I developed symptoms of upper abdominal pain after dinner one evening. It was a gnawing, burning feeling, but also similar to nausea, however antacids didn't help. It lasted till about 4 a.m., then subsided. Three days later (after eating a small lunch), I again developed upper abdominal pain that would not go away. I thought it was possibly an ulcer or gallbladder problem. It never once hurt on my lower right side, though it was a little achy around my lower back area. I went to the emergency room and the doctor was convinced at first that it was an ulcer. Blood work came back fine, but none of the emergency treatments for ulcers helped the pain, which was becoming more intense by the hour. It reminded me of labor pains, but higher up in the abdomen. Finally, I had a CT scan which showed an inflamed appendix. My appendix was located high up in my abdomen and not in the normal place. Emergency laparoscopic surgery was performed and I actually felt 100% better after waking up in the recovery room. The doctor said I had a very “angry looking” appendix, but luckily it hadn't ruptured. Published: June 18 ::

I was awakened out of sleep at 3am on Saturday morning with terrible 'gas pains' and severe bloating. I tried Mylanta, Phazyme, Pepto Bismol and Tagamet without any relief. My entire abdomen was extremely tender. By Sunday, I was feeling a bit better; the tenderness was gone on the left side, but I dare touch my right lower quadrant. I still couldn't walk very fast without discomfort. Every time I took a deep breath I had pain, and I knew since it had been 48 hours I should seek medical attention. I am a registered nurse and thought about appendicitis, but I thought the pain would typically be localized to the right side. I never had a fever. I never had nausea and vomiting either. I sought the information on this web site, and read people's comments. On Monday morning, I went to the E.R., got a CAT scan which revealed appendicitis. After an open appendectomy, and 48hrs of antibiotics I was discharged. Published: July 22 ::

I am a 27 year old mother of three. I came down with appendicitis very rapidly. One minute I was sitting with my sister laughing and talking and the next I was doubled over in pain unable to stand. I had severe stomach cramps starting from below my diaphragm all around to my lower stomach. It was constant and nearly as bad as childbirth. I had only slight diarrhea and a little bit of vomiting so I assumed I had a very bad case of food poisoning. I became very pale and unable to move or talk and I really believed I was dying. Within a couple of hours I was in the hospital, although the pain had subsided by then and had now become localized to just the lower right side of my stomach. The pain felt like something was wrong with my ovaries as that’s how I explained it to the doctors. By the time the surgeon saw me it just felt like an ongoing stitch, and I felt like I could go home as I could walk around again and felt okay. An ultrasound revealed the problem and surgery was done the next day. My appendix was inflamed and now I have a small scar to remind me of that excruciating pain. Published: July 17 ::

I had intense stomach pains after eating that lasted several hours. It felt like I had swallowed broken glass. I also had nausea. I took antacids, etc. that did nothing. That stomach pain went away on its own, but it traveled to my lower right side. I had no appetite and started vomiting. I went to the ER. They performed a pelvic exam to rule out ovarian cysts; and a CT scan. The CT scan showed an inflamed appendix. I was sent to OR that night. It was removed laparoscopically. It was a lot worse than what the CT scan showed. Luckily, it hadn't ruptured, although there was some pus that had to be removed. I was able to leave the hospital the very next day. If I had waited a day longer it would have ruptured. Published: July 15 ::

I woke up at 2:30am on July 6th. The pain in my lower abdomen was severe and the vomiting was intense. At first I thought I had food poisoning. The vomiting lasted for 4 hours. I knew that something more serious was wrong with me. At 6am I quickly jumped into the shower and cleaned up. I then drove myself to the ER. My problems were addressed immediately and before I knew it, I was getting a CT scan. After reading the scans, I was informed that I had an enlarged appendix. Surgery soon followed. After I came out of the anesthesia, I knew that I felt better right then and there. I asked the DR. what my appendix looked like when he removed it and he said that it looked "ugly". I stayed in the hospital for only one day; however I'll be off work for 6 weeks. Published: July 15 ::

Initially, I experienced just a nagging backache which I attributed to sleeping in an awkward position. After a few days, my stomach became distended, and I realized that I was constipated. But after a few days of lots of fruits and vegetables, I had no relief. So I took a laxative and woke during the night in extreme pain. The next day, my stomach still distended and hurt, but I blamed it on the laxative. Finally on day 7, I went to ER and appendicitis was diagnosed. During surgery they found that a part of my colon had also become infected and had to be removed. It has now been 10 days since surgery and I am still recuperating! Earlier diagnosis would have greatly reduced the extent of surgery and recovery. Published: July 08 ::