<p>Anyone ever have a teen with appendicitis? Son complaining about abdominal pain off and on for 4 days. Missed some school and some sports practice. Went to doc today and she said to go for am ultrasound if it keeps up another day or so. This afternoon he says he feels ok. Can it be so off and on like that?</p>
<p>He’s waiting to hear from 3 more schools. One is his number1 or 2. I think that’s the big anxiety. And trying to decide between the top 2 if he gets in. </p>
<p>Beginning to regret not doing ED. I’d pay a chunk of money right now to have this be decided.</p>
<p>I don’t think a doc would take a “wait and see” approach if he/she thought this could be appendicitis because that can swiftly be fatal if the appendix bursts. They have signs that they look for. This is a very intense time.</p>
<p>Had mine out at 18 many moons ago. The pain can be off and on for a few days before it hits hard. Didn’t the doc do a white blood count? My college health clinic sent me back to the dorm with an elevated count only to have my roommate have to call an ambulance in the middle of that night. Pre 911, pre paramedics, yeah I said many moons.</p>
<p>Appendicitis can be difficult to diagnose.
A friend had it so bad a few years ago that it burst then became encapsulated.
It was a long process once she was diagnosed, she had to be hospitalized for at least several weeks if not a month. I seem to remember her just being on iv antibiotics?</p>
<p>I’m glad to read that you went to the doctor. But if he sent you home to wait it out, it doesn’t sound an appendix problem. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t be something else.</p>
<p>Is there a fever? When appendicitis starts to get real bad there is almost always fever. </p>
<p>I had mine get inflamed and rupture a couple or years ago. It had hurt off and on, mostly off, for years and years prior to finally going into a full-blown case. I ended up in the hospital on IV antibiotics for about 10 days.</p>
<p>Is the pain midway between the “belly button” on the right side and the bone above the hip, (ileum)? If the pain returns, I would suggest an ER visit, they will do an exam, (palpate the abdomen), draw some blood to check for an elevated white cell count which suggests an infection and order a CT scan. Hope he feels better soon.</p>
<p>No fever. Says he feels fine now. Went for a run today. Said it hurt off and on during the run. I think if he feels it tomorrow morning, or it gets worse, we will go to the ER. To top it off, we have a high deductible HSA. Only policy available from dh employer. Out of pocket. Health care in America! But the money is always worth it.</p>
<p>Pain is more in the center, but doc said or sometimes starts this way. She did urinalysis to check for kidney stones. No blood work. If course, it’s Saturday. </p>
<p>I had an emergency appendectomy in February. I had no vomiting and no fever. I had been feeling unwell, mostly with a feeling of pressure low in my abdomen, for about a week. The day I finally went to the ER, my stomach hurt most of the day…around my belly button, but on the left side. I thought maybe I had developed an ulcer. Finally, I started to hurt all over my abdomen. I had a trip planned for the next day, which is the main reason I went to the ER when I did. </p>
<p>The pain did not isolate to the right side until they started to give me pain medicine. I think it allowed me to focus on where the pain was coming from, since I hurt everywhere up to that point. My appendix was very inflamed but fortunately did not rupture. Based on their description, it would have ruptured soon.</p>
<p>My point is that appendicitis does not always present in a particular way.</p>
<p>Echo others here, appendicitis can be difficult to diagnose, even by experts. The attending surgeon at one of the top ERs in the country discharged my daughter who had belly pain off and on for days because she didn’t react strongly enough to pressure on her abdomen, no fever, just a little elevation in white blood cell counts. No vomiting or nausea. We were hours from boarding a cross-country flight but it was clear to me that my usually very stoic kid just wasn’t feeling right. We brought her back to the ER and an MRI showed an inflamed appendix, hours from bursting. </p>
<p>Moral of the story, draw on your sense of who your kid is and how they present when they aren’t feeling well. And please let us know how he is doing.</p>
<p>S1 had stomach pain on and off for two weeks. He saw three docs in their office to get diagnosed, and all concluded he did not have appendicitis. DH took him to the ER on Sunday night and they did not know why his stomach hurt either. They decided to keep him overnight. In the AM, the surgeon decided to take a peek inside him tummy, using a laparscope. Turns out he had a perforated appendix. </p>
<p>They wound up removing a foot of bowel, and he was in the hospital for a week with IV antibiotics. He’s continued to have pain every few months due to surgical adhesions. Since the surgery (it was 15 years ago), he’s also had two ER admissions for a bowel obstruction. This all stems from the major surgery he wound up having.</p>
<p>I’d take this damn seriously.</p>
<p>ETA: Look at the silver lining. If it’s appendicitis, it will get his mind off admissions decisions!!</p>
<p>Agree with the others to err on the side of caution. I know 2 people who were actually in the hospital with the doctors trying to figure out what was wrong with them when their appendixes burst and gave the doc’s their answer. One was my husband. he was a child and was in the hospital in a lot of pain when his Mom actually heard a “pop” as the appendix ruptured. The rupture stopped the pain. then he became very ill with the resulting infection. That was 60 years ago (he has a huge scar from it).</p>
<p>Then about 5 years ago my sister in law was admitted to the hospital while they tried to figure out what was wrong with her. My brother got a scarey middle of the night call that it was touch and go when her appendix ruptured and she was rushed into surgery.</p>
<p>This all sounds scary. He isn’t in serious pain. Ran this morning, went to a movie this afternoon, out with friends tonight. Said his stomach is achey sometimes. Didn’t feel it at all while watching the movie. We will see what the morning brings b</p>