(If you are having stomach pain, you may have the beginning signs of Appendicitis and this may eventually lead to a ruptured appendix. Click here to go directly to the Symptoms section of this article. Do not waste time.)
Why is any of this important?
According to the Appledore Medical Group in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, a ruptured appendix can be a life-threatening condition. Intestinal bacteria multiply in the appendix when there is a blockage. Pressure builds and the wall can break open, spilling the toxins into the otherwise sterile abdominal cavity. This peritonitis can be fatal. The risk of complications increases with a rupture. A drainage tube is worn for several days to drain any excess fluid. There is nothing that prevents appendicitis, but the key is early detection and quick surgery.
The traditional South
Before I get to the beginning signs of Appendicitis that I had, which led to a ruptured appendix, due to the crazy events of that week, I feel I should give some background information.
I live in Jackson, Mississippi. As you might have heard, the South is full of traditions. For those attending a couple of the area schools, an end of the school year family beach trip is one of these traditions. What does a beach trip have to do with the signs of Appendicitis or a ruptured appendix?
Unfortunately, I know.
After taking a year off, we were headed back on the infamous “First Week” trip as it has been dubbed for years. A friend of mine, who graduated 30 years ago from one of these schools, just moved back to town and laughed when I told her we were heading to the beach this particular week. She said, “Please tell me it is not still called ‘First Week.'” Sorry…it still is.
Because of my son’s senior trip to Mexico and my daughter’s Young Life camp trip the year before (another Jackson tradition for the two schools after sophomore year), we didn’t go on the “First Week” beach trip last year. (My youngest child went with another family that year because you CAN’T miss the traditional “First Week” beach trip.)
“First Week”
Jacksonians (whose kids attend a couple of the area schools in particular and aren’t going on a Senior trip or Young Life trip) pack their bags each year and head to the Watercolor and Seaside area of the Florida Panhandle on Hwy 30A. Ironically, it’s a trip meant as a get-away, to celebrate the beginning of summer. A trip to be enjoyed amidst hundreds of people you see all year at school events, work, and church. Sound like a true get-away yet?
On the beach, the parents relax at their reserved umbrella and chairs, walk on the beach saying hello to familiar faces, and stop at friends’ umbrellas to swap stories from the week and year. The kids, in packs of 10, 20, or more, strategically hang out far away from their parents. At night, the parents either eat dinner with friends or cook in and relax. By nightfall, the kids desperately look for somewhere to congregate.
I have never liked the “First Week” trip….(there are lots of judgment calls to be made on curfews, stresses of whether the kids are behaving or not with little supervision, and punishments to be implemented for lack of compliance, etc) I repeat, I have never liked the “First Week” Trip….EVER…until this year.
The perfect beach trip
This year was different. I attribute this to several factors. First, we didn’t have any teenage boys with us. Second, my girls brought two very low maintenance friends (we had threatened Greyhound bus rides home for any rule breakers). Third, there was a good group of parents there. We missed some that didn’t make the trip this year due to Senior trips and the Young Life trip, but overall it was a very laid back, fun group of parents.
Oh, and the weather was perfect every day.
Because of my usual dislike for the trip, my husband and I had decided we were going to make this year a good trip by focusing on ourselves and what we wanted to do. And that is exactly what we did.
The night before the trip
Grits and the red dress
We had packed lots of food, beverages, and paper products, thinking groceries would be cheaper in Jackson than at Publix in Watercolor. As I was packing up in Jackson, the night before the trip, I took one last look in the pantry. I spied a few packets of instant grits. None of us had eaten instant grits in months. I packed them anyway.
While packing my clothes, a casual red dress hanging in my closet caught my eye. It was Lole brand from Buffalo Peak, a locally-owned outdoor store. I had not been able to fit into it for several years but tried it on since I had been counting calories, cutting my alcohol intake in half, and exercising four to five days a week for five months. I had shed 15 pounds and had never felt better.
The dress is nothing special: it’s old and faded, but comfortable. I was just excited to be able to fit into it again. I thought to myself, “Maybe I will throw it on to go the grocery store or something.” Truthfully, I knew it was doubtful that I would wear it. I packed it anyway.
The drive
The next morning, it was time to leave for the beach trip. My husband drove my older daughter and her friend, and I drove my younger daughter and her friend. We left at different times, and after six hours, I was the first to arrive at the beach house we had rented for the week in Watercolor.
Daytime at Watercolor
Mornings
On the trip, my mornings consisted of exercising which took the form of either running, run/walking, and/or doing a youtube exercise video. The youtube video workouts included Kickboxing, Zumba, Barre or whatever I was in the mood for that day.
My husband usually did the Publix grocery errand. Good man.
After exercising, we would eat lunch at the beach house. My husband would eat a sandwich, and I made my usual Pure Genesis 360 Protein Shake with frozen fruit, Mila, and Greens.
We then packed our Yeti cooler for the beach each day with alcoholic beverages, water, and healthy snacks. My drinks of choice since the “dieting” have been vodka soda, tequila soda, and red wine. So, I packed vodka soda, tequila soda, and Le Croix sparkling water in the cooler. My husband packed a few beers for himself, and some Trulys and Rose all Day cans to share with others.
Afternoons
We would then head to the beach for the day. You have to call and reserve the umbrellas and chairs prior to arrival, the earlier the better for the best spots. There are two rows of umbrellas and chairs during this busy holiday week. That said, the lifeguards happened to have set up our beach umbrellas and chairs beside my husband’s good friend and his extended family. Ironically, he is a Vice-President on the finance side of the same hospital that I would soon be spending four nights in.
We relaxed on the beach every afternoon by either visiting with ourselves, visiting with friends or catching up on some reading.
Night Life
Dinners with friends or cooking in
The first night of our trip, we had dinner with good friends at a restaurant in Watercolor called Fish Out of Water. The next two nights, we cooked a shrimp pasta and watched Netflix (We cooked it one night and ate the leftovers the second night). My husband was trying to catch up on Game of Thrones, and I had started the series Dead To Me. Then, I talked him into watching Dead To Me with me (it’s great, and there’s only one season so far).
The following two nights, some friends invited us over to eat. The husband caught fresh fish from the Gulf of Mexico each day. You can’t beat fresh fish. He is a great cook, and we had a blast eating his creations and visiting and laughing with their family.
The second night that we ate there, I asked my friend if she had any tweezers that I could borrow. I had left mine at home in Jackson. Being without tweezers for several days is terrible, and Publix had been out of them all week.
She gave me a pair to keep, and you would have thought I had won the lottery. I made a shrine for the tweezers on the chandelier. If you look closely in the above picture, you can see the tweezers hanging on the chandelier. It’s the little things in life that can bring so much happiness.
More tradition; “The White Picture”
One night, we took “The White Picture.” This is another tradition. This year was my older daughter’s turn to participate in “The White Picture.” The upcoming seniors who are at the beach that week gather at 6:30 p.m. on a pre-determined night, dressed in white. They take a group pic, pics with friends, and a couple of family pics. The girls line up in the train pose a few times (seriously, when did this start and how can it end?), and we parents snap away. This year a mom hired a company to build a bonfire in conjunction with “The White Picture” night, and a good time was had by all.
Thursday; Beginning signs of Appendicitis
Morning
Thursday began like any other day.
We had gone for a walk that morning, and I ended my workout with a random upper body video on youtube. An African Zumba video came up in the feed, and I decided I would try that next. I minimized it on my computer and couldn’t wait to do it “tomorrow.” Little did I know, it would be weeks before I could try the African Zumba video.
We ate lunch, loaded up our cooler, and off we went for our second-to-last beach day.
Afternoon
It continued to be a great day. My tennis partner and another good friend of mine walked down the beach and stopped to say hello. We were supposed to have hung out with them at neighboring Seaside the day before. But, our day got away from us, and we had stayed put in Watercolor.
I made my rounds visiting with another group of moms that were set up near us all week. They had some college kids with them. I love visiting with that age. It’s a breath of fresh air as you can see so much potential and excitement for life in each of them.
The beach day was winding down, and we hung out with our fish chef friends and several others. We shared Trulys and Rose All Days with the group because we were all out of our favorite beverages. These beverages would have to do. Also, we were getting hungry.
In conjunction with my theme of being healthy and focusing on consuming more protein than carbs, I whipped out my late afternoon snack, which was a hard-boiled egg. I was so proud of myself because any other year, I would have snacked on Funyuns, Flaming Hot Funyuns, Munchos, or Flaming Hot Cheetos.
However, I thought my fish chef wife friend was going to gag on the spot. She was so disturbed, that she photographed it, and I think she sent it to a friend of hers who also hates hard-boiled eggs. She is still not over it. (To this day jokingly texts me that it was the egg that contributed to the beginning signs of Appendicitis.)
Night
My husband and I had decided to reel it in some that night by making the teenagers some poppyseed chicken and staying in to finish the Dead to Me season on Netflix. We saw some friends at the boardwalk as we were heading up for the day. When we told them what we were doing that night, one of them said, “Why? You can do that in Jackson.” I thought our night sounded glorious. Sticking to our plan to focus on us, that’s exactly what we did.
I was fairly tired, and we got in bed around 10:30 p.m. My husband watched a Game of Thrones episode on the computer in the bed, and I was asleep by 11 p.m.
I woke up at 2:15 a.m. to use the restroom.
I always use my phone as a flashlight in the middle of the night, and there was a text from my older daughter stating that they were staying at a friend’s house. The mom had also texted, confirming. So, I turned off some lights in the house and went back to bed.
2:45 a.m.; The beginning signs of Appendicitis
A band of pain near my belly button which spanned across my abdomen woke me up at precisely 2:45 a.m. I lay there for a little while but could not get comfortable AT ALL. Normally, I’m a sound sleeper unless I have a headache. That is the only time I EVER have trouble sleeping. (My husband is jealous of this quality.)
I kept wanting to get up and go to the toilet hoping to throw up or worse. However, I could create zero by-products. As the night progressed, I took my pillow in the w.c. with me for comfort. Back and forth from the bed to the w.c. is what my night consisted of but with zero activity once in the w.c.
My mouth watered only once (you know, that nauseated mouthwatering), and I threw up a tiny amount. There were a few poppyseeds present, but not much else. I wasn’t nauseous ever again besides that one tiny incident.
Certainly, having the beginning signs of Appendicitis was not in my thoughts.
In a dilemma
I sweated off and on for 10 hours. The pain was nothing I had felt before but wasn’t terrible. It was bad, but not terrible. It did not cross my mind at this point that it was anything ER worthy, especially not the beginning signs of Appendicitis or a ruptured appendix. I knew it wasn’t a stomach bug or due to any type of hangover. But, I didn’t know what it was.
I just knew what it wasn’t.
Trying to stay quiet all night as not to wake my husband since he is a light sleeper was no easy task. I’m surprised he didn’t wake up simply from my being in and out of the bed all night. A comfortable position did not exist; therefore, I did not sleep.
It’s important to note that information about other people’s common symptoms can be found at Symptoms Mayo Clinic.
Friday
Morning
The next morning, I asked my husband to bring me some Advil. I was able to sleep for several hours after taking the Advil even though I still had pain. And I was still sweating like a fiend. I began to think about getting up around 11:45 a.m. My phone was blowing up from people in a normal world, but a normal world was not my current reality. I began answering texts.
One text I sent a friend said, “I slept in this morning had a stomach ache. Wasn’t hung cuz we didn’t do anything last night but stomach started hurting in middle of night.”
Then after her response, I continued, “I’m bummed about my tummy issue. Hope it’s not the start of diverticulitis or something. It’s like a perpetual ache that came on at 2:45 and only let up around 10 a.m. or so, so I was able to get some sleep finally. Have never had anything like it. Praying it’s just a fluke from drinking too regularly this week. Sweated profusely for 10 hours. Body rebelling for sure.”
My friend who is often a voice of reason said, “Alcohol does not do that…if symptoms flare up again, call TBD.” (TBD are the initials for the nickname of her husband who is a doctor. )
I should have called him. He may have been able to convince me that I had the beginning signs of Appendicitis.
The grits
Because I’m generally healthy, my husband honestly did not take me seriously. I mean, he felt sorry for me and all, but he truly thought it was just gas or indigestion, certainly not the beginning signs of Appendicitis. My usually good health actually should have been the very reason to take this more seriously…BUT, it was our last beach day.
I skipped my exercise. No African Zumba for me. My husband ate and packed the cooler. By this time, I had zero appetite. And the thought of an alcoholic beverage made my skin crawl. I knew this wasn’t a hangover stomach because just keeping it real, on the last day at the beach, most people would have opted for a hair of the dog. And also, we had had a low-key night. This wasn’t a hangover. Again, the thought of alcohol made my skin crawl.
STRANGE is the only way to describe how I felt. The pain was still across my abdomen, and I had to walk slowly. I had still ruled out a stomach virus because I never had a headache. The stomach pain was the only symptom.
Upon packing myself a few plain bagel chips in a Ziploc bag for the beach, I spotted the packets of grits. I made a bowl of grits, added a tiny amount of cheese, and ate half of them. I thought to myself, “thank goodness I brought these packets of grits.”
Afternoon
Beach
I had announced to my husband that I couldn’t lift anything heavy and had to walk slowly to the beach. Thankfully, I did make it to my beach chair. I never left my chair, except for lying on my stomach on my towel for the first time all week. I carved out a little hole in the sand for my now bloated belly and sunned like a teen. It was the weirdest day…ever.
I told my husband to please go hang with the fish chef friends and to tell them I just wanted to be alone. (The hospital administrator friend with the umbrella and chairs next to us had left Wednesday.)
I was able to read my novel. But, I wanted to socialize with no one. I did tell a Jackson family near us, whom I didn’t know very well before the trip, about my symptoms. The husband came over to check on me later, and we also visited about real estate. He’s a developer and builder, and I’m a realtor. Talking about my well-being or my real estate business was fine; I just didn’t want to socialize.
Fears
Then, I began googling. My stomach was growing. (Did I already have Appendicitis? Were these the beginning signs of Appendicitis or worse? Could I be on my way to having a ruptured appendix?) The information scared me. I had narrowed it to four things it could be.
My aesthetician had died a couple of years ago at the beach from an aortic aneurysm that ruptured, and I became convinced that could be what I had. My abdomen was pulsating, and that is a symptom. The other three possibilities were appendicitis, gall bladder, or diverticulitis. My pain was still completely east and west across my abdomen, so the appendicitis pain that is mainly supposed to be to the right didn’t add up.
Text Messages
My husband, on the other hand, was having a normal beach day with our fish chef friends. After all, it was our last beach day. I texted my husband at 5 p.m., “Hey I’m going to dr. I’m very worried. Don’t tell anyone but I’m going. Abdomen is pulsating and that is a symptom of the thing that my aesthetician died from at the beach. It’s just all too weird. About to research who takes our insurance. I can come back to get you at the beach in a minute.”
(Since this incident, I now know that any ER would have taken our ER co-pay, but if you have to have surgery or a hospital stay, make sure it’s in your network or obviously the bills will be in addition to the ER co-pay.)
I then received a text from my friend, the wife of the fish chef. I’m in a group text with her and my husband. She wrote, “When Bach (her nickname for him) goes to get Kambucha, (sp?) tell him to get gas pills. Like gas-x. I swear it will help. It relieves the painful pressure.”
She meant well.
In my mind, I replied with the orange faced cursing emoji. (I’m pretty sure those meds do not help someone with the beginning signs of Appendicitis.) That was at 5:04 p.m.
Night
I left the beach. I researched which Urgent Care Clinic was open until 8 p.m. and even packed an overnight bag for the hospital. Note: Go directly to the ER with these symptoms, do not go to Urgent Care Clinic first.
My husband responded for me to come pick him up from the beach. When he got in the car, he talked me out of going to get it checked out. I knew he would do that. He said several things like, “This will cost thousands of dollars, I’m getting you Gas-X, you will be fine, you are never sick, etc.”
So, we went back to our beach house. I put my packed bag near my bed and climbed in it, thinking he was probably right. It was probably nothing. (Certainly not what was now past the beginning signs of Appendicitis and an eventually ruptured appendix.)
No dinner for me; thanks anyway
I had implemented a successful sleep plan by that point. If I lay on my left side or my back, I could get comfortable enough to sleep. I took a nap around 6 p.m.
My husband came in to check on me and asked if I wanted to go to a new pizza place in Rosemary Beach with friends. (About 30 minutes away) (He clearly wasn’t understanding how I felt.) Umm, no thanks. He came in later and said they were going to The Wine Bar in Watercolor instead and asked if I wanted any take-out. Again, umm, no thanks.
This was so outside my normal mode of operation. I’m usually up for anything.
He left, and I slept. I got up around 9 pm and read some more of my novel. Then I took a bath. I thought about washing my hair but felt like lifting my arms to dry my hair would hurt my stomach, so I didn’t.
I packed a few items since we were leaving the next day and wondered how I would get the house packed up and get home via the six-hour drive.
Middle of the night
I slept pretty well with my new way to sleep. I got up to go to the bathroom at 12:45 a.m. and checked my phone. My extended family was texting about the College Regionals baseball game they had just attended. Ole Miss had just won, so they were still up and excited. I responded, “Congrats,” and then told them the only reason I was up was “bc I think I have appendicitis or some crazy something. Started hurting 2:45 am last night. Can’t get comfortable to sleep. Hopefully it’s nothing. I’m trying to get back to Jackson before I have ruptured appendix. Who knows. Good night.”
The Nurse Practitioner and the Roach
While I was still looking at my phone, it began to ring immediately. It was on silent, so I’m thankful I was still looking at it. One of my sister and brother-in-law’s best friends was at their house in the Mississippi Delta watching the baseball game. She is a nurse practitioner, and I had become friends with her too, over the years, through their friendship with her.
I quietly snuck into the bathroom to talk, as not to wake my husband. She asked me lots of questions about my issues.
I screamed.
It wasn’t from the abdominal pain, but due to a large roach running across the bathroom counter. I woke up my husband and begged him to kill the roach.
He did.
What else could go wrong at the end of this perfect beach trip?
So, the nurse practitioner and I continued to talk. She said I certainly could be having the beginning signs of Appendicitis and warned me of the dangers of a ruptured appendix. She had me jump up and down, poke in, let off, does that hurt? Lots of questions. She absolutely encouraged me to go to ER if I got any worse during the night as to avoid the possibility of a ruptured appendix.
I stayed the same or got a little better. I slept pretty well as long as I didn’t try to sleep on the right side. My pain at that point was hard to describe or pinpoint exactly where. I felt stupid for not being able to adequately describe the pain. I still had zero nausea.
Saturday
Morning
Time to drive home despite having the signs of Appendicitis
I awoke early Saturday morning because instinctually, I knew I was on borrowed time. I needed to get in the car and get on the phone to devise a medical plan for when I got back to Jackson.
Grits and the red dress
The pain was still there, and it was still weird. I’m never sick. This was unacceptable. I packed as much as I could, but my husband did most of it. Of course, I reminded him that I couldn’t lift anything very heavy, in case these were the signs of Appendicitis or an aortic aneurysm.
I ate another half a bowl of grits (yay for bringing the grits), and then it hit me.
What was I going to wear home? My stomach was very bloated by this point. And very painful to the touch. The pain had somewhat migrated to the right side; again, I knew I was on borrowed time. But it still wasn’t excruciating. Certainly still not the pain that I read about that associated with Appendicitis or a ruptured appendix. The migration to the right side did speak more to Appendicitis, but I expected more excruciating pain. (I was past the beginning signs of Appendicitis.)
What was I going to wear home? The only thing I brought which didn’t button or have elastic around the waist was the old and faded, but comfortable red dress. Even though I looked pregnant in it due to the bloating, I was thrilled that I had brought the red dress as it was my only option for the six-hour car ride home.
The Hiding Place
I was reminded of a part in the novel The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom when she is thankful for the fleas. She and her sister had been imprisoned by the Nazis for hiding Jews in their home. They were placed in a room infested with fleas, and she became thankful for the fleas because she could conduct Bible studies in there without being bothered by the supervisors. The fleas kept the supervisors out. It was the little things that she was thankful for in a bad situation.
The grits weren’t appetizing, and the old, faded red dress wasn’t pretty. But, they were my fleas. I was oddly thankful for both of them in a way that no one else would understand.
The first hour of the drive home
My husband offered for my daughter to drive me, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to relax. Plus, she and her friend needed to get to a 3 p.m. lifeguarding shift, and I was moving a little more slowly than he because of my symptoms of Appendicitis. So, he drove the two older girls, and I was feeling “better” and drove the two 14-year-olds. I felt good enough not to insist that we follow each other.
That was stupid.
They left about 30-45 minutes before we did. I called my mom when I got on the road and updated her about my health. I felt pretty good, certainly not bad enough to have Appendicitis or a ruptured appendix. Next, I called a friend of mine to get a plan for what to do about this stomach issue.
I am medically illiterate and have high deductible insurance since my husband and I are both self-employed, so I had no idea how to tackle it on a Saturday. My friend talked to her source, and we decided I would go to the ER in Jackson at 3:30 p.m. as soon as I got into town.
I thought it was a little overkill, but yes, I had been hurting for a while.
Pensacola, Florida
Signs of Appendicitis worsen
My friend’s source, a doctor friend of mine, called me while I had been on the road for about an hour and a half, almost to Pensacola. I began feeling awful and told him I was going to have to exit and take a break driving. Pulling into a not-so-great establishment was my only option, and immediately I felt trapped.
Looking back, I think this is when my appendix ruptured. I was officially wayyy past the beginning signs of Appendicitis.
I stepped out of the car to continue our conversation away from the girls. I then told him I would have to call him back because my pain was worse. The pain had also radiated to my pubic bone.
I got back in the car and called my husband. I asked the girls to step outside the car, so I could talk to him without scaring them. By this point, I was crying some and explaining that I might have to stop at a hospital in one of the upcoming towns. Could this be the signs of Appendicitis? Or worse, a ruptured appendix? We hung up, I pulled myself together, and the girls got back in the car.
Desperate thoughts
I put a pillow between my car door and my left side, hoping to feel some comfort.
Thoughts flooded my mind. I was responsible for two teens in my car and myself. Do I go to the hospital here, four hours from home? I almost called my tennis partner whom I had seen on the beach since she is originally from Pensacola. Another option that entered my mind was to stop at a hotel and ask if I could hang out on the couch for a bit.
But I knew I was on borrowed time. I decided to keep driving.
Mobile, Alabama
The girls in my car were still fairly clueless at this point. They had their headphones in their ears, oblivious. Almost to Mobile, I talked with my husband again. Could this be the signs of Appendicitis or a ruptured appendix? I then called a friend from college who lives about 20 minutes from Mobile in Daphne, Alabama, and asked her for the name of a good hospital in Mobile. I was whispering some by this point. It hurt to talk. She was getting on a boat in Orange Beach, Alabama, about an hour away but offered to come to me if I did stop. She was worried.
It was a weird phenomenon that everyone I talked to throughout the day seemed more worried about me than I was about myself. Your body and mind do weird things in these situations. I had to get off the phone with her in order to follow Google Maps. Feeling bloated and helpless but wanting to be closer to home, I decided to keep driving.
Afternoon
Decisions, Decisions
It was becoming increasingly clear, that I was not going to make it all the way to Jackson. As much as I wanted to be home, my will power and body were both giving out.
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
At some point between Mobile and 40 miles outside of Hattiesburg, I decided I would stop at the ER at Forrest General Hospital in Hattiesburg. It was an hour and a half from Jackson, and I knew that I shouldn’t be driving at this point.
Stopping at hotel lobbies still entered my mind, but my gut feeling of being on borrowed time trumped that desire.
By this point, I had another new symptom. I was extremely fidgety. I kept rubbing my face, arms, and legs. I kept moving around in my seat. Did I have a ruptured appendix? The radio had been silent for hours. I began the trip with soothing jazz on low volume but changed it to silence as the pain progressed.
The next phone call was to my mom; I told her I was stopping in Hattiesburg. Pretty much only whispering by now, I had asked her to call my husband and tell him that I was going to stop. Then, I changed my mind and told her that I would call him.
I forgot to call him.
My phone was positioned sideways in my radio console with Google Maps counting down the miles. I began watching it count down the miles to Forrest General Hospital starting with 40, then 39, 38, 37 and so on. I was obsessed with counting down the miles. Now, fidgeting constantly, my brain was foggy.
Once in Hattiesburg, I told the girls that we were stopping at the ER, that I couldn’t drive any further. They seemed unfazed.
Forrest General ER
We pulled into Forrest General Hospital at 1:15 p.m. I had to rest on the side of the car before walking into the hospital. I took a few steps and then asked the girls to help me walk. A security guard saw us and got me a wheelchair.
At check-in, I couldn’t help but notice a mom bringing in her toddler, who had a “fever”. She was nonchalant as if they were checking into a pediatric clinic, and I was thinking, “Omg, please tell me I will get to go first.” I thought, “Lady, I may have a ruptured appendix.” I had forgotten that some people use the ER like a doctor’s office.
I was immediately taken to a room. The girls were in the room with me. I told the ER doctor my symptoms, and they immediately put me on an IV of Tordol, a non-narcotic. It was great, and I felt better.
A nice surprise
The door to my room opened, and to my surprise, a college sorority pledge sister of mine from Hattiesburg came in. I hadn’t seen her in years, like maybe even since we graduated 25 years ago. She had heard that I was at Forrest General through a friend of a friend. She was an angel and a life saver. It was a surreal moment, and she stayed for hours thank goodness.
Remember, there were two 14-year-olds stuck in Hattiesburg with me. She not only helped with the girls but helped me communicate with the doctors and nurses until my husband could drop the older girls off in Jackson and get back to Hattiesburg.
Later, I would find out that several years ago, my pledge sister’s father died five days after surgery from complications due to Appendicitis and a ruptured appendix. She had a vested interest in making sure I was ok.
“Dad, I think Mom is in the hospital”
Meanwhile, my daughter who was with me had sent my older daughter, who was riding with my husband, a random snap chat. My older daughter said, “Dad, I think Mom is in the hospital.” He said, “What?” She said, “Yeah, the snap chat looks like it’s from a hospital.”
He immediately called my phone, but it was in my purse on silent. He did get in touch with my daughter, and she confirmed that we were in the hospital.
Remember, I forgot to call him.
Blessing
Besides having my pledge sister show up, another blessing was that behind the scenes, several friends were trying to get the girls a ride home. One friend knew that another family had left the beach much later than we did and arranged for them to stop by Forrest General to give the 14-year-olds a ride and have their teenage driver drive my car to Jackson. They arrived around 5 p.m.
After the 14-year-olds had stayed in the hospital for four hours with me and had ridden in the car for four and a half hours prior to that, they were finally on their way home to Jackson. My pledge sister helped coordinate all of that once the family arrived, and I needed some items out of my car as well.
CT Scan
Around 3:15 p.m., I went in for a CT scan prior to getting any Morphine. I only knew I was getting Morphine because an hour earlier, the nurse had said she would be right back with some.
Let’s just say the ER was busy that day. I didn’t get my Morphine prior to my scan. Considering it hurt to move at all, getting onto the scanner wasn’t fun. I had to lie flat with my arms straight, up by my ears, past my head.
The scan didn’t take long, though.
I was finally given 4 mg of Morphine when I got back to my room. It was not a strong dose. It was just perfect. I wasn’t loopy. Around 4:25 p.m., I sent a text to my extended family saying I had had scans but no results.
Results
Remember I’m medically clueless. My pledge sister noticed on my IV screen that an antibiotic had been ordered for me. I thought that meant that I had not had symptoms of Appendicitis, and they had called in something to CVS Pharmacy. I thought I would be well on my way out the door in a few minutes. Looking back, I could tell my friend knew otherwise.
She and I then met with the doctors.
At 4:41 p.m. I sent a text to my husband and my extended family saying, “appendix out tonight in Jackson” and another at 4:50 p.m., “on an IV of antibiotics in case it ruptures or has somewhat.” That was the antibiotic that had been ordered for me. There would be no trip to CVS Pharmacy.
My husband was almost back to Hattiesburg by this point. He had dropped the older girls at the lifeguarding shift and headed back to Hattiesburg.
The doctors agreed that the scan looked bad and that in their professional opinion, I had appendicitis which would later be called Gangrenous Appendicitis, and that my appendix had already either perforated or ruptured.
There was also “thickening in the bowels” which is another tell-tale sign of a bad case. They said they wouldn’t know for sure how bad, until surgery.
I guess I truly had tried to ignore my symptoms of Appendicitis for 35 hours.
I mentioned having the surgery in Jackson and said, “so like when do I need to do this if I have it in Jackson.” They said, “in a couple of hours.”
Options
My husband arrived. The general surgeon said if I stayed and had the surgery there, he would try it laparoscopically but was almost positive that he would have to then cut me open because of the possible ruptured appendix. That would be a 5-7 day hospital stay.
I really wanted to have the surgery in Jackson for logistical reasons. The general surgeon and ER doctor differed in their opinions as to whether it was safe for my husband to drive me to Jackson to have the surgery. It’s an hour and a half drive.
The general surgeon was fine with our leaving. The ER doctor was against my leaving, and if I left, he wanted to transport me in an ambulance. I said, “I don’t have 70 thousand dollars for that; my husband can drive me.” He laughed and told me that it wouldn’t cost 70 thousand dollars but if I insisted on being driven, I could at my own risk.
We went back and forth and back and forth with the decision of where to have the surgery. We decided on Jackson and were discharged from Forrest General around 6:45 p.m. after being there five and a half hours.
My symptoms of Gangrenous Appendicitis summarized
My symptoms, some of which are different than most people’s:
- Pain that came out of nowhere and spanned across the abdomen
- The pain, although I had never had it before, wasn’t excruciating
- Pain that later moved toward the right lower quadrant of the abdomen (For me, this occurred about 20+ hours later.
- Pulsating abdomen (on and off the whole time)
- Pain that moved to the pubic bone. It wasn’t constant. (For me, this occurred about 32+ hours later. My opinion is that by this point, it had ruptured or perforated.)
- Profuse sweating the first 10 hours
- Painful to walk or talk. (For me this occurred about 32+ hours later.)
- No nausea. (Most have nausea.)
- No bowel issues. (Most have some by-product although constipation can be a symptom.)
- No appetite (From onset to well after surgery)
- Fidgeting (For me, this occurred during hours 33-35 and before any Tordol or Morphine at the ER)
To read about common symptoms (some of which I never had) of Gangrenous Appendicitis and a ruptured appendix, go to Symptoms Mayo Clinic.
Surgery and Hospital Recovery
This article is about recognizing the beginning signs of Gangrenous Appendicitis in order to prevent a ruptured appendix. You can read about My Surgery and Hospital Recovery After a Ruptured Appendix in another post. My home recovery can be found by reading Recovery at Home for a Ruptured Appendix.
Read Laurie’s story of how her recent life experiences led to the birth of this site, White Cotton. Feel free to send her a message.
