I feel awful, and a question about hospital
 

For the past week I've been feeling like shit. It's worst in the morning and gets slightly better throughout the day but it's always there. I don't know if I've had my appendix out (I can't see a scar so I guess not.)

I get a cramp, like a stabbing pain in my stomach, about 3 inches to the left of my navel, and sometimes on the right of it too. Last week it was cramping further up, right in the middle of the torso below the breastbone. It's general cramping and stabbing pains for the first minute or so, then it gets localized to the area near my navel, then it sort of fades out again. It's like a knife twisting around :( It's slightly less agonizing if I lay flat on my back... if I lie on my side it's worst. I took some paracetamol tablets but I don't think they did much.

I've never had a regular doctor, I've only had one checkup since becoming a teenager (and that was 5 mins at the most) so I don't know anything about how to go about consulting a doctor, especially since I've only been in the UK for a couple of months.

This morning it was the worst it's ever been and I was wondering how one goes about going to hospital. I was hardly going to call an ambulance, I'd have to get a bus. Can someone just walk in to hospital reception and say 'I've had stomach pains for a week'? I ended up going down to a local doctor's surgery and registering there, but I can't get an appointment for nine days, and even then their policy is that the first appointment after registering is with a trainee doctor.

I guess I'm asking if anyone knows what might be wrong with me, and also if someone can tell me the boundaries... this doesn't seem to be life threatening, so the emergency room is out, but it doesn't feel like something that'll pass - getting worse every day for a week now.

What should I do?

Off the wall guess, but with non-localized positional pain you may have an ulcer, especially with the duration that it's been affecting you.

Appendix is VERY location specific, just above the pubic bone in the lower right quadrant, and if inflamed is usually accompanied by flu like symptoms.

I can't advise you about seeing a doctor since it sounds like your systems are quite different than my home grown American ones, but I would imagine that you must have some sort of emergency room? If the doctors can't see you quickly that would be my recommendation.

No that sounds like your appendix. Get thee to a Doctor.


When I had apendicitis it was mostly a pain on my left side but also my right (where it is located)... the doctor who examined me pushed on my left side and said... appendicitis!


Put it this way if it is your appendix it is life threatening...

Call NHS direct on 0845 4647. They will advise you on whatever action you should take.

If they try to fob you off, then get to your nearest hospital with an Accident & Emergency Dept.

When you get there introduce yourself to the receptionist and explain your symptoms. They'll probably refer you somewhere else to be treated.

Bump to that.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. I'm going to call NHS tomorrow morning and see what they say. This just seems to come at such an awful time. I've spent tonight looking up stuff about appendicitis and the hypochondriac in me says 'that's it'. I've got almost all those symptoms, it apparently mostly happens between ages 8 and 25. Every description of the symptoms mentiones pain just to the side of the navel, which is exactly what I wrote.

This couldn't have come at a worse time. I just started a new job yesterday, and apparently it can take ten days to recover from an appendectomy?

I'm hoping to god that I'll magically be better tomorrow so I won't have to worry about it... but it fucking <i>hurts</i>. Cheers again, I'll post again when I have news.

good luck with this thing

Not to scare you, sweets, but the appendix can burst if not taken care of, and that's way more recovery time than a simple appendectomy.

Recovery time from the appendectomy, since you are young and healthy, should really only be a week or less - as long as you don't do heavy lifting. I beleive the hospital stay in the states is only a day or two.

Good luck and t ake care of you..