Continuing from my previous post on Appendectomy ...
So what did I learn from my experience?
1) Never, never, never tolerate any abdominal pain for more than a day. Or for that matter any pain that does not go away with any over-the-counter medicine. There is no shame in going to a doctor and telling that you are suffering. An untreated appendicitis could be fatal. Make no mistake: Appendicitis is a medical emergency.
For more details, click here.
2) The most painful part of any surgery is not the surgery itself. It is the Intravenous saline drips. The saline drip contains sugar and more than a specific rate causes your vein to swell up and block. And then the nurses will search for another point to introduce IV. I had a total of 5 IV punctures and I hated all of them.
3) Ask the surgeon not to cut a hole through your navel. It takes more time to heal. Unless you are worried about the 10 mm scar on your tummy. It is more that 15 days now and I still have persistent pain around my navel, though the scars have all healed. (I will visit the doctor again if the pain persists).
4) General anaesthesia is the best thing that can happen to you, especially if you are sleep deprived.
5) Do not go by what you hear from others. Yes, appendectomy is a quick surgery. Yes, it is very common. Yes, generally people recover after 2-3 days of rest. No, that does not mean you will also recover in 2-3 days. It may take 10 days or more to get back to your normal routine. Depends on your body. Do not be in a hurry to recover. Enjoy your rest.
I am not a doctor. These are my experiences. It may or may not apply to you.
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3 comments:
Get well soon AMM.
What are the reasons that cause
appendectomy ?
Ashwin
Ohkayyy.. now u've got me terrified and am sure am not alone in the list of people who have been terror struck after reading ur experience !!! A few questions... Y didn't ur first ultrasound scan identify it on that fateful Thursday? Aren't there any signs to know that "Appendicitis is about to strike"? i know for one that reduction of junk food consumption and increase of H20 in its purest form could reduce the risk but is there anything more we could do? This I ask cos most of what goes through my esophagus is sadly classified as "junk" :'-(
Could google this but I know u would have done ur research on this so wanted to hear it from the horse's mouth ;-)
Very glad to know you are alright and good to see the blog flow once again :-)
Ashwin, Sanoop, Thanks!
This is what the surgeons told me ... Appendicitis can strike anyone. They have had cases of 80 year old undergoing surgery for appendicitis.
The appendix, as of today's knowledge, is considered a vestigial organ. Meaning it has no known function. There are some research that has pointed out that the appendix may be contributing in some way. No is quite sure.
In any case, vestigial or otherwise, the appendix is connected to the Large Intestine through a tiny orifice. Sometimes, food particle or faecal matter may block it off. Once the appendix gets blocked it quickly becomes infected. Result: appendicitis.
Why does it get blocked for some peopl - no idea. I do not think itdepends on what you eat. Seems to be entirely random. Good food habits should help prevent appendicitis, but there is no evidence supporting or refuting this.
There is a link in this post that will take you to the Wikipedia that gives a fair amount of detail.
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