My son who was 15 at the time just didn't feel well. He still had an appetite but he was complaining of stomach pain. He woke up on a Friday morning still not feeling well. On Sunday I took him to Urgent Care and urine and blood tests came back negative and no fever. By Monday morning he was not any better so I called family physician who was out of town but the office said if it was appendicitis he would have to go to hospital anyway so to go there. All tests came back negative again and also the ultrasound showed no signs of appendicitis. ER doctor told us it was a virus and that he would be better in a couple of days. By this time I was at my wits end and didn't know what to do. Thankfully my physician’s nurse called me that afternoon and wanted to know how he was feeling and when I told her she put another doctor on the phone with me and he said to get back to the emergency room and we would be seen by the surgeon on call. Thank the Lord because he did one pressure test on stomach and said he was 99% sure he needed surgery. Sure enough he already had infection and appendix was removed. Published: October 28 ::

I developed symptoms of upper abdominal pain after dinner one evening. It was a gnawing, burning feeling, but also similar to nausea, however antacids didn't help. It lasted till about 4 a.m., then subsided. Three days later (after eating a small lunch), I again developed upper abdominal pain that would not go away. I thought it was possibly an ulcer or gallbladder problem. It never once hurt on my lower right side, though it was a little achy around my lower back area. I went to the emergency room and the doctor was convinced at first that it was an ulcer. Blood work came back fine, but none of the emergency treatments for ulcers helped the pain, which was becoming more intense by the hour. It reminded me of labor pains, but higher up in the abdomen. Finally, I had a CT scan which showed an inflamed appendix. My appendix was located high up in my abdomen and not in the normal place. Emergency laparoscopic surgery was performed and I actually felt 100% better after waking up in the recovery room. The doctor said I had a very “angry looking” appendix, but luckily it hadn't ruptured. Published: August 27 ::

Over the past weekend I did develop a loss of appetite. I began with diarrhea with food eaten before being ill. After that there was only gas when I thought I had to go to the bathroom. I did start to vomit only when I had no more it was only gagging. Having Crohn's and colitis I called my doctor 5,000 miles back at home to hear him say go to the ER with the symptoms to clear up what was happening. The ER doctor did just that and ordered a CAT SCAN which showed no colitis problem but an appendix about to burst. My flight home from Honolulu was less than 8 hours away. I had earlier thought I would let my problem wait to be seen by my GI doctor in New York. Had I waited I was told that the rupture in air with the pressure flying would have caused instant death. I had emergency surgery just as the appendix started to rupture in the hospital. I am lucky to be alive but I had a great surgeon at Queens Medical Center in Honolulu. Now, I am at my vacation home recovering with another week in Paradise. This must be heaven with all the angels that helped me. Thanks! Published: November 02 ::

Initially, I experienced just a nagging backache which I attributed to sleeping in an awkward position. After a few days, my stomach became distended, and I realized that I was constipated. But after a few days of lots of fruits and vegetables, I had no relief. So I took a laxative and woke during the night in extreme pain. The next day, my stomach still distended and hurt, but I blamed it on the laxative. Finally on day 7, I went to ER and appendicitis was diagnosed. During surgery they found that a part of my colon had also become infected and had to be removed. It has now been 10 days since surgery and I am still recuperating! Earlier diagnosis would have greatly reduced the extent of surgery and recovery. Published: August 27 ::