Recently whilst at the hospital I had to hear about how Dr’s said, “some people think there is such a thing as a grumbling appendix but I don’t believe it”. I got this off of several Dr’s. It was obvious to me they had no intention of taking on any other information.
I am sharing my experiences so as to help other parents be on top of either themselves or their children, to make sure they get helped as soon as possible. I was one of those that got the massive cut over 5 inches long straight from north to south, as mine was emergency surgury. Most get them on an angle down lower to the right side nice and long also. Nowadays they can go key hole surgury if caught in time and has minimal invasion on the body. They tried to do mine key hole but couldn’t see a thing through all the infection so slice they did.
My Daughters Experience at age 6: Over the last 3-4 weeks my daughter has been complaining of tummy pains on and off. She’s had some days off school here or there and then she would perk up. The first time I took her to the Dr he suggested that I worm our family just in case, but he felt her appendix area and said it’s not sore there so, that’s fine. She was having temperatures on and off also. So time crept on and then, then Tuesday night she got real pail and didn’t eat much dinner and asked to go to bed straight after dinner. In the morning she woke up feeling like throwing up and almost fainted. So I decided to take her to another Dr. When I went I spoke to the Dr how this has been carrying on for a while now. She felt her tummy and couldn’t tell if she was very sore near her appendix or any specific area around her tummy, just tender and said well lets get a wee and poo sample and a blood test. We went straight in to get her blood test and headed home to work on the samples.
Gigi rested and come 6pm my Dr had called me and said that Gigi’s white blood cells were elivated and I should get her to a hospital as it looks to be an appendix. So Toby went and got the referral letter from the Dr’s and I packed a bag for Gigi and I. We then headed to Royal North Shore Hospital because I was told it’s never overly busy there and we should get in quickly, sounded good however, twas not the case.
Finally 4hrs later they took a look at her and the nurse said about getting a urine sample, I mentioned I got one late this afternoon would you like to use that, she said yes and said great and went off to test it. When she came back she said there was blood and cells in the urine so there is definately something wrong. Whilst we were waiting she had a very high temperature. Meanwhile they put in a canula so as to give her fluids since she wasn’t eating and they didn’t want her to eat in case she’d need an operation. The nurse went off to talk to her boss and came back and said we have decided to call in a sonographer to take a look at Gigi’s appendix. This was midnight so by 1am in the morning, she was looked at by the sonographer but she was unable to find her appendix, so we went back to the room and not knowing what was happening next both fell asleep on the bed. In the morning they took more blood tests and found her white blood cells still on the rise. She also had a chest x-ray at night to rule out pneumonia, apparently it can have similar symptoms. They then ruled out an upper urinary infection and then decided it was best to send us to Sydney Children’s, as it turns out Royal North Shore doesn’t operate on appendix’s.
First off they gave her 3 lots of antibiotics and anti throw up stuff. They then got all our test results together and took Gigi off the drip and I drove her over to the Sydney Children’s still with the canula in. When we arrived there we didn’t have to wait for long till we got called through to the first room. There we brushed our teeth whilst waiting, felt so good. Then finally they took us through to get another sonogram. Apparently they are skilled at it here and turns out they were right. She found it in under a minute. I could see it plain as day. It did look enlarged.
When they gave us the result they said it looked enlarged and would take it out, either tonight or in the morning. They found her to be a strange case because she didn’t have a temperature anymore and appeared to be not bad, but she still had such a high blood count of 130 million. Normal ranges are between 5-10 million. Well night came and went and so did the next morning. By night time we figured she wasn’t getting done again and then finally they took her in at 8.10 at night.
The operation went well and they said that it was strange because the appendix wasn’t enlarged, only elongated. They did find traces of infestation inside but nothing to fully identify the problem. When I spoke to my friend Nicole she said her’s was removed after quite a bit of pain and her’s was only elongated also, so what I can gather from that is, an elongated appendix is enough to cause discomfort and the need to remove it. After hers was removed she no longer had the pain so I am hoping that will be the case with my Gigi also. The hospital tested her blood once more and her white blood cells had gone down quite a lot down to 14 million. So I was happy about that. I also am glad it’s something we don’t have to worry about with her anymore.
I noticed she still had blood in her urine so we had them test that before we left also and that came up clear. Sadly it took longer to leave than we would have liked because she got a temperature again thankfully they (Toby and Gigi) got home just in time for dinner Sunday evening. That was a long 5 days.
What Causes Appendicitis?
Appendicitis occurs when the appendix becomes blocked, often by stool, a foreign body, or cancer. Blockage may also occur from infection, since the appendix swells in response to any infection in the body.
What Are the Symptoms of Appendicitis?
The classic symptoms of appendicitis include:
- Dull pain near the navel or the upper abdomen that becomes sharp as it moves to the lower right abdomen. This is usually the first sign.
- Loss of appetite
- Nausea and/or vomiting soon after abdominal pain begins
- Abdominal swelling
- Fever of 99-102 degrees Fahrenheit
- Inability to pass gas
Almost half the time, other symptoms of appendicitis appear, including:
- Dull or sharp pain anywhere in the upper or lower abdomen, back, or rectum
- Painful urination
- Vomiting that precedes the abdominal pain
- Severe cramps
- Constipation or diarrhea with gas
If you have any of the mentioned symptoms, seek medical attention immediately since timely diagnosis and treatment is very important.
My Experience at age 25:
I had been suffering on and off with pains in my abdomen area, and over weeks I became less and less vibrant. I had gone to the Dr with no help. Then one day at work some work mates were teasing me because I was grunting to just bend over because it hurt badly down there, they told me to stop putting it on. I ended up talking to my mother in tears by the late afternoon due to pain and she agreed to meet me at the Dr’s after work and to make an appointment. So I did. We met up and I went to the Dr’s he took a look at me and said he thought I might have an ectopic pregnancy I was tender in the appendix area he advised me to take some blood tests and sent me home. That night when my husband made me dinner I couldn’t even think of eating it and spent part of the evening on the toilet to no success, with a vomit bucket. Finally after my husband talking to my parents and sister-in-law they both said take her to the hospital. To which he did.
I could barely walk and when I came in the doors I got straight through, to my surprise after I’d heard cases of sitting for longer than 6 hrs. I guess I must of looked pretty bad. I took a urine test and they put me in a bed, and started pumping me with morphine. They eventually came back and told me I was pregnant, but that I might have an ectopic pregnancy. Over the next few hours I had several Drs come and give their opinion on what they thought I had. By the time they took my blood count and the results came through, before I knew it I was getting ran down the corridors on the bed and taken into an operating theatre, I was moved onto a tiny bed in the middle of the room and then was put out, everything went dark.
When I woke up, I was informed that my appendix had burst and I almost died, that I have been left open to prevent abyssing. That unfortunately I lost a falopian tube and that my stomach had started to rot, so they had to take out all of the infection first, apparently it was so bad they had to get a ladle to scoop it all out. I was known as ladle lady at the hospital.
After 10 days I was sewn up a day and a half later it tore open and I was back at the hospital. This time they had to do railway stitching, which they said would cause even more scaring. To which it did. I then tore open again and they said we’d have to let it heal on it’s own, and I would have to get cosmetic surgury, after I finished having kids. Since it turned out I was pregnant I could only expect it to get worse per child. I had a nurse coming to the house for a few weeks doing dressings.
It took a good year for the scaring dark red in colour to start to fade. Sadly I had so much scar tissue my stomach it was all lumps and bumps. Eventually I found I person that suggested I get it massaged and it would break it down. That was the best news ever, because I found a sports therapist, who helped me learn exercises to help strengthen my muscles once more and break down all the scar tissue. It was very traumatic for me. An area opn my body I still dislike having to see.
It took three months before I could go back to work and I was very grateful for my dad coming to walk with me each day, as I got stronger to walk once more. I never want my kids to go through that experience.
So when my kids tell me they have tummy pains I try and listen up and do what I can to make sure they get what they need. So there was no way I was going to let Gigi get pushed aside. I was glad I listened to my intuition and followed through with the things she told me. I had a grumbling appendix, they do exist! And turns out so did my daughter.
$1200 a year. So as least I evened out the costs. Please no more bills or upgrades needed for ages……..
