Removal of Squidgy Bits - Info Needed

[digitaldiscipline]

Okay. Upon further review, it might be my Internal Lawyer. . . . err, appendix.

Who's had theirs out? What did it entail [procedure, convalescence, cost]? I am, as you say, clueless.

As someone whose last hospital stay was several years ago [head trauma - staples and x-ray], and who's never had any working bits yanked out, I'm in the dark here.

[please also email informational replies to K - aishlynn @ yahoo.com - mentioning & discussing this has got her understandably worried, so more info and support-like stuff would be much appreciated. Not fond of causing worry, am I.]

So, that's where things are at for the moment. That said, I still feel leagues better than this time yesterday - then again, napping all day on the couch, getting a good night's sleep, and not having spent the last several hours throwing up tend to have that effect. ;-)

Comments

[elixxir.livejournal.com]

Oh good grief! I hope it all gets sorted so you can start to feel better soon babe. *hugs*

Appendicitis...

[mpeace.livejournal.com]

is one of those Get Thee to a Doc Now things. If you haven't already. And by now, I mean immediately, not in a day or so. Depending on the severity, the emergency room might be suggested.

[angel-renewed.livejournal.com]

Go to the doctor. NOW. Settle out whether this is an emergency condition or just your bowels in an uproar. Food poisioning can be dreadful awful.

Don't come back until you've been to the doctor. I mean it.

[etcet.livejournal.com]

I have spoken to the folks at the [charity] hospital. The ER nurse wasn't able to give me much info on the particulars ["We don't do the procedure in here, so I don't know, it depends what else you have going on."], but she did say that just walking into the ER was the way to do it.

Further updates as events warrant. As of this writing, I feel fine. . . other than needing a shower and shave. Heh.

[axissilverhand.livejournal.com]

It can fucking kill you, because it preys on apathy.

You'll be fine, but if the car was making noises like you've been making, she'd be in the damn shop already. Until you breed a replacement Cool Freak, you are so FUCKING NOT allowed to die.

Go. Now.

[willo.livejournal.com]

go see a doctor as soon as possible. the appendix is a tiny little organ (about the size of a finger) that protrudes from your intestines.. and as far as medical science knows, it is not a working bit -- it does nothing that we know of, one doctor told me (mind you this was about 8 or 9 years ago) that we outgrew our use for it years and years and years ago -- however, cows use theirs in digesting grass!

Mine's out.. and all I remember is that they prepped me for surgery, shaved my tummy, then put me under. when i woke up i was a bit ill because it was an emergency operation and i didn't have time to prepare (with the no eating nor drinking past midnight thing) but everything went off just fine. and they've fine tuned that surgery over the years so you would have no worries. for technical information see: http://www.facs.org/public_info/operation/app.pdf

pleeease go see a doctor soon, or if any symptoms get worse go to the er!

[angel-renewed.livejournal.com]

Rafe with a shaved tummy. We SO need pictures of this.

[willo.livejournal.com]

LMAO! I second that

[ladysoleil.livejournal.com]

Agreed on the "get thee to a MD" chorus. A friend of mine had the exact same deal- ate some questionable food (he swears Burger King will never again touch his lips), felt kind of foodpoisony, and then collapsed the next day. He was up and about in a reasonable amount of time- I think he missed about a week of work, but didn't have too many issues.

[bitogoth.livejournal.com]

okay- my boss had the same problem. for him it was nuts- turns out they were building up in the appendix (at least this is how i understood the doc-speak through an imperfect translator) but it is VERY VERY BAD. don't make me come down there and drag your sorry ass in! (if you have to have it out, i promise to not kick your ass until the stitches heal- heh)

glad you are feeling better, but this kind of thing can come and go, or it can just POP and then they have to drain very very nasty stuff out of sensitive places through a tube. seriously. major squick and ouch. go to a doctor.

[lil-m-moses.livejournal.com]

Had mine out in '95. Started out as general nausea on Friday around midnight, felt like crap still when I woke up on Saturday. Pepto didn't help. Watched cartoons on the couch all morning, then realized that I was no longer so nauseous, but the pain had localized to a point in my lower right abdomen. Got suspicious, looked up appendicitis in the encyclopedia and it matched, so I took myself to student health just after noon. They ran a blood test and a short exam to check me (your white blood cell count skyrockets), then told me to take myself to the ER at the local hospital. Called my roomies and had one of them drive me over with a small bag of stuff, and the other took my car home. I checked in at 4, called my Mom, and was in general-anaesthetic surgery before 6. They kept me in the hospital a week, and it was another week before I was moving well again, though I had the bad fortune to catch a cold right out of the hospital, which complicated my recovery. Probably 2 weeks to approach anything normal. Coughing hurt like a sumbitch, and I had to stay out of my gymnastics class for almost 2 months, IIRC. Having someone around to take care of you is a very good thing. I was really glad my Mom came out. I think the staples came out after a couple of weeks, and the 3-4" scar stopped itching after a year or two. I think the bill was $10kish, including the hospital stay, but that was 8 years ago in Iowa, so YMMV. Insurance paid for virtually all of it.

Do not pass go

[victorine.livejournal.com]

Get yourself to the emergency room stat!

If it is your appendix, you'll have rebound tenderness (it doesn't hurt when you push in on it, but it hurts when you let go), a fever from the toxic stuff in your system, throwing up, and feeling like you've got to dump a load, but can't. But the only real way to tell is to have an xray done and a lovely rectal exam so they can feel if there's a mass in there. I know all this cause I had mine out when I was 16 and on vacation in Cape Cod. Mine burst as they were opening me up so I had a 9 day hospital stay (with no visits from friends cause they were all 800 miles away!), an open packed wound, and sutures which they used to tie me up with at a later date when all the infected goo had drained.

Very icky, very painful, not fun at all, so if it is his appendix, the
sooner they get it out the better! The other girls in my hospital room - their appendix had not ruptured, so their stay was like, 3 days, and they just had a little scar. I have a nice frankenstein scar, which means no exotic dancing for me! ;p

[geekers.livejournal.com]

As everyone else has stated: ER.now.

*gentle squishes*

~*get better vibes*~