She also (you may not know) has a wicked bellyache. Wicked! So so so painful!
I told her to go to the e/r. (I forgot about the PWA until after I said it) Of course, she said NO!
I entreat the hatrackizens (hatrack denizens, or hatrack citizens, as preferred) to convince her to go to the emergency room. We are smart people. We should be able to convince her with out Authoritative Wording! It's too late for me to try, because I've already 'commanded' her to do something.
Alas!
Posted by Tresopax (Member # 1063) on :
Just for a belly ache? Why do you think it's appendicitis?
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
mack, go see a doctor, pronto.
Don't take your state's motto to heart that much!
-Bok
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Tres, because I overreact. *grin* Also because my Uncle had a pain similar to the one mack describes, and he ignored it, and his appendix burst.
Just sayin'.
Posted by Tresopax (Member # 1063) on :
Burst? Hmmm...
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Bursted! Wide open! And his guts were EVERYWHERE!
Sorry, couldn't resist. Been hanging out with an imaginative five-year-old all day.
He was sick for a long time afterwards, infections. Poor Uncle Tom.
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
Mack, I'd like to suggest seeing a doctor ASAP - ER if nothing else is available.
Catching appendicitis early is a good thing.
I know - cuz mine wasn't. Due to a variety of medical blunders, my bouts of chronic appendicitis weren't identified, and the final bout wasn't identified until the very last minute. My appendix burst on the way out.
That meant eight days in the hospital with an unclosed surgical incision while being pumped with heavy duty antibiotics intravenously. Recovery wasn't fun either.
Early is better. Just a suggestion. Posted by Slash the Berzerker (Member # 556) on :
Maybe she just ate a really big chili dog.
Posted by Beren One Hand (Member # 3403) on :
Don't pass up the chance to give a doctor the finger, go see one today.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Is there a wicked hot fever? Is the pain localized to (trying to visualize the man's scar) lower right abdomen? I think these are both symptoms.
Is it possible, Jexx, that you are sensitized by the situation with the tonsilectomy? (This is a low blow, but since Mack and I seldom agree, I figure it would be effective to take an anti-appendectomy stance).
[ January 23, 2004, 11:40 PM: Message edited by: pooka ]
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
*I'm so senssssssssssiitiiiiiiiiiive*
*grin*
It's possible, pooka, you are right. But mack frustrates me when she won't go to the doctor, so I think it's our history (her and I) that sensitizes me to this, rather than The Boy's Traumatic Day.
It wasn't a low blow, it was an honest question. *smile* Don't worry.
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
pooka,
while the symptoms you mentioned are "textbook symptoms," you can have appendicitis with no localized pain and without major fever. Some of us had appendixes that never read the text book. The number of cases that depart from the textbook are pretty high, I understand.
In any case, severe prolonged pain in the abdomen could probably be caused by many different things - some serious and some not. Still not a bad idea to have things checked out.
Posted by Shigosei (Member # 3831) on :
I'd say if it doesn't go away in a few hours, go see a doctor. Even if it isn't serious, they might have suggestions for making the pain go away.
Posted by Starla* (Member # 5835) on :
Dude, mack should really go.
My sister had a similar experience to sndrake's, except her's had been burst for about 5 days before they figured out what it was.
Her intestines got infected, along with one ovary, part of her uterus and colon. They also had to be pulled out because they started to heal together.
She spent 8 days in the hospital, 7 of those with a tube in her abdomen. She dropped from 128 to 99 pounds. It took her several months to fully recover, and she was only 16.
Two years later, she ended up in the hospital again from adhesions--this one obstructed her bowel. It was a complication from the appendix blowing and the surgery that followed. She spent 2 weeks in the hospital this time, and missed a month of college.
She should really go before something really bad happens.
Posted by JonnyNotSoBravo (Member # 5715) on :
I had a really bad bellyache (the pain woke me up) and I went to see the docs, and they made me wait. Then they probed lower right quadrant for tenderness and found none. It was just really bad gas, and other food digestion problems.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Screw that, Mack.
You'd be stupid to go to the ER. Listen to me. You can suck it up like a good girl and do as I say!
Posted by Maccabeus (Member # 3051) on :
Guys, Mack is tough. She can take a busted appendix without breathing hard.
See, you've got to validate people before you can tell them what to do.
Now, Mack, go to the hospital before it kills you.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
I spent a very long unhappy night in the hospital once for what was suspected to be appendicitis.
I had localized pain and an elevated white count. No fever.
They put me in overnight, to monitor me with the assumption I would need to go to surgery in the morning. When morning came, they ran my white counts again and they were normal. Pain was much lessened. No surgery.
It was kidney stones. Eep! Once I got rid of them I felt much, much better.
My point - it may not be appendicitis, but it could be something else that the docs can help you with, like kidney stones in my case. If you don't want to go to the ER (and who does?) and you don't think it's that bad yet, go to a an urgent care center and at least let someone examine you and run your blood counts.
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
Maybe she has one of those Alien varmints gestating in her chest.
Posted by Maccabeus (Member # 3051) on :
And it would be a pity to ruin that chest.... Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Macc, egads! And mack, egads!
Take care of yourself, please. As a favor to us, even if you don't really have to. Be benevolent, grant us a boon.
[I don't mean the Boon, just a boon. Pretty please?]
[ January 24, 2004, 03:35 PM: Message edited by: ClaudiaTherese ]
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
There's this great Gary Larson Far Side cartoon of a woman on the OR table and the surgeon pulling a giant porcupine out of her abdomen. Caption reads "Well that explains it!"
Mack, take care of yourself. Go to the ER or make an appointment to see a doctor.
As others have mentioned, this could be lots of things, but it's better not to just wait it out when you have pain and you don't have a good proximal reason why (like a nasty blow to the stomach, bad sushi, or pregnancy for example).
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
Maybe she's having an immaculate conception....
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
Or in her case, maybe a slightly messy but mostly clean conception.
Posted by eslaine (Member # 5433) on :
Nice save.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
OOOOOOOOOOOOW.
I went this morning. My white count was normal and no fever but the pain and tenderness was there.
So they sent me home and told me to come back when it got worse.
Posted by jexx (Member # 3450) on :
Gah!
Come back when it gets WORSE?? You won't be able to drive if it gets worse!!
Thank you for going, mack, at least you saw someone about it. But I'm sorry they couldn't do anything for you.
((mack))
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
This might be the only time in my life when I WANT to throw up.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
mack,
Okay, speaking from the experience of having two kids who both had to have appendectomies, and the fact that I've worked on an ambulance (volunteer EMT) for ten years...
1) As someone else said here, you don't necessarily have fever with an appendicitis at first -- my son didn't until several hours after he was at the hospital. But you will have the localize tenderness. And if it is that, it SHOULD show a higher white count.
2) However, every single "grown" (not kid) patient that I ran in on the ambulance, that I THOUGHT had symptoms of appendicitis -- all turned out to be STONES -- kidney stones usually. You would think pain would have been in different area, but I think because patient was in so much pain they couldn't tell exactly where it hurt. Because these are very painful. Did they check you for that?
EDIT 3) And I should mention -- since you're female -- many times abdominal pain can be symptoms of: ovarian cysts; twisted ovaries, or endimetrioma I hope they checked all these possibilities.
Farmgirl
[ January 24, 2004, 05:36 PM: Message edited by: Farmgirl ]
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
It's localized.
They did an ultrasound to check the ovaries--everything is where it's supposed to be.
I have no idea if they checked the kidneys.
My head hurts. My right side hurts. I feel incredibly nauseated and flushed.
But no temp. Though it feels like I'll be vomiting soon.
*sigh*
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Addition to EDIT 3) cuz posts in forums are read by more people than just the person addressed. Ectopic pregnancy, etc can also produce abdominal pain.
[ January 24, 2004, 05:56 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Yes, I know.
However.
Stormy was right, a pregnacy WOULD be an immaculate conception. o_O
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
aspectre, thanks for mentioning that -- I really didn't even think of it. But you're right, that is also always a possibility in that context.
(just not in mack's case... )
FG
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Yes...that's right...Ben knocked me up. Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
The info might come in handy someday for other readers.
As a RomanCatholic, you should have pointed out that ImmaculateConception refers to Mary being born free of the taint of OriginalSin, and not to parthenogenesis.
[ January 24, 2004, 06:13 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by Maccabeus (Member # 3051) on :
Dang...I should've caught that too.
Posted by Javert Hugo (Member # 3980) on :
I have new wrinkles in my brain now.
I love Hatrack.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I'm a bit preoccupied right now.
And the connotation with the vast majority of people is that it's pregnancy without sex, despite the theological denotation.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Oh...temp is 99.1.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
99.2
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
aw, mack ... Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
oh! 99.4!
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
99.4? That means your with child. Or you have kidney stones. You know, whatever.
Hobbes Posted by JonnyNotSoBravo (Member # 5715) on :
Or maybe it just means that mack is hawt! Posted by Trogdor the Burninator (Member # 4894) on :
**burninates mack to a toasty 104 degrees**
Will you go now?
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Mack, get to the hospital.
Tell them Bob said you needed to spend the night.
If they don't admit you, sleep in your car in the parking lot.
Chances are, you'll get towed (with your luck), but think of the great lawsuit you'd have going after your appendix bursts in the impound lot!
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
Thanks for the correction, Mr. Aspectre.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I give up.
The invasive tests hurt (psychologically) more than the abdominal pain.
Still no real fever. Still a normal white count.
After they tried the last invasive test, I refused and went home.
I am NOT going back. Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
Arrggghhh..
Good luck! I hope you feel better soon.
Posted by Hobbes (Member # 433) on :
(The following hugs are firm yet gentle, and certainly non-invasive.)
(((((mack))))) Feel better!!!
quote: As a RomanCatholic, you should have pointed out that ImmaculateConception refers to Mary being born free of the taint of OriginalSin, and not to parthenogenesis.
How weird is it that I already knew that?
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Honey, invasive tests are awful, but they do serve a purpose.
They usually cannot see kidney stones on an ultrasound. They have to run a test where they flush dye through your system and take pics of it.
They never found my kidney stones, the doctor diagnosed what happened after the fact - when I went back to her and described what happened it was pretty plain I had passed some kidney stones. Let me tell you, I don't want to go through that again!
What about gallbladder? Any physician mention that as a possibility? CT? Can you check the gallbladder on ultrasound? My gallstones were found during a lap for my endometriosis so I'm not sure.
I do know that a gallbladder attack is excruciating. I had two before my surgery. *shudder*
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
It's back...with a fever and severe nausea. O_O
going to the doctor's in an hour
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
*sigh*
Well, at least both of us are going to the doctor. I wish neither one of us had to.
Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
Belle Gallbladder pain and appendicitis pain are pretty different from each other. Gallbladder pain can radiate through to your spine but is generally much higher and more centered than appendicitis pain. It is in a location that feels like heartburn(I've had the GB pain and that was how I figured out what it was before we went to the ER, the locations of the localized pain compared to appendicitis are very different.)
AJ
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
FOR THE LOVE OF PETE.
They have NO IDEA what's wrong. None.
But they know it isn't appendicitis.
Posted by kidyanna (Member # 6148) on :
When my appendix burst I had gone to the ER a total of 5 times... they had no clue each time it was over a period of three days... on the last vist I was actually in the room wating for the doctor when it burst.... they did a surgery and had to remove some over my intestines also because it had become infected..I spent a month in the hospital..and still have pains occasionaly...I feel for you mack.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
That so sucks! (((((mack))))) Posted by larisse (Member # 2221) on :
Mack... I hope you feel better. Ditto on other people's comments... This sucks.
*Sends smarty brain vibes to Mack's doctors so they can figure this out and help her get better.*
Better yet... *Redirects CT's, and all docs at Hatrack, smarty brain vibes to Mack's docs to help them out*
{{{ Mack }}} <--gentle hug
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
mack, are you feeling any better today??
Farmgirl
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Some.
I want them to figure out what is wrong. Because this is effed up. Is interfering with my life and I'd LIKE TO GET ON WITH IT.
I cried. Again. Today. I'm not a crier.
*frustrated*
Why can't anything go right!?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
(((((mack))))) Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
There's a small alien residing in between my intestines and my kidneys!
...no, not really. I had the last test this morning (contrast xrays to look at my upper GI tract and small intestines). Everything was fine.
I guess it IS serotonin. Psychiatrist started an SSRI on Friday, so we'll see what happens.
Stupid barium.
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
Barium is AWFUL!
In either end.
My sympathies.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
I'm sorry that they haven't been able to locate the source of your pain. I hope they can get something figured out and get you better.
I had problems with non-specific stomach pain when I was about 18. I hurt all the time (without any increase or decrease in pain lever regardless of what I did or didn't do/eat). It wasn't a severe pain, but it was really annoying. They tried tons of tests (upper GI = eww barium, ultrasound = very painful on kidneys) and lots of exclusionary dietary games (that was not fun at all - 1 month of no dairy, no meat, no eggs - and it was the month of my birthday which sucked bigtime - no cake and ice cream for me). In the end they couldn't find any physical cause and decided it must have been caused by stress. Luckilly for me, I only had to endure about 5 months of it before it disappeared as suddenly as it appeared. Here's to disappearing pain!
[ February 03, 2004, 04:45 PM: Message edited by: ludosti ]
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Yes, barium is bad.
*shudders*
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
My baby girl had an upper GI done at less than two-months-old. It was terrible AND they made her fast for like twelve hours! Then, after nine hours of rocking and singing to the starving baby, they came to get her for the tests, and they said this:
"They said twelve hours? She only had to fast for four hours!"
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
mmmmmmm-Barium.
Get better Mack.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
Poor Uncle Tom.
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Evil]](graemlins/evil.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Group Hug]](graemlins/grouphug.gif)
burst I had gone to the ER a total of 5 times... they had no clue each time it was over a period of three days... on the last vist I was actually in the room wating for the doctor when it burst.... they did a surgery and had to remove some over my intestines also because it had become infected..I spent a month in the hospital..and still have pains occasionaly...I feel for you mack.
![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
![[Cry]](graemlins/cry.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)