Anyone Had Appendicitis?

[Alabasterlyn]

After weeks of having a sore thoat and then a cough the other day I developed what I thought was a stomach bug. The usual stuff of lots of pain, being sick etc.

However it turned out that it was acute appendicitis. I have just got home from the hospital after having it removed and wondered if anyone else has had it and how they felt afterwards? I am having quite severe spasms where my appendix was, kind of like the actual pains I had that were diagnosed as being appendicitis. I am worried that something is wrong, even though the nurses reassured me these symptoms are to be expected.

I did my best to go through the NHS system with this, but having agoraphobia made it impossible in the end. I spent 4hrs in A&E and was then admitted only to have to discharge myself and go to BUPA as I couldn't handle being in a busy ward on the 5th floor of a huge and very tatty hospital. I keep trying to convince myself that having had a consultant perfomorm the procedure rather than someone not as qualified that I am okay, but I'm just so very worried about it.

I'm also worriied that they gave me too much paracetemol and that I'm going to have liver failure.

[Trixie]

Imagine what your bowel must feel like after the surgeon has finished handling it, sore and yes it is probably going into spasms. It will calm down after a while.

You would have been operated on by someone qualified in a NHS hospital, in fact there are some very prominent and knowledgeable surgeons working in the NHS, going private doesn't necessarily mean better.

Why would you have been given too many paracetamol tablets?

[jill]

Hi hun,

I can understand how hard it must have been for you, sitting in hospital for hours, but hun, YOU DID YOUR BEST and decided to go elsewhere, THATS OK. Its over now, YOU DID GREAT

When you are feeling better, it will come, I promise, try and go over your thought pattens while in the NHS hospital, as it has been said, there are great sergons there AND ALL know what there doing, but I allso know, your waiting for along time, Mrs anxiety would have been playing with you, ooohh she a bic* but you did GREAT.

What you are having now is normal hun, I know its dame hard for you hun, but with time, these feeling will pass, your body will mend form the sergery.

What are your concerns with the pain killers? what do you mean, they may have given you too many? Nurses know what they are doing, have they given you some to take home,? do you have concerns on how many you should take a day?

Hun, please, be kind to yourself, put your feet up, rest and in time, your symptoms will pass.

WISHING YOU WELL

LOVE JILLXXX

[samc100]

I've just checked with my OH who has had appendicitis....

He says he was rough for a couple of weeks after the op ( like you it was an emergency not planned op). The spasms are likely to be the muscle area mending itself ( possible re-lining ?) so it will be painful. And it took him longer than expected to be feeling 100%. Now he doesn't have any anxiety issues so you can be extra kind to yourself Lyn - and get your feet up.



Painkillers can help - you can double check with your Dr's on what pain relief you can have. Apparently my OH had 2 different types of pain killers. And as it is temporary don't worry if you are taking the max dosage. Livers are very good at repairing themselves so you'll be fine taking the prescribed meds.

Get lots of rest and try not to fret - you'll get better gradually but appendix is a nasty thing so your body has taken a battering xxx

[Alabasterlyn]

Sorry wasn't trying to imply that the NHS surgeons aren't qualified, just that when you go private you get a consultant and you can't guarantee that on the NHS. If I didn't have agoraphobia I really wouldn't have minded where I had it done.

My concern about the paracetmol is that they gave me some at the hospital on Wednesday and I had already taken some the day before. After my op last night I was given drips of paracetemol as I can't have anything stronger due to other medications I take. I then had 2 further drips of it today, plus 4 tablets and I just started to try and add up in my very fuzzled and tired head how much I had taken over the last 24hrs and I really don't know as I have no idea how much was in the drips. Even the boxes of paracetemol are kind of confusing as they say to take them every 4hrs, but then say not to take more than 8 in day, so if you took 2 tablets every 4hrs you would take too many unless you stopped for 12hrs each day or if you just took 1 at a time and quite honestly I don't find taking 1 tablet has much effect.

My partner thinks I am crazy as I was in a hospital and they would know what they were doing.

[Trixie]

I must be honest and say I am not a Paracetamol lover myself and very rarely take them so I would be worried like you.


Now the 24 hr thing................I think most tablets are 500mg unless you can get 250mg. So say you took 2x 500mg at 10am and another 2 at 2pm you could take another 2x 500mg and 10pm. But then by the time 10am came round again the first 10am would be eliminated from the calculations.

You can only take 8 in 24hrs, so unless you know how many milligrams of paracetamol were in each infusion and how long the time span was between things

Can you not take Ibuprofen?

Hope you are feeling a little better after your op. These appendix are a real pain.

[Alabasterlyn]

As far as I know I can't take Ibuprofen as I am taking an MAOI and I do recall my GP telling me to only take Aspirin or Paracetemol. I usually prefer Aspirin but as I thought I had a stomach bug I took Paracetemol as it's kinder on the stomach.

I haven't taken any painkillers since getting home from the hospital and the pain is no worse not taking them so I will just see how I go.

I just feel really scared now I am home and away from the safety of the hospital. My abdomen was very bloated before the surgery and is more bloated since it and even though I've only eaten a bit of mashed potato and a few bits of ice cream in 4 days I have put on 2lbs in weight! Now I am worrying about that ugh

[Emira7]

Hey

I hope you feel better soon, and you did great getting through that.

I work in the NHS with the surgeons and all the surgeons that perform surgery on the NHS also do private jobs on the side. So really there is no difference at all.

I really hope you feel better soon, that must have been a hugely challenging experience

Emira
x

[Marginalia]

You can always ring the NHS helpline number, if you have worries e.g. about whether to take more paracetamol or not. I always keep the number by my bed just in case - and just having the number there is usually enough, just knowing help is at hand. On occasion I've rang up in a panic and they're usually reassuring (it's a bit hit and miss but you can always ring back and get someone else). Obviously I try not to ring unless I'm totally at the end of my tether, otherwise I'd be on there all the time!

NHS Direct: 0845 4647. The helpline is open 24 hours.

[AtmoLav]

you'll be fine with the paraetemol.

i once had a depressed mate who took 72 in one sitting and washed it down with a bottle of whisky. he wasn't very well at all and spent 2 days in hospital, but the doctors said it takes a hell of a lot more than this in one go to cause liver problems.