emergency appendectimy

[buddybikes]

Arm chair doctors here. So had an appendectimy yesterday AM, worst thing was the complete dry mouth from anethesa and being pumped with pounds of fluid with post cathater issues. Now home, lost 4.5lbs overnight from loosing most the fluid. I heard lots of generalities getting back on bike, not intense or climbing. From 2 weeks to when you feel you can, even few days. Beautiful morning, dry 65 degrees and my Firefly is lookng at me. I just focused back lifting again over past month to help back out, and muscle mass back from my fusion. This was a clear month at least to wait.

Enjoy your rides today!

[oldpotatoe]

Arm chair doctors here. So had an appendectimy yesterday AM, worst thing was the complete dry mouth from anethesa and being pumped with pounds of fluid with post cathater issues. Now home, lost 4.5lbs overnight from loosing most the fluid. I heard lots of generalities getting back on bike, not intense or climbing. From 2 weeks to when you feel you can, even few days. Beautiful morning, dry 65 degrees and my Firefly is lookng at me. I just focused back lifting again over past month to help back out, and muscle mass back from my fusion. This was a clear month at least to wait.

Enjoy your rides today!

Yikes, my son had one of these when he was 10 years old..just felt poor for a while..then to ER..appendix had burst..'can' be dangerous..glad you woke up on the 'other side'..the drugs, constipation, etc, are the worse..Good luck..let your body tell you when and if...

[Cicli]

Yeah,
I worked for a week with appendicitis. Thought I had a Taco Bell burrito stuck in my colon. Then it ruptured. I spend about 10 days in the hospital and lost 25 lbs.
glad you cought it in time. Waiting and trying to walk it off was the worst thing I have done in a while.

[OtayBW]

post cathater issues...Yeesh! Good luck with the recovery!

[buddybikes]

On only tylenol post surgery. Had general upper GI weirdness the bit of slight nausea, then moderate pain, in right flank -but almost like it was a muscle pull. Bit of temp is what pushed me in. My appendix was hooked in odd location making surgeon work more (she stopped me in the halld to comment about it), but caught very early, glad I didn't listen to my wife and got to ER.

Long night - 1st time pulling an overnighter since childhood.

[Mikej]

I had one several years ago- I remember neck pain from the gas the blow to see during the operation ? And I remember thinking I don't need oxy, 'till it wore off.

[William]

Speedy recovery my friend.

Mine burst, abscessed, and then the abscess burst. I had been going to my doctor for intermittent stomach pain (like eating bad food), but it wasn't bad. Dr. commented that if it was my appendix I would know it from the pain. Well, one nasty night, not sure where I am, can't get up, bouncy painful ambulance ride, surgery to remove the mess and remove a few feet of intestines as well...no problem. Of course my former doc commented afterward..." should have remembered, with all your years of martial arts training you're used to pain".

A bad appendix is no joke. I'm very happy you are on the mend.










William

[ripvanrando]

Mine ruptured ten years ago. Post operative infection was my main problem. I think I was back 3 weeks later iirc.

It took about 6 hours in the ER before they did a CT and saw it was ruptured. They kept asking my pain level and I'd say just a little less than when trying to hang with the A group going over elevator shaft climb. I guess we miscommunicated

[thwart]

Glad to hear it was diagnosed and treated quickly and appropriately.

Pain actually gets better when it ruptures... but... then bad things happen fast.

When to get back on the bike... ? I'd stay in touch with the surgeon/her staff. There's a variable recovery time for different folks, so she's really the one to say when you're good to go.

[earlfoss]

A friend had this surgery less than a month ago. He is an idiot and jumped back into racing 2 weeks later! I wouldn't recommend that to anyone, but from what I understand the recovery is quick and you're back to normal in a jiffy.

[Fatty]

Mine burst at the ripe old age of 24. Area around it went sepsis or septic.
Sat in a hospital bed a couple days while they flushed me out. Got to see inside my abdomen. Good times.

Your Doctor's advice about when getting back on the bike is probably best.

Healing vibes sent your way.

[John H.]

About 2 years ago my wife had a day where she didn't feel so hot.
By afternoon she had what she thought was a stomach ache.
Got worse so she went to here GP (same day).
She was admitted to hospital at 7 pm. Appendix out by 10 pm. Home by 8 am next day.
Back to normal activities in a couple days.

[daker13]

My daughter (13) had hers rupture last fall. She had to spend a week in the hospital due to risk of sepsis. It was scary as hell for us, but she was a real trooper. Took her several weeks to recover. She shared the room with several kids whose appendixes hadn't burst, and had had regular appendectomies, and they were in and out of the hospital the next day. A ruptured appendix (let alone what William went thru--ruptured appendix, heals with an abcess, then that bursts) is a whole different animal. So you might be up and about sooner than you think.

BTW, I once met a guy whose appendix had ruptured on an airplane and the plane did an emergency landing. He was drinking booze when I met him two weeks later, at a party, and he insisted the doctor told him it was fine (but come to think of it, maybe his appendix hadn't actually ruptured).

Speedy recovery, and good call heading to the ER.

[regularguy412]

Mine ruptured ten years ago. Post operative infection was my main problem. I think I was back 3 weeks later iirc.

It took about 6 hours in the ER before they did a CT and saw it was ruptured. They kept asking my pain level and I'd say just a little less than when trying to hang with the A group going over elevator shaft climb. I guess we miscommunicated


WOW great analogy. Sorry bout your issue, but the comment did make me laugh out loud.

Mike in AR:beer:

[purpurite]

William, I had a similar event to you in 2000. Mine burst, thought it was bad food, then it abscessed and snuck behind my spleen. Took 6 doctors a week of tests with me dying in a hospital bed to figure out it was my appendix. Like you, the pain wasn't much more than bad gas, so they all discounted the rupture as nothing, even though they all knew I had never had an appendectomy. A 6 hour surgery and they cleaned everything out inside.

I spent another 3 weeks in the hospital recovering on antibiotics I could taste for months, then 2 weeks learning how to walk all over again. I still can feel the scar tissue if I stretch out on the floor. Lost 22 pounds, which for me was about 18% of my total body weight. Surgeon said a few days after I was released from the hospital that I was about 12 hours from being dead had they not got the gangrened appendix and toxins out when they did.

Fun stuff.

[bikingshearer]

To the OP: Glad you caught in more or less in time. I'd say listen to your doc as to the time needed for stitches, etc., to heal and not to be in danger of reopening anything. Then listen to your body - if it says take it easy, then take it easy.

I don't remember how long I was off the bike after my appendectomy, so I can't be of much help there. Like some others here, I waited several days longer than I should have before I went in. Too long a story for here - bottom line, I was an idiot and thought work was more important than the increasingly excruciating pain in my gut. Mine didn't burst, but it was "perforated" and i spent three or four days in the hospital. I also learned two things about demerol (this was 1993 - they have other stuff now that I have not had the pleasure of meeting). (1) I really - and I mean really - liked it. It scares me how much I liked it. And (2) as much as I liked the demerol warm-and-fuzzy high, between the painful stuff up front and the mother of all constipation afterwards, it is not worth what you have to do to get it.

[rando]

Drink lots of water, rest longer than you think you need to recover, and then start going for ambling walks over gently rolling unpaved terrain. Relax, let your organs readjust after the shock they just went through. The bike will still be there a week after you could have grabbed it and started by going too hard. If pain or incontinence are your only criteria, by all means bend yourself double and claw back perceived losses in fitness. The above is a wiser path to long term health.

[buddybikes]

Whew, interesting thread. Now about 52 hours post op. Yesterday was basically normal except ride/kayak of course. The worst was the dry mouth for first 24 hours. Yes and getting all plumbing back to normal. Didn't even take any tylenol this morning.

If mine had popped, probably good bye and my wife would of been putting up my FF for sale due to my diabetes (50 year pin next month).

[kppolich]

Joined the club as well this morning. Interesting back story that may or may not have played along with what happened. Yesterday I completed a 30 day challenge of eating Vegan. To celebrate I modestly decided to have a turkey club wrap for lunch at 12 Noon. 3 hours later I am home throwing up and sitting on the toilet on and off for 4 hours. After a refreshing shower I try to lay down and get past this presumed food poisoning or whatever - my stomach and lower ab area are cramping, shooting, tugging, painfully and I make the call to call a friend (his wife actually) for a ride to the ER. Arrive and sit down at 7:59PM

Arrive at ER @ "#1 Hospital In The State" and wait 2 hours to get to a ER exam room and then speak with the doctor for 3-4 minutes. After loosely diagnosing acute appendicitis without ruling out food poisoning he instructs the nurse to start IV fluids, pain med, anti nausea and to do blood work. He then says we will get you in for a CT right away to rule on the Appendix situation on top of looking at high white blood cell counts and urine analysis. Now 10PM

I **** you not 4 hours later I am finally in for the CT (now 2AM)

3:30AM comes and another doctor shows up and says get ready for surgery, shows me the CT scan and he expresses his eagerness to remove my HUGE appendix.

Wake up from surgery, now 6AM feeling like a million bucks with 3 holes in my abdomen. Taking it easy this week with high hopes of jumping back on the bike in 16 days and possibly resuming cross. Team of doctors expresses their excitement for just how huge my appendix was for a skinny, 155lb man and wished they had taken pictures but it was within hours of rupturing so they just did the damn thing.

Moral of the story- pain moves fast and I'm glad it's over. PK's and couch time.

[buddybikes]

In my case went to ER at 6:30 PM, small hospital no OR, blood drawn seen by dr within 45 min. Got to CT about 9:30, hung around for ambulance @1:00 AM, hung around another ER till OR people woke up and in their hands @6:30 AM

Least I got pain meds in me faster

[bshell]

Tried to walk it off for a day/day and a half but ended up taking myself to the Emergency Room around 1am when the fever/chills/sweats/shakes set upon me.

Morphine made no difference but I was fine as long as they weren't moving me around. Waited 9 hours for surgery/vacuuming up the perforation debris. Guy did a fine job through those three access holes.

If you are ever in this situation and they want to 'administer' contrast fluids for your CT be very aware that there is a tasteless, drinkable alternative....sheeesh.

[ultraman6970]

MY little one at age 8 got his apendix out, same as pretty much everybody... pain... problem walking... took him to emergencies just in case and next day he was walking back home. Now a days is a lot better than years ago, no cut anymore.

[2LeftCleats]

To the OP. What are you waiting for? You've already lost a day of riding.

[teleguy57]

You're in good company....
http://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/latest-news/lizzie-deignan-appendix-removed-world-championships-doubt-348579

[Ken Robb]

20+ years ago I had pain similar to appendicitis but it was on the wrong side. I thought it was due to something I ate at a raw seafood bar. I finally called my GP who asked if pressure on the abdomen hurt. When I told him the elasic in my underpants caused sharp pain he told me to meet him at his office ASAP. It was closed on this Sunday but he met me at the ground floor elevator so I did not have to climb any stairs. He quickly confirmed his suspicion that I had diverticulitis, prescribed oral antibiotics, and sent me home to rest and be carefully observed by my wife who had orders to phone him at home if I didn't improve in a couple of hours. He said had I been puking he would admitted me to a hospital so I could get my meds via IV. As an aside, he told me if I had endured this much pain on the appendix side it probably would have ruptured because appendix walls are not as thick/tough as intestinal walls.

A few years later I had subtle twinges that I remembered from my last bout of diverticulitis. I was camping with friends so I told them I had to get to medical help ASAP and asked them to take down my tent and bring my stuff home when they left the next day. Another quick round of antibiotics cured this bout before the pain got beyond mild discomfort. Fortunately I have not had a recurrence in 18 years. My doc said another attack and he would have recommended removing the section of my intestine with the offending diverticula. Whew!:banana:

[Tickdoc]

Uggh. Diverticulitis here as well. Just back from Maui and started feeling bad a day before flying home. I felt like I ate a lit firecracker and it exploded just before I could poop it out. Maybe a week of resort food is not what my body needed?

The flight home was miserable. Long hot lines outside for security. ( must everyone fly out at the same time of night?). Couldn’t sleep, couldn’t get comfy. I thought I had just some food poisoning but it was low in my gut and very painful.

Unable to sleep once home brought me to the urgent care today, which turned into er visit and 9 hrs later I’m finally home with a round of antibiotics. I was afraid it had ruptured the pain was so intense, but not that they could tell from ct (fingers crossed).

I was going to be slammed at work after a week off, now it’s going to be even worse!

I will sure miss those Maui sunsets tho….

https://i.imgur.com/GmRO3HWl.jpg

[Ken Robb]

25 plus years ago I had severe diverticulitis which has very similar symptoms of appendicitis. I thought it was just caused by bad food so I waited to call my doc. He asked if it was tender to touch. I told him the elastic waistband in my boxers caused excruciating pain so he told me to get to his office ASAP and he would open up for me on Sunday afternoon. It was on the side opposite my appendix so he knew what it was and immediately put me on massive doses of oral antibiotics. He said if my wife wasn't going to be with me to monitor my condition he would have put me in the hospital because my bowel might have ruptured like an inflamed appendix. He said if I had experienced this much pain in the area of my appendix it would have surely ruptured because the wall of it is not as tough as the wall of an intestine.

Afew years later I was camping with friends when I had a twinge that I remembered as like the first symptom of diverticulitis so I asked my friends to bring my tent and stuff home when they got home in a couple of days and hurried home to see my doc. He put me on the same antibiotics as before and I was better in a couple of days without any real pain. The doc said if it happened again we might have to consider removing some of my intestine which had the diverticula causing the problem. I'm happy to say I've had no recurrence for 20 plus years. Oh yeah, I've never had any problem with my appendix. :)

[benb]

My brothers both had to have theirs out in their 20s, neither ruptured and they were fine in pretty short order.

My F-I-L had his rupture. Healthcare is very good here, the docs got him sorted right out too with no real complications in the long run too.

You'll be fine in pretty short order.. best of luck, just listen to the doctors.

It seems like pretty much everyone goes from 100% OK to agonizing pain and into the hospital pretty quick.

[gbcoupe]

Firstly, Steve and all, glad you're alright.

Second, damn! Didn't realize this was so common. Cycling related? Not that I'm going to stop. Just seems a little weird that so many here have had them go wonky.

[poff]

Had mine removed last October. Had abdominal pain in the middle of the zoom class I was teaching, I finished teaching and had my wife drive me to the emergency where upon negative COVID test I had it removed. I had to get back to teaching 3 days after the surgery and was back on my bike 10 days after.

[rustychisel]

Glad to hear you caught it in time Steve. Can't help with getting back on the bike, maybe you'll know when it's time then a little sideways twist will tell you otherwise.

My story: 14 years old, played a game of A grade hockey on Saturday because I thought it was a pulled muscle.... went to bed, stayed in bed Sunday, felt worse... doctors appointment Monday am... hospital and operation by Monday afternoon.... burst appendix, peritonitis, 2 days of pain relief lala land whilst my parents were told to prepare for the worst, 10 days in hospital all up.

[caneye]

Tickdoc - wish you a speedy recovery.

my (extended) experience ..

We were visiting osaka (just a couple of mths before the wuhan outbreak) when my wife came down with a bad stomach ache. initially we thought it was either food poisoning (having sampled the local delicacy - roasted maple tree leaf) or her menses. she was in bed for the remaining 3 days. i knew she was in extreme pain .. heck, this is someone who had 2 natural child births. We bought paracetamol, pain killers, any off-the-shelf medication to help with food poisoning, etc ..
anyway, the pain persisted but we managed to catch the return flight from osaka to tokyo, it was the first flight in the morning.

during the 10-hr transit in Narita, she got herself checked into the airport clinic whilst i reluctantly brought the kids to tokyo to meet a family friend. the next time i heard from her - she was in an ambulance, called by the clinic, on her way to Narita hospital!

She's the only japanese-speaking person in our family. You can imagine my state of mind - frantically racing around tokyo's shibuya station to meet our family friend for lunch then rush back to Narita. What do we do next? how long will she stay in hospital? do the kids stay on? or should they fly back to sydney by themselves (they were 11 & 14 at that time)? when's the next flight? do we have a spot?

by 5pm, we were anxiously looking at the clock. i was back at the airport, she was still stuck in hospital undergoing more tests. the JAL ground crew was outstanding. we had explained everything to them and they were doing their best to arrange alternative flights, accommodation, etc ..
our flight was at 8pm.

6pm - the Dr gave her the green light to fly and provided her with a comprehensive medical report that neither of us could read. we had no idea it was appendicitis. Japanese is not an easy language to learn, so trying to make sense of medical terms is even more difficult.

7pm - she was back at the airport and we're rushing to the departure gate when we got the news the pilot did not want us on the flight! The JAL ground crew then took all the hospital documents and had a long discussion and negotiation with the pilot before they finally gave us the green light.

Miraculously, the 9-hr flight went without a hitch.

We arrived in Sydney on Christmas eve. She was in ER the same day. The ER Dr dismissed it as travel bug but allowed her to stay on for further monitoring because her inflammation marker number was very high. A new shift Dr came and took a more concern approach. I remember the Dr clearly because he had a Santa elf hat on, with a Christmas shirt. It was during her stay at the ER that the appendix ruptured. Up till then, the 2nd Dr had suspected appendicitis but could not confirm. Apparently xray and MRI were inconclusive.

She went in for surgery almost immediately, on Xmas day, had lots of fluid pumped into her to clean and flush out the mess. She was on fluids for the next few days before discharged just before new years eve. I was in and out of hospital daily during that time.

Unsurprisingly, I have no recollection of Christmas that year. None whatsoever.
We're so fortunate that nothing happened between Osaka and Sydney. So many things could have gone wrong. I doubt I could have tolerated the pain. Different pain threshold clearly.

Catch it before it ruptures.
Can be life-threatening once that happens.

[Tickdoc]

Tickdoc - wish you a speedy recovery.


Thanks and after reading all these stories I feel very lucky to have had diverticulitis instead of appendicitis.

It sounds like diverticulitis is the better looking cousin of appendicitis.

I’m on day three of abx and day two off work. Hoping to go back tomorrow. Still sore and not quite back to normal, but functional.

Not something I want to go through again by any stretch.

[MaraudingWalrus]

I don't really have much to add to this from the patient perspective, but it's always interesting for me to read about it from this side.

My father and grandfather are/were both general surgeons (so 3am emergency appendectomies put my sister and I through college) additionally my wife and father and law are anesthesiologists.


I do know that all parties involved are always happier when the patients involved are healthier, active people. Outcomes usually much better when the surgeon has to be cautioning the patient to take it easy with regards to exercise than when they have to really harass them to get up and go for a walk!

[Tickdoc]

Two weeks out on diverticulitis. Abx are all done and I’ve been trying to be careful what I eat until my dr appointment in august. I’m really curious about what colonoscopy will reveal.

Quit all alcohol, quit all caffeine, quit all seed borne items. I’ve lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks.

I’ve had a double latte nearly every morning for the last twenty years, and would often hit a shot of espresso or make an iced coffee if at home.

I’ve quit caffeine twice before (when wife was pregnant with each kid) and the last two times were miserable daily headache experiences that lasted about a month each time. I quit this time because coffee,tea, and soft drinks didn’t taste good. I think my taste was altered by the antibiotics but I’m kinda enjoining being away from caffeine and alcohol for the moment, and the biggest shocker is no headaches! Strange.

Any dietitians here that can advise on probiotics?

It was recommended by a friend of a friend who suffers from this but I have no clue which are best, how to take, etc.

[echelon_john]

I had a first (and only) bout of diverticulitis about 4 years ago that was one of the best things that ever happened to me. Wound up in the ER from the pain; got IV antibiotics that cleared it up in a few days. They had me in for a colonoscopy a few weeks later (47yo so wouldn’t have had one for a few years otherwise) and one of the nodules they clipped out routinely turned out to be a neuroendocrine tumor. If I hadn’t had the diverticulitis that tumor would still be growing b/c I’m sure I would have put having a colonoscopy off as long as possible.

I feel very fortunate.