Woke up fine on Saturday morning. About 11, I started feeling bad. My husband always talks about gas pain, and I never really understood what he was talking about. I figured this was God's way of showing me what he meant. After a few hours, I thought, crap, shouldn't this be going away?
My husband had gone to play poker and then out shopping at tool and hardware stores. (Kind of like his very own "boys day out.") He asked me if I'd sign up for this free poker tournament at Paradise Poker (on the internet) and play for him if he wasn't back by two. I was feeling pretty awful and nearly forgot. By the time I remembered and kicked my son off the computer, I couldn't get logged on because the game my son had been playing. . . well, the computer needed to be rebooted and by the time I did that, I missed the registration.
Now, I feel like crap, I feel bad that my husband will not be able to play in this tournament (and he walked in about 2:03, so he could have played.) I'm mad at my son, the computer, my husband. I tell my husband this. Then I realize, I'm not really mad at any of them. I just feel really, really bad.
I decide to lay down and watch a movie for a while. That doesn't help and eventually, I take some of my sleeping meds and go to bed. I sleep for about 3 hours, do it again, and only sleep for 1 hour before the pain wakes me up.
Now it's about 9:30 pm. My husband has decided this is appendicitis. I keep telling him it's just gas. He wants to go to the emergency room.
I have Medicare. I know that if I go to the emergency room, it's going to cost us $840. Now, we just got through paying about $2,600 for his medical problems, and this is pretty much going to blow any chance we had of having enough money for a down payment on a house. (We've been in the process of trying to buy a house, but, well, not anymore.)
Anyway, I call my brother (couldn't seem to find my parents and figured he'd know where they were. They are in Ohio. Damn.) His wife gets out her baby book full o'problems and decides that Kyle is right, I should go to the hospital because it's probably my appendix.
Damn. Fine, okay, I'll go. See, my husband and his mother have both been to the emergency room with this same type of problem. My mother-in-law has actually done it several times and every time, they tell her it's gas and send her home. They actually thought my husband might be having a heart attack, but even they can't believe what great shape his heart is in. (So, did I ever tell you what they finally said his problem was? He has this slew of bloody blisters in his small intestines. We have no idea what the next step is yet. He still might have his gall bladder out, but once he's done with the previcid, he's supposed to switch to nexium and he's supposed to be having another consult with his surgeon.)
Anyway, I didn't want to be the third person in this family to be told there was nothing wrong and to go home. They drew some blood, took some urine, came back and said they thought it was probably my appendix and had called the surgeon. He came in at 3am and said "With women, there is a fifty/fifty chance it's the appendix. But it could be an ovary, fallopian tube, uterus, or you could just have the flu. So, I'm going to admit you upstairs and then I'll check on you at 8. I could do the surgery now, but the operating team isn't here, and it could be the flu, so we'll just wait till about 8 and if you're still feeling this way, we'll take out your appendix." Condescending bastard. And trust me, the ER doc was plenty pissed when he came back in. (That was kind of funny.)
Oh, and the bastard wouldn't give me any more of the good drugs for the pain because he didn't want it to interfere with his exam in the morning! And, in the morning, when he came in, he said, "So, it's your appendix. You ready for surgery?" No exam, nothing!! Of course, he also said he had three appendectomies that morning, one of which was ruptured. Anyway, I go down at 7:45 and I'm back in my room by 8:30. He says, before surgery, that maybe I could go home later that night, but probably tomorrow (Monday, today.) Well, by noon, I realize that the pain meds they are giving me aren't helping at all. I have a headache. And when I have a headache, I get a fever. And, I can pretty consistently run a fever. I once had a doctor spend three months trying to find the cause of a 99.6-99.9 fever, before he finally gave up and said it must just be normal for me. Actually, I can go for months with a normal temp, then have a 3-6 month period with a temperature somewhere between 99 and 100. So, I know that with the headache, and the rising temperature, I need Advil. Well, the doc has left orders for pain meds that won't help and Tylenol. Tylenol and I don't mix. I have a rotten liver and Tylenol would be very, very bad.
I keep telling the nurses I really, really want to go home. They try calling the doc, but he's still in surgery. At 4:30, when they came in to take my vitals, my temp is up to 101. I'm now sure that there is no way the doc is going to let me go home. But at 5:15, he walks into my room and says, "I hear you want to go home." I couldn't believe it! I told him I didn't want any of the pain meds he prescribed. He went through a list, I finally said okay to toradol (SP?) but never got it filled. By the time I get home, my temp is now 103.7. My husband is pretty pissed. I take four Advil and a xanax and go to bed. I slept for 5 hours and broke the fever. (Woke up totally soaked.) Came downstairs, took four more Advil, another xanax and slept 6 more hours. I'm feeling much better now, but sore as hell.
Oh, and the really weird thing is that normally, when I go to the doctor for check-ups and stuff, my blood pressure is about 130/90 and my pulse is between 110 and 140. At the hospital, when you'd expect it to be a bit higher because of the stress my body was under, my blood pressure never got above 98/60 and my pulse never got about 70. Go figure.
So, I managed to have an appendectomy and be home less than 9 hours later. Yay me. And you know, after I had my son, I was home in 12 hours. I would have been home sooner, but we had to wait for the circumcision. I really hate hospitals.
So, what did you do over your Memorial Day Weekend?
Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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Both of my sons have had emergency appendectomies in the past, and I know that is NOT a fun ride.
I hope you get better soon. Sorry you had kind of an asshole of a surgeon.
Farmgirl p.s. -- with my sons, one has a tiny little scar about 2 inches long from his surgery, the other has this humongous scar about 6-8 inches long! Different surgeons. How did they do with yours?
Posts: 9538 | Registered: Aug 2003
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Went there when I was in 4th grade living in South Carolina. MY folks thought I had gotten into green apples again. Finally, my mother, who was a medical technologist at the time, examined me (you know, poking me in the sides) and determined it was my appendix. Took me to the hosp, an hour later I was in surgery. They kept me for 3 days afterwards and then had to take a trip back when the incision ruptured.
BTW. Don't let anyone make you laugh for a week or so. Hurts like hell .
I would've been very worried about a post-op infectino if your temp was 103!!! I mean, you could've died from the fever!
Sheesh!
Glad you were lucid enough to refuse the inappropriate medications. I hate that stuff. Tylenol is so bad for so many people and yet hospitals insist on using it as the default pain medication.
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Farmgirl, I'll end up with no scars! I was kinda mad about that. I have a thing for scars. He went in through my belly button. He also made two holes for scopes lower than the belly button, but those didn't even get a single stitch! He told me to take the bandages off today, which I did. There was a band aid cover each one and under the band aid was basically a piece of tape! Well, I took that off and the holes just started seeping blood. I can't figure out what the hell he was doing. So, after my shower, I just put band aids back on them. I do have two stitches in my belly button, but who's ever going to notice that scar?
Bob, I think that was what my husband was mad about. That or he finally realized how much this was going to cost us. I was concerned about that too, but I knew I had to get out of there before they killed me. If the fever hadn't broken by this morning, I would have called my regular doc.
Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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YIKES! Glad they talked you into going to the emergency room, and glad you're ok! (((((Kayla)))))
You can totally have my appendectomy scar. Back when I had mine, the keyhole surgery wasn't an option. And since my appendix had leaked, I didn't get stitches -- I got bandages changed twice a day for three weeks, with hydrogen peroxide poured in each time. So it's a big ol' scar.
Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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First of all, you have to be the coolest wife on the planet to let your husband play poker and even consider helping him play poker online. My wife would've given me the sideways glance and burned invisible holes through my very being.
Secondly, I am glad you are OK! :-)
Tell Bob that fevers are usually not fatal until over 105, and there are some cases of fevers around 107-109. But there is little concern for fevers below 105, unless of course, you just had surgery.
Thirdly, skip the Toradol (ketorolac). It is more toxic than Tylenol for your liver by a magnitude of about 100, and can cause reversible liver damage in as little as 5 days of therapy.
I was worried about your fever and them letting you go, but it sounds like you know your body very well. However, a drop in blood pressure is usually common during and after surgery, although the reverse is possible with some medical conditions. This all depends on your condition, I suppose.
And lastly, Happy Memorial Day to you too!
(And I thought having to work all weekend was bad enough. [Eats hat]) Yum.
Posts: 1870 | Registered: Mar 2003
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When i was 13, I got my first kiss, and then I had an emergency appendectamy. I thought that he did something to me and my mom would know I kissed a boy. very nerve racking. Looking back though it is really funny.
Posts: 197 | Registered: Feb 2004
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quote:When i was 13, I got my first kiss, and then I had an emergency appendectamy. I thought that he did something to me and my mom would know I kissed a boy. very nerve racking. Looking back though it is really funny.
Alucard, thanks. I didn't know what the deadly point for a fever was, but I was pretty sure that 102 was the max you were supposed to just treat at home with aspirin or what have you.
So, we can basically relax until things get to 105????
Not this camper. 101 and I'm already calling Life Flight. Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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I had temps of 108.9 in the hospital when I was in the army, about 8 years ago. The nurses were running around and throwing ice on me right there on the bed. I was later told that if it had stayed that way for more than a minute I could (as in probably would have ) have had brain damage. More than 2 min of it could have killed me.
Turns out I had a mutated form of Mono, and it almost killed me, Usually when a person gets Mono, buy the time they realize something is wrong and that they aren't just really tired, they have had the disease for weeks, and the body has begun producing antibodies to fight it. The typical test given for mono tests for those antibodies. However, since I had a very rare form of sudden-onset mono, I didn't have antibodies when they tested me for mono, so they didn't even know what had happened to me.
I was feeling a little hot after work, so I went to bed. All of the sudden, I felt my body begin to shake, and my teeth began to chatter. I don't mean they began to shake, they sounded like a typewriter. My roommate walked in, thank God, and saw me like that and ran and got the floor Sergeant, who was a LPN on the Med ward. He took my temp, and it was 106! He almost crapped his pants, and ran to my fridge and grabbed all the ice we had. He packed me in the ice, but the temp was breaking. By the time they got me to the hospital, which was on;y 2 miles away, it had started again.
I was in for 3 days, and it was very weird. I would be sitting there talking to the nurse or doctor, or one of my visitors, and all of the sudden I would begin to shake and my teeth would begin to chatter. Even the nurses got a little weirded out how it came and went. They kept my sink and tub full of ice, and I must have been packed in ice 6 times a day for both days.
By the third day I hadn't had what they called "an episode" in 8-10 hours, and all my blood work was coming in clean. They told me it was a super-flu, or something else; they said they had no idea what it really was for sure, and would probably never know. They also told me how lucky I had been, and then they sent me home to post.
I was under observation for a week, but still went to work and all. I was on a medical research post, so they had me check in for vitals 5 times a day for the first week.
Any fever over 103-104 is dangerous, mostly because of dehydration. Temps of 105+ are something that should be treated by a doctor, regardless of costs. A temp that high can suddenly spike higher with no warning, and cause brain damage or even death.
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My brother has a high pain tolerance.. so when his stomach started aching he thought nothing of it... till the next day, when it still hurt, and hurt WORSE.
So he asked my grandma (he was 10 or so at the time) why his stomach hurt, and she prodded at him. "it might be your appendix".
"No! nevermind.. it doesn't really hurt that bad." (he really didn't like the idea of surgery)
Finally, after 48 hours or so of pain, family finally realizes whats going on, bring him down to the hospital, where the ER doctor sends him immediately to the operating room.
So they got him on the operating table, and opened him up, found his appendix, and started to remove it. It burst right then. So if he had delayed much more, he would have had serious danger. Luckily they were prepared, and got rid of the toxins the appendix gave off upon bursting, without any threat to his health. Lucky bastard.
So the moral of the story is: No matter if you don't like doctors or surgery or whatever, take your health seriously and get things checked out right away. Its better to have things checked without it being anything serious than to not have something found in time.
Posts: 271 | Registered: Apr 2002
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Everyone else, thanks. I'm feeling much better today. Just a bit sore. I still can't get over the no stitches thing, or no scar! Oh well. Can't win 'em all. Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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I had my Appendix out in 10th grade...it was 13 inches long and 4 inches wide, and had been slowly leaking for years. Which explained the "phantom" stomach problems I had growing up....lol
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My emergency appendectomy was in July of 1973. I was thirteen years old.
My mother was scheduled to be the leader of a girl's camp a few weeks later with over 150 girls aged 12 to 18. My father was to be there as the official "man" in the camp in case there was any trouble. My siblings and I were supposed to be camped in the corner of the area by ourselves and leave the girls alone.
We ended up going to the camp, on the promise that I would take it easy and spend most of my time on a cot. My 11 year old brother was told that he would have to do most of the babysitting and camp duties (gathering firewood, etc.).
When the girls at the camp found out that the only boy in 20 miles was lying on a cot and had just come out of the hospital, I had 100+ nurses wanting to wait on me hand and foot. I, naturally, milked the situation for everything it was worth for a whole seven days!
It was one of the highlights of my teenage years and it made all of my friends jealous when I related my exploits at the start of the new school year.
So, milk the surgery for all it is worth!
Posts: 279 | Registered: May 2004
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Man, either this new keyhole surgery is a ton better than the old surgery or you people are wimps. I was out at Wal-Mart 28 hours after surgery buying a birthday present for a party my son was going to the next day. And 23 hours after surgery, I made dinner for that night and cleaned the kitchen and did three loads of laundry. (Hey, I figured I felt good, and God only knew how long that would last. I figured if they let the house fall apart in in 36 hours, I would never catch up if I let it go another couple of days.) And after Wal-Mart, I had to go to the grocery store to get something my husband "had to have" for lunch the next day. I did, however, then treat myself to a stop at Dairy Queen for a Chocolate Extreme Blizzard (Chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup, chocolate chunks and chocolate brownies. Hey, I thought I deserved it, damnit!)
Oh, the really horrible part? After spending months losing about 60 pounds, being in the hospital for less than 24 hours, they, through their stupid IV's managed to put 6 pounds back on me! Talk about adding insult to injury!! I figured if I gained 6 pounds, I might as well have some chocolate. At least that way, I could enjoy a little of the weight gain. Bastards. Not that I'm bitter or anything.
Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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posted
Kayla, of course a surgery that manages not to make huge cuts through multiple layers of muscle and so on is harder to recover from, neh?
My understanding (and the docs here can confirm or deny this) is that recovery from the old incision-style surgery is pretty similar to that from a Cesarean, except you usually get more sleep.
I know I was on pain drugs for 2 days, in the hospital for a week, and then on very limited activity for two weeks more. Which meant that I didn't get to go to sleep-away camp after all.
Could've been worse. If it had waited two more days, I would have been on a plane heading to camp. Appendicitis at 20,000 feet. Or in a camp in the Catskills, many miles from the nearest hospital. Posts: 32919 | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
Sorry to hear about your down payment and your 6 lbs. It may sounds stupid, but that's what I can relate to most. Hopefully it's mostly water weight and as you get back on your feet it will work out.
Also, when my husband had his laparoscopic hernia repair, they warned him not to overdo it because the natural endorphins wear off after a couple of days and if he overexerted himself in the meantime, he'd need more healing. If this applied to you I would hope they'd tell you.
I always thought that the problem with a fever is that it could be a symptom of infection, especially post surgery or other procedure. Though 108 is pretty danged high.
I knock doctors a lot, but I was glad you had one.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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posted
108 WILL kill you, or cause irreparable damage to your brain, very quickly.
Fever is your body's way for fighting back, not just infection but against all invaders to the body. Severe injuries can be accompanied by fever during recovery, as the body fights off all sorts of germs that normally wouldn't even phase it...but it's natural defenses are weakened by the injury; if it's blood is exposed even more so.
But 108 is a symptom that whatever is causing the fever is so virulent that the body is taking extreme measures. So extreme that the brain will actually boil in it's own juices. Not really boil, but the equivalent, as is begins to resemble a pressure cooker, and the pressure has no real release valve.
That is why they pack you in ice and risk you going into Temperature shock....it MUST be brought down as soon as possible, regardless of the risk.
BTW, anything that cuts muscle isn't a good thing, you spoiled little brat....
posted
So, I'm in the shower today and I realize the biggest bruise I have from all this is right above my ankle. How the heck did that happen? It's a big one, too. And swollen! Sheesh.
Posts: 9871 | Registered: Aug 2001
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That's from us kicking you in the shin to get to the @#$@#$ hospital and have your appendix removed.
Posts: 11895 | Registered: Apr 2002
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I was concerned about that too, but I knew I had to get out of there before they killed me. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
If the fever hadn't broken by this morning, I would have called my regular doc.
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Back when I had mine, the keyhole surgery wasn't an option. And since my appendix had leaked, I didn't get stitches -- I got bandages changed twice a day for three weeks, with hydrogen peroxide poured in each time. So it's a big ol' scar.
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