Appendicitis???

[BabyAsh]

I have been having this pain ever since I woke up. It is in my right side kind of more towards the naval. I don't think it's far enough done to be the appendix but this pain comes anytime I twist, cough, laugh, take a deep breath or anything with alot of movement. I thought it was just hunger pangs at first but I've eaten more than enough and it still won't go away I'm starting to worry it is appendicitis which wouldn't bother me as much if you didn't get sick with it. It's Sunday, of course, which means my doctor isn't in until tomorrow. Should I go to the ER or wait it out or something? I'd like to take care of it before the getting sick would happen should it be the appendix

[Rebecca85]

Press on your stomach where it hurts, then take your finger away quickly and tell me what happens.

[BabyAsh]

It kind of feels about the same...maybe a little bit firmer.

[Rebecca85]

Then it's highly unlikely you have appendicitis. If you did, it would have REALLY hurt when you took your finger away. I had an inflamed ileum last year (which is the part next to your appendix) and the doctor did that to me and I screamed in pain! When he took his finger off, it felt like he had punched me instead.

Anyway, I don't think you have anything to worry about. It could be a pulled muscle. Have you tried a heat pad on it? And you could try a mild painkiller. Hope it gets better soon!

[BabyAsh]

I'll definitely try the pain killers and heating pad. Thanks for your help though

[wargerbil]

I had appendicitis and I didn't v*. Not when it started hurting, not overnight, not on a 7 hr drive to Maryland (that was a bad idea, btw), not in the ER, not after drinking like 40 oz of contrast mixed in fruit punch for my catscan, not when my appendix burst, not before, during, or after surgery... or the two surgeries following that one. NOT SAYING YOU HAVE APPENDICITIS, just saying if you have appendicitis, it isn't a guarantee that you will v*!

When I had appendicitis first I thought it was a cramp like you get from walking/running. I had spent the morning on a field trip with the school I was interning at, and the theater was a million degrees, and the other intern and I were in our office pounding water and I got a cramp in my side. The pain was right above my right hip bone. It didn't go away though, and gradually got worse, and radiated up through my chest and back. By the end of our very long drive, I was curled up in the fetal position in the passenger's seat crying from the pain. It took about 24 hrs to progress to that point, and they didn't take my appendix out for ANOTHER about 24 hrs (about 18 hrs after getting to the hospital) due to a misdiagnosis. (I didn't have rebound pain either, which is when it hurts worse after it is pressed and let go. I was an odd case.)

[crd08]

I always though I had it as a child (still kinda worry about it today) when I would get pain in my side.
It's just gas/me needing to have a bm or a muscle strain every time lol

My ex had appendicitis with no pain. Not to freak anybody out, but how weird is that? And I know others who had it V* free, just a ton of pain.

[BabyAsh]

The pain is kind of subsiding a bit so I'm not as worried anymore and I still have an appetite so that should be a good sign at least. If it doesn't leave by tomorrow I'll have to at least a doctor (I have Lupus as well so better safe then sorry) but with any luck it'll be gone. Thanks for everyone's help though

[CherBirdi]

I read online that after the pain, a loss of appetite is the next main symptom; so the fact that it is getting better and you can still eat, tells me you don't have appendicitis. I sometimes gets strange pains in my middle stomach (around bellybutton) or in my side, and always worry it'll be appendicitis. It's usually just gas and passes after a day or two.

[Rebecca85]

When I had the inflamed ileum last year, they told me I was too hungry to have appendicitis!

I didn't know you have Lupus, but definately get checked out! What meds do you take for it?

[BabyAsh]

I still have a bit of pain but nothing as bad as yesterday and I've still had my appetite and everything But for the Lupus I take Plaquinel (Hydroxychloroquine), Leucovorin Calcium, Methotrexate, and just general other stuff for little side effects; Tylenol for headaches, and vitamin supplements cause I am the pickiest eater lol.

[Rebecca85]

Glad you're feeling a bit better! Sorry if I was being a bit nosey about the meds, I was just curious because I have Crohn's, which is also autoimmune, and some of the symptoms and treatments overlap. I also take a lot of supplements, because I am limited in the amount of 'healthy' stuff I eat.

[BabyAsh]

Oh it's no problem. Not a secret for me or anything I'm not limited by them really, except for alcohol and stuff, but I just don't eat a lot of good food lol. The pains pretty much gone now. No clue what it could have been but glad to be rid of it.

[person54321]

Could you have been ovulating? Sometimes that can cause a LOT of pain if you have ovarian cysts. It can be anywhere on the spectrum to kinda uncomfortable to can't move and think you're dying. I almost had to call an ambulance once because I felt like even the movement of breathing was like being stabbed. I've also had it mildly where it's just this quite painful sharp pain on one side, but doesn't make me not functional. It's kind of frightening feeling, like you think something horrible must be wrong. I thought appendicitis too the first time I had that happen. Obviously it's only on one side and in the lower abdomen. If you're not near your period, that could easily be it. Basically if you are a woman of childbearing age with pain on one side not accompanied by a high fever, doctors will assume that's what it is, since the test for it is fairly invasive (a vaginal ultrasound) and often inconclusive.

[BabyAsh]

That's possible. I didn't have a fever but my period ended like a week before the pain started. I don't know if the pain from that stops or anything though when the ovulating ends?

[person54321]

Most women ovulate around a week after their period stops. Ovarian cysts generally only hurt for a few hours (maybe up to a day). Ovarian cysts aren't related to period pain.

[BabyAsh]

Hmm I suppose it's always a possibility. I'll have to keep my eye on it for now since the pain stopped.

[gumdropper1]

The appendix is halfway between your navel and your hip bone. That is where it would be most painful to touch.

[wargerbil]

The appendix is halfway between your navel and your hip bone. That is where it would be most painful to touch.

... unless you're like me and had a foot-long gangrenous appendix! That thing was ALL over!