please help im terrified, appendicitis fear

[Jotia]

So this all started last night when i noticed the lower right side of my side of my abdomen was tender, i have been having appendicitis fears all week but this was the most tender it had felt. I started freaking out and poking both sides to see if they hurt, which they did but the right one more. I couldn't sleep and ended up shaking a lot just sitting on my bed, I then had diarrhea. At about 3am i finally fell asleep because i was so tired. I woke up at 10:30 feeling better but with a bruise on the left side where i had been pressing it, i had breakfast and i then went to college, it got to lunch at about 1:30 and i got a slight pain in the lower right of my abdomen, so i started pressing it again. Then i noticed when i push my stomach out it hurts in the lower right, so i spent the rest of the afternoon doing that, its like a cramping pain that spreads down. I got home and felt sick and couldn't eat anything, my mum said it was only hurting because i keep poking it but its getting worse. I have managed to eat something but now its almost 10 and it still hurts, its very tender when I press it and when I push my stomach out it hurts, occasionally i get a little twinch when I move. I just feel sick and shaky and don't want to sleep. I'm convinced its an appendicitis and that i imagined it last night but i have a real one that started at lunch time. I really don't know what to do, im home alone a terrified i will wake up in agony if i sleep.

[axolotl]

I don't think if you have appendicitis you need to poke it to see if it hurts...

[Fishmanpa]

i noticed when i push my stomach out it hurts in the lower right, so i spent the rest of the afternoon doing that.

So you're doing something totally unnatural and it hurts? What do you expect? You'd be sick as a dog if you had appendicitis. Stop poking and prodding and doing unnatural acrobatics with your abdominal muscles and you'll be fine :)

Positive thoughts

[ScaredLizard]

Appendicitis doesn't hurt when you push it. It hurts when you push it and let go and it's not just 'pain I can work through' it's pain that is so bad you want to scream. You would be throwing up and really sick if you have appendicitis.

You've probably hurt your muscles though jabbing at your stomach. Take a deep breath and try to relax and not poke!

Warm Regards

[Jotia]

So I just googled and it says any abdominal tenderness is a medical emergency, now I'm even more terrified.

[Fishmanpa]

So I just googled .

Dragon must be hungry eh? ;) No one here is a medical expert but you're presenting what clearly amounts to an anxiety attack, self checking and googling.

If you're here posting on an anxiety forum and not in the ER, then it's obviously not that bad is it?

Hope you feel better soon!

Positive thoughts

[ScaredLizard]

So I just googled and it says any abdominal tenderness is a medical emergency, now I'm even more terrified.

Google isn't a doctor. Google isn't even a person. If I went to the ER every time myself or my very gassy children had abdominal tenderness we'd be banned from going! lol

If you are able to? One exercise that might help you if it's trapped gas (Which is super common and can hurt like hell) is laying on your back and doing a bicycle motion with your legs.

Also if you are female? Maybe you are cramping because of cycle related issues. Not every cycle is the same. Just because you might not have had cramps before doesn't mean this always will be the case

[Mindprison]

There would be no mistaking if you had appendicitis or any kind of serious problem in the organs around your abdomen. My grandfather had appendicitis and a gallbladder problem and he was yelling the whole way to the hospital.

As for reading on the Internet about abdominal tenderness being a medical emergency... You can't trust the Internet. Imagine reading on a website that you don't need to worry and then that one unlucky person had something wrong with them, can you imagine how much trouble they would be in? Every website will have some reason that your symptoms are life threatening, it's all garbage, don't listen to it.

As fishmanpa said, don't feed the dragon!

[Jotia]

The problem is I'm 17 and don't drive and will be home alone all night, so I really don't know what to do. I don't want to contact any family because they just get really annoyed at my anxiety saying it's just me being silly, I try to explain I can't help it but they don't seem to understand. I feel so alone.

[Mindprison]

Ok, try to look at this way. The chances of you having something wrong with any organ at your age are so small you would have a better chance winning the lotto!

I know you feel like you're alone and I've had my fair share of unhelpful anxiety advice like "you just need to stop thinking about it" or "stop being silly" but look at all the people in this forum who are in the same boat, you're never alone.

I think it would be a good plan to discuss your anxiety with a doctor and try to nip this health anxiety in the bud sooner rather than later. 17 is far too young to be worrying so much about your health. Hell I'm 10 years older than you and I'm too young to be worrying, but here I am and I'd rather not see someone so young waste precious time worrying about your health

You have support here, we've all been there.

[Crazy1]

Hi Jotia
A few months ago i took my 14 year old for the same thing. The doctor told us if it was her appendics she would have been doubled over in pain just driving over bumps in the road getting to the doctors. They also said she would not be able to jump up and down without screaming in pain. A lot of abdomin pain is caused by our bowls, you may just be backed up and not know it. We were told that even soft stools can cause you to be constipated as it sticks. My daughter was fine and im sure you are aswell. I know its hard to believe it when its yourself, i can always think straight when someone else is having symptoms but when it comes to myself or kids i lose it and always think the worse.