Dodged Anothe Bullet

[Bib_Overalls]

That makes two this month.

First was when my good heart doctor spent three hours placing a stint in an artery behind my heart.  The nurse that works with him in the cath lab said it was an impressive effort.

But the real reason I am posting this here is because, like most of you, I am an old fart.  And while this board is not a geriatric ward, there are some folks here of similar age and just might benefit from my second experience.

Tuesday I had a late breakfast with my cronies.  About ten I started to feel some hunger pangs.  At noon I ate a couple of cookies and drank a diet soda.  By three all I wanted to do was sit in the bathroom and throw up.  Classic stomach flu. Or so I thought.  But my wife had the good sense to call our doctor's office and the nurse said "emergency room - now!)

After some blood work and a trip through the donut they said "it's out with your appendix."  I had surgery about twelve hours after my first symptom appeared.  I'm home now with three small holes in my stomach.  It could have been much worse.

Like most folks, I thought appendicitis was something that happens to young people.  And that is almost always the case.  But older folks are susceptible.  And older folks tend to dismiss the symptoms until the condition has advanced to the point were a major surgery is required.

The key symptom was a pain on the right side of my stomach that emerged several hours after my first "hunger" pangs.  If you have what you think is stomach flu and your belly gets tender on the right side go to the emergency room.

[Sean]

I had heard about the pain in the side part, but I didn't know Flue like symptoms came with it too. Good thing your wife was smarter than you and called the Doctor....  

[WZ JUNK]

Glad you are okay.  Hooleys burst a couple of years back.  He was laid up for awhile.

John

[40]

Sure glad you're OK....Take your wife out to dinner! My grandsons burst when he was 4......We very nearly lost him,it was touch-n-go for a while.My stepbrother died at 22 when his burst......Definitely not something to mess with.

[EMSjunkie]

Glad the hear everything came out OK.....no pun intended :oops:

ruptured appendix can be life threatening.  

hope you heal quickly.

Vance

[Dave]

Glad your ok. Man a stint in the back of your heart is impressive. They told me that couldnt be done and always required open heart surgery..
Sounds like your doing good.
Dave

[Rrumbler]

You definitely have a good ticker Doc, and a smart wife, too.  My wife had the flu one time, and by the time I paid enough attention to her to realize just how sick she was, peritonitis had set in, and we almost didn't get her to the hospital in time; the surgeon told me that another hour, and it would have been too late.  Hope your recovery is quick and relatively painless.

[petrolhead]

I had severe stomach pains on and off for ages, even put me off my food(musta been sick). Each time I went to the doc's they weren't sure what it was as the symptoms were not like appendicitis. Then one day I got real sick,turned grey and had rigors(un-controlled shaking). Straight to hospital but symptom's were not like appendicitis. They kept me in for a while and did lots of tests, my white cell count was through the roof. They still had no idea. In the end they booked me in for a elective appendectomy. Just as well as it needed to come out. The reason for false readings was that it was 6 inches long,inverted and had a stone in it? It now resides in some medical lab as they have never seen one like it. Trust me to be different. Also I have just recently had a brain tumor removed that was 2 inches in diameter. They say that one in 283000 get a brain tumor but I can tell you that the ward was full. I was one of the lucky ones that has recovered well,others not so lucky.I have a different outlook on life now and wish I had it before.
Regards
Petrolhead

[petrolhead]

I forgot to tell you that I'm 41 and had no prior warnings(headaches,blured vision etc) Just collapsed at work on August 21 with seizures.
Regards
Petrolhead