Appendix out - experience/questions.

Kersh

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Right, here goes - the gf went to her gp 3 weeks ago (a thursday), with a sore back, and pain passing fluid, and vomiting.. He took samples, said it might be a kidney infection, and put her on ciproxin.
On the following monday, he rang her and said to go into A & E, as it wasnt a kidney infection and he didnt know what it was.
After 11.5 hours in A & E, they gave her antibiotics (cant remember type) and said it was a Uti.
After a week, her gp gave her another course of these antibiotics. The vomiting stopped, but the back pain remained. On Wednesday just gone, she rang her gp again, as the back pain was agonising (the 2 of us were up all night with it). She went in to see him, and he sent her back to A & E (oh the tears) with suspected appendicitis. After 16 hours in A & E (Im not joking here), they had no idea what it was, such things as kidney stones/appendicitis/ectopic pregnancy?? were bandied around ad nauseum.
The surgeon said it wasnt appendicitis, the urologist said her kidneys were perfect. She had 10 xrays in total taken (2 skeletal, 8 of organs), and a ct scan. So finally today, they operated, firstly putting a camera in her stomach, and they removed her appendix, and she has a bowel infection to boot.
Does it normally take 3 weeks to diagnose appendicitis? Like, her gp sent her in with a suspicion, and it took the hospital a whole day to get their act together. Not to mention the Uti mis diagnosis 3 weeks ago. How come they got it wrong back then? What if something happened in the meantime? Surely they have seen this before..... its really bugging me that she was let go 3 weeks ago with antibiotics after an 11.5 hour wait....
We are not having a good run of it lately.....
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snorlax

i had acute apendicitus, didnt take them 3 weeks, more like a few minutes to diagnose, they normally do a urine check to see it's nothing to do with the kidneys.

Kersh

Her Gp ruled out kidney infection 3 weeks ago. In all they took 7 urine samples, and 6 pregnancy tests. And every different doctor/nurse that saw her asked the same question (pain passing/blood etc), and every time she told them the previous doctor had ruled out a kidney infection. It was like the muppet show....
The more I think about this the more its bugging me that it took so long. It took 10 minutes to diagnose My Dad!

snorlax

passing blood is supposed to be a typical sign of a UTI (urinary tract infection), maybe they were just unsure and wanted to double check before surgery?

i didn't even need to give a sample before they diagnosed me although i think they we're supposed to get one.

i was out of the hospital in 2days after the operation as i recovered super fast. the following day i walked up to the shops to get chocolate with my sister and 5days later i walked the south wall in Ringsend.

DrIndy

Not everyone has the classical triad of symptoms of dull central stomach pain becoming sharp lower right stomach pain and a fever.

Sometimes it can be less precise, in young children particularily, appendicitis can be very difficult indeed to diagnose as they are just generally unwell.

It is unfortunate that it happened, but a UTI or an ectopic pregnancy can also have similar types of pain and unless it becomes the triad, can be difficulty to be completely diagnose.

Also sometimes people are anatomically unusual where their appendix is in fact behind their bowel rather than sticking straight out. In such cases pain is felt in the back. Back pain with fever and tummy pain is the classical triad for a kidney infection.

Nothing in medicine is perfect and sometimes delays happen. Appendicitis actually responds to antibiotics and people are sometimes just treated with antibiotics when it flares up and this also helped to mask the symptoms.

I hope she is doing well now.

Kersh

Yes, i see what you mean DrIndy - they did a laparoscopy on thursdsay, although he removed her appendix, as a precaution, hes not sure it was appendicitis at all. The back pain was caused by her bowel being 'stuck' to her back. The surgeon said he never saw anything like it before, and it took him 4.5 hours to get it unstuck and into its normal position. She has 3 incisions on her stomach. He also could not see any actual problem, as in his words "it was a total mess in there with the bowel being stuck', so she has to go back in 6 weeks for a checkup and/or more surgery. She was discharged today, under strict instructions that should anything happen she is to go straight to him in the ward. And she has to change her dressings every day, and take pain killers. So now I really see why it took so long to get anywhere, and I have calmed down greatly at the relief of actually getting advice/help. Just hope its not a big probel when she goes back.So, ill keep an update going if I hear anything.

DrIndy

The reason he warned her to come straight back to the ward is that she has an increased risk of bowel obstruction (where the bowel becomes stuck to another piece of bowel or abdominal wall and blocks off - making you very unwell) this can particularily happen if someone has adhesions or significant surgery - hence the warning to come straight up and not wait.

It may all settle down nicely and it usually does. The more extensive the surgery, the longer the recovery as the pain and debility is strongly associated with the incisions, not neccesarily the surgery per se and that is why people can go home the next day after a laparoscopy, but need to stay for longer after open surgery.

snorlax

DrIndy wrote:

I hope she is doing well now.

Compassion is a wonderful thing for a doctor to have .

happy christmas everyone and i wish her a speedy recovery:).

Kersh

Ok, since they discharged her on saturday, one of her stitches has been getting steadily more sore, esp when she stands up, plus she hasnt had any bowel movements at all or passing wind (since last thursday), so we went to her gp today, who miraculously diagnosed a bladder infection!!, said her stitches on one incision were infected, and told her not to wear the dressings as she must be allergic to them!!! He gave her antibiotics, and I wasnt much impressed with that so I took her back to the
ward today and the doctor could not believe the gp said those things, so he took one stitch out, and thinks she may have a bowel blockage. He gave her a nice laxative concoction and if she doesnt pass in 24 hours its back to A & E, so we can go throught the whole admittance process again.. oh the joy. So I hope something happens in the next 24 hours.

DrIndy

Keep us posted on how she is getting on! If you have any further questions about what the doctors said to you both, feel free to post them here.

Kersh

Righto, a small update, the gf let slip last night that her back is at her again. Not much she said, but she said she didnt want to tell me as she would have to go back to A & E and wait for 12 hours again. I asked her why A&E was involved again , she said the doctor in Beaumount told her the only way to be readmitted is to go back through the A&E process. So she is hiding the pain now I think, as she cant face the wait again, for the 3rd time. Is this the only way to be seen again.
Surely, as she was already operated on, she can go back for them to have a look?? If the only way is in through A&E then its no wonder the place is full all the time and the wait is 12 hours +...

DrIndy

Is there an outpatient clinic coming up soon?

daiixi

a good friend had all the typical symptoms and a history of a dodgy appendix and yet it still took the doctors a week to decide to operate!

snorlax

i got operated on the next morning but i think if it had burst i could have died or something. was it acute appendicitus?

Kersh

What do you mean DrIndy? She is due to go for sa colonoscopy in 4 weeks or so.
Afaik it wasnt appendicitis, just adhesions. But it looks like they are back. According to my gp (who she will be dealing with soon, cos hes better than the oythers she went to) adhesions are not common in 23 year olds, and are generally caused by srgery, and he said he would not be surprised if they return, as she has just had surgery. Im keeping a close eye on her. I think they took the appendix out as a precaution

Kersh

Well, she is gone back into hospital, via 16 hours in A&E. We got all the usual
'you're not pregnant', 'its not a uti', 'its not kidney stones' etc...
I brought her to my GP on monday, I was worried she hadnt had any bowel movements (4 since the operation on 23/12). He gave her strong painkillers, but she only lasted til wednesday and had to go to A&E, as the pain was too bad.
She is now back in her ward, just had gastroscopy, and tomorrow will be going for a colonoscopy.
They suspect a blocked bowel, as they gave her a very strong laxative, which should have taken 30 minutes or so to work, and she just passed it (the laxative) out as liquid looking unchanged. They also suspect stomach problems.
Interesting that my (now her) GP reckons they took an 'innocent appendix' (his words) en route to here.... she's not happy with that, or the fact that she is back at square one for the second time in 8 weeks...having gone through the pain of the post op recovery