I got a phone call last night from my daughter, who is away at school. She was in the drug store looking for medicine for her boyfriend who was having terrible stomach cramps. He felt bloated, like he had gas but he couldn't pass any. He was really in a lot of pain. I told her to try Gas-X, and then said I was getting on WebMD when I learned the pain was mostly on his right side. I just wanted to try to rule out appendicitis.
I checked it out.
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° F to 102° F
- Inability to pass gas
- Severe cramps
Call your doctor if:
- You have pain that matches these symptoms. Do not eat, drink, or use any pain remedies, antacids, laxatives, or heating pads, which can cause an inflamed appendix to rupture.
- If you have any of the mentioned symptoms seek medical attention immediately since timely diagnosis and treatment is very important.
If you have any of the mentioned symptoms, seek medical attention immediately since timely diagnosis and treatment is very important.
I called my daughter back and told her to get online and check out WebMD before she gave him any medication, because if he does have appendicitis, it could cause the appendix to rupture, and he sure doesn't want that!
She did and it turns out her boyfriend had almost all of those symptoms, so they headed off to the hospital. She sent me a text in the middle of the night that his appendix were inflamed and they were going to remove them in the morning. She said he was in a lot of pain.
This morning, he had his appendix removed, and the surgery went well.
Okay, here's where I'm talking about times changing.
Way back in 1971, when I was 14 years old, I also had my appendix removed. Actually what I had was a cyst on my right ovary and they removed my appendix while they were at it. We were told since the appendix was exposed, it was possible there could be a problem down the road and it was better to get rid of it now than later.
I was in the hospital for 8 days after my surgery and home recuperating for 2 weeks after that. I had a friend who was in all my classes (I was a high school freshman) and she came over every night and taught me everything I was missing.
My daughter's boyfriend will be released probably by dinnertime, and will most likely be back in class on Monday.
It's amazing to me how quickly they release people now, when I was laid up for 3 weeks for the same surgery!
Times, they sure have changed!
