went to a black tie gala with my family and stayed seated while my family danced and enjoyed the night. When everyone asked if I was feeling alright, I just chalked it up to jet lag. The following morning, my mom heard me downstairs hysterically crying in the family room and unable to move. I described the pain, and my dad eventually rushed me to the hospital.

“It felt like someone was trying to stab me from the inside of my stomach. It was genuinely the worst pain I’ve ever felt in my life—it hurt to breathe, walk, even speak. Before my surgery, I asked a billion questions: How many of these procedures had they done? How many years had they been doing this? Had they ever killed someone? At this point my anxiety was really at the forefront.

“Once I was in the recovery area of the hospital and awake, the surgeon came in to let me know that I had been dealing with a recurrent appendicitis, and I may have been having flare-ups for the last couple of years.”

13. “I felt intense waves of nausea, like I really needed to throw up, but nothing was happening.” —Angelina, 26

“I had appendicitis when I was 22. I remember that I just could not fall asleep because I was so nauseous. I was tossing and turning for hours as the nausea got worse and worse. I first thought it was a hangover as I was laying there trying to go to sleep (I had gone out drinking that night, oops). As the nauseous feeling got worse, I knew something worse was going on because it was like nothing I ever felt before. I started having pain in the lower right side of my abdomen specifically—it was sensitive to the touch—and I was so nauseous but I wasn’t vomiting.

“I had been alternating between laying in my bed and on the bathroom floor. I felt intense waves of nausea, like I really needed to throw up but nothing was happening. So I started looking up symptoms online. I know it’s usually bad to self-diagnose, but at around 5 A.M. I just knew it couldn’t be anything else, since my symptoms fit all the descriptions of appendicitis online so closely.

“The surgery was smooth, and my recovery took almost no time at all. The worst part of it was that you have certain restrictions on what you can eat, including fruits and vegetables. Someone sent me a get well gift of Shari’s Berries, chocolate covered, and I couldn’t eat them.”

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Related:

• How to Tell if Your Appendix Legit Might Burst or if It’s Just a Bad Stomachache
• John Mayer Has Been Hospitalized for an Emergency Appendectomy
• Gastroenterologists Share 7 Things to Do When You Have Painful Gas

Isabel’s Appendicitis Story | Wolfson Children’s

San Marco’s Gina and Scott Schimpff felt fortunate that their three children were pretty healthy most of the time. While their daughter Isabel was born with progressive hearing loss, and that has led to some challenges, the Schimpffs have rarely needed pediatric medical services. Still, says Gina, one of the reasons they moved into a home in San Marco was, in part, to be closer to the area’s only children’s hospital.

Just three days after she turned 10 this past May, Isabel was sent home early from school because she was feeling sick to her stomach. Since her daughter was so rarely ill, Gina called the pediatrician. Although it seemed to be a clear-cut case of a stomach virus, when Isabel’s symptoms worsened, her doctor sent her straight to the Wolfson Children’s Emergency Center.

“They took her back right away once we arrived,” remembered Gina. “They had to push on her abdomen to help determine the cause of her symptoms and even then, Isabel said her pain level was only a five out of 10. The doctor said most kids would’ve jumped off the table, but she didn’t.”

Isabel’s pediatric emergency medicine physician ordered an ultrasound, which was read right away by a pediatric radiologist with Nemours Children’s Health, Jacksonville, which helped confirm doctors’ suspicions that she was suffering from acute appendicitis. Isabel was taken right away to the Wolfson Children’s OR for an appendectomy.

Only as Isabel was being prepared for surgery did the Schimpffs learn that their neighbor, Daniel Robie, MD, chief of Pediatric General Surgery for Nemours Children’s and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, would perform her procedure.

“He was surprised to see us, too, but he recognized her name!” said Gina. “Isabel was super anxious about having surgery until she saw Dr. Robie. It also helped that the nurses told her what to expect. Isabel is really smart, and if you tell her what you’re doing, she’ll be OK with it. Because she’s hearing-impaired and does a great job lip-reading, it was important that the surgical team make eye contact with her so she could understand what they were saying.”

Dr. Robie removed Isabel’s inflamed appendicitis before it ruptured. She was admitted to Wolfson Children’s Hospital overnight as a precaution, but was feeling so well the next day that she was discharged at 9 am.

Appendicitis is the most common acute surgical condition in children, and among kids ages 10-17 years of age, it results in rupture 10-20% of the time. Children with ruptured appendicitis are at risk for a severe intra-abdominal infection and small bowel obstruction, and can have a prolonged hospital stay of several weeks or more.

While the condition itself poses some risk, so does the associated radiation that may come with the diagnosis at many U.S. ERs. Robert DeFlorio, MD, a pediatric radiologist with Nemours Children’s and Wolfson Children’s, said that appendicitis is not easy to diagnose since “the symptoms aren’t always obvious. While nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain can indicate appendicitis, these symptoms also can indicate other abdominal conditions. That’s where accurate diagnostic imaging makes the difference, particularly in kids.”

The appendix is a tubular structure that is normally less than 7mm in diameter. It may not even be visible when it’s not inflamed. Even if it is infected, the appendix can be hidden behind other abdominal structures. While ultrasound is not easy to use as a diagnostic tool for appendicitis, in the experienced hands of a pediatric sonographer and pediatric radiologist, it can help kids avoid a CT scan and accompanying radiation exposure.

“What many people may not be aware of is that radiation is cumulative,” said Dr. DeFlorio. “That’s especially important in children because, while there are clear benefits to the diagnostic accuracy of pediatric imaging tests like CT scans in some cases, there is also some risk, particularly over a child’s lifetime. Parents and clinicians want to avoid radiation exposure to children whenever possible. That’s where pediatric expertise and experience become factors.”

Dr. Robie said Wolfson Children’s Hospital’s “Safe and Sound” initiative, which he is leading, is not only helping kids avoid CT scans, but it’s doing so without sacrificing accurate diagnosis of appendicitis. That means kids avoid unnecessary surgery.

“Through our initiative, we compared the outcomes of children who came through the Wolfson Children’s Emergency Center with abdominal pain to other ERs and to national quality benchmarks set by the American College of Surgeons’ and American Pediatric Surgical Association’s National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP),” he said. “Many community ERs across the country are evaluating pediatric patients with possible appendicitis primarily through CT scans, exposing them to unnecessary radiation despite safer, accurate and less costly clinical and radiographic alternative. We’re making progress in using ultrasound first, not going right to CT, and that is safest for kids.”

As the only not-for-profit children’s hospital in Northeast Florida, Wolfson Children’s Hospital relies on the generous support of moms and dads, grandmas and grandpas, and others who care deeply about the health and well-being of kids in our region. You can help by making a secure online gift or by calling 904. 202.2919.

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How I got to the hospital with appendicitis

This text was written in the Community, it retains the author’s style and spelling

Anonymous

I am 21 years old. I study at the Pedagogical University, I work part-time at the school. My story began with the fact that on a weekday morning I woke up with a pain in my stomach. There was no temperature, but an hour later the pain intensified, and the temperature still rose.

How I was diagnosed

I called an ambulance, which came and took me away with suspected appendicitis. They brought me to 1 hospital in our city. The surgeon sent for examination. I went through everything, returned to him and heard: “I don’t see anything serious, you most likely just have colic.” That’s all. He gave me an anesthetic injection and sent me home.

At home, after a couple of hours, the temperature rose to 38.5°C. I called the ambulance again, but upon arrival they shrugged their hands with the words “We can take them away and check the kidneys. ” I didn’t care because of the pain and I agreed. “If only the pain would stop” – all that was spinning in my head.

I was taken to another hospital. They examined me for 1.5 hours, although for an hour out of this time I just sat in the corridor. As a result, they said: “The kidneys are clean. It could be the right ovary. Go again to 1 hospital to see a gynecologist.” It’s already evening, but what to do. I called a taxi and went to the gynecologist on my own.

The 1st hospital gynecologist, a nice lady, examined me and said, “You have appendicitis, but let’s check.” She took me through all the examinations, collected them and took me practically by the hand to the surgeon, because I almost didn’t have the strength to go on my own from the pain. And, lo and behold, the surgeon who looked at me in the morning left the examination room in front of my eyes and another came in to take his place. He took my papers, studied them, then examined me and almost immediately said: “You have appendicitis, are you going to bed?”

How was the operation

The next couple of hours I was operated on. The surgeon entered the operating room with the phrase: “I bet you a hundred that you don’t have appendicitis?”. Carbon monoxide man, it’s a pity that I was already almost under anesthesia then.

During the rehabilitation period, the doctors silently walked and examined, they didn’t really ask anything. They didn’t even think about changing the bandage. On the 3rd day, I went myself and asked in the dressing room to change it, as unpleasant sensations began.

How it all ended

As a result, I spent 6 days in the hospital and 3 weeks on sick leave, because it turned out that a woman with covid was lying in the hospital in the ward, the result was isolation and a test. During the last examination, the doctor spoke to me, explained everything and told me to get ready for discharge.

Everything was running smoothly at the polyclinic. The surgeon was a good woman, she listened to everything and answered all my questions. All treatment was free, since the hospital was state-owned, but I still spent 600 R in a pharmacy on medicines “for colic”, and brilliant green was at home.

Now I live as before, everything is fine. Only small scars on the stomach remind of the past. Thanks to this story, I realized that in life you need to go ahead if you think it is necessary. Thanks to the doctors who work in state institutions and do it in good conscience. I tried and will try to do the same in my work.

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Surgery to remove the appendix (appendectomy) – “Appendicitis: signs and my story. New surgery two months later, due to a nurse’s mistake.”

Greetings to all readers!

Today I would like to talk about appendicitis, its preconditions, signs, consequences after surgery.

Appendicitis — inflammation of the appendix of the caecum (appendix) of varying severity. One of the most common abdominal diseases requiring surgical treatment.

Background:

It was July 27, 2017, it was a beautiful sunny day and we spent all of it with my family walking around the city, then we went to a local proven cafe bought pizza and rolls, and joyful and full went for a walk, and on the 28th a trip to a travel agency was planned to buy a ticket to the sea. Nothing foreshadowed trouble…

Time 23.00 I remember how now I switch channels on the TV I stop at TNT and a sharp pain in the abdomen, to be more precise in the lower abdomen, paroxysmal and constant, all over the abdomen, not only in the right side, then due to severe spasm, single vomiting, temperature 37.1 and we immediately think that I have poisoning (if it weren’t for rolls in the summer, poisoning would have been ruled out right away), other family members are normal.

I’m trying to sleep, but all in vain, at 3 o’clock we call an ambulance, they take me to the gynecologist, although I visited the gynecologist 4 days ago, but the procedure is as follows, they send me to the gynecologists for surgery, I enter the Vologda Vodnikovskaya hospital at the surgical department, the doctor examined, I pressed my stomach, decided to leave it in the hospital for the night, I was lying down, it seemed to be easier (maybe from fear, or because of lack of sleep), in the morning they did an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity, they took blood, even the manager examined it, decided all the same gynecology (well, how so I was there), they are discharged at one o’clock in the afternoon, I go by bus 3 stops and I understand that I can’t get there every shaking on the bus hellish pain, I went half way, I call my husband (I didn’t pick it up right away, because I was sitting with a small child), I arrived took me home by car, tried to sign up for an ultrasound in gynecology for a fee, no record, well, I’m waiting for bed, it’s getting worse every hour, at 20. 30 I take my temperature – 40, my husband is taking me to gynecology, I ask for an ultrasound, in the emergency room they do an ultrasound, they say everything is fine, and I quote the doctor: “this is poisoning if you if there was appendicitis, you would not be there anymore, ”then we go to another surgery in the Soviet one, they take a blood test, it’s already impossible to touch the stomach, I sign the papers, the blood shows severe inflammation, and they immediately take me to the operation.

At first they said that I would do a laparoscopy under local anesthesia to make sure that it was appendicitis (they had doubts, since I was discharged from the first hospital and enough time had already passed), but they change their minds, they do general anesthesia, I fall asleep, wake up in ward, appendicitis was excised.

Signs:

2) fever

3) single vomiting

If you have these symptoms, call an ambulance and do not drink painkiller in any case, so as not to drown out the pain.

I can tell by myself that I used to have stomach pain when I thought it was appendicitis, but I had never experienced such localization and intensity of pain before.

Since a lot of time had passed, appendicitis had to be cut out with a band operation, but laparoscopy also had to be done diagnostic.

After the operation:
First day: it hurts, but anesthetized and injected diphenhydramine, so two days flew by unnoticed.

The operation took place at about 10 pm On July 27 at 11.30 pm I had already recovered from anesthesia and called my relatives.

The drain was removed on the second day. Dressings were done every three days, in the dressing room they immediately asked to buy a sticky bandage, I wrote about it here Bandage sticky Bintley-M, and went for procedures such as electrophoresis for better healing of the suture, on the 5th day I asked to go home on receipt, and already went to remove the stitches on Day 11 to the local surgeon.

After removing the sutures

After the operation, it was painful and scary to get up, but you need to get up so that there is no adhesive process (from the body a day later), you can’t eat for a day after the operation, 5 days of antibiotic injections, on the second day only liquid, and then following a diet to introduce solid food, the stomach was swollen, for about a month there was no sensitivity in the area of ​​​​the seam.

Suture was originally accurate, and those that are practically invisible from laparoscopy, the suture is thin, doctors praise my suture when they look))) I had a sick leave for 1 month, they asked me to write it out faster, they didn’t write it out.

Removing stitches does not hurt at all.

. and visits were not restricted).

The healing went well, the suture healed well, it was small (no more than 5 cm) and not terrible, now it is practically not noticeable at all, just in the photo it is much worse than in real life ,

Suture after 3 years

but three months later I was waiting for a new operation .