[Flatrightrear]

On Oct. 29 I went to the emergency room with severe abdominal pain. After three days of tests it was decided to do exploratory surgery which quickly revealed a blown appendix and a real nice mess. Said it blew a day or two earlier. Had a tough few days in recovery, went home five days after surgery and back in the hospital three days later with pneumonia. Got over that and feeling better- but don't run out of pain pills-and just wondering if anyone out there has had similiar experience. The area around the incision is quite sore but not infected but I just seem to be in an enduring pain stage without feeling better each day. First abdominal surgery for me and so far no fun. Very thankful to still be here and all that has happened is God's plan. Trying and praying to stay upbeat but not always succeeding.
Tom

[Charles Nungester]

How bout a swift kick

Seriously tho, this don't sound fun. Only time is gonna heal the problem but in the meantime get yourself involved in some activities you can do and get your mind off your problems.

Glad to hear you pulled through a serious trama and my thoughts and wishes and prayers are with ya.

Chuck

[Mud Packer]

Tom,

I had a friend go through similar circumstances. They caught it in hours not days but he still was in a lot of pain. They of course removed it and the healing process was longer than nornal due to the toxic exposure. I also told him that age had something to do with this as well.

The doctors told him to be up and moving around as much as possible. The pain was tough but they also gave him some exercises to do as well. He couldn't work or drive, so it made it difficult for him to do anything other than lay around the house.

A positive attitude is your best friend right now. I will remember you in thoughts and prayers and hope that you are back to normal very soon. Keep the faith.

Mike

[cecil98]

I hope this passes soon, Tom. As was posted earlier, when you rupture an appendix poisons/toxins are released to areas where they shouldn't be and cause all kinds of problems. The fact that it wasn't discovered for a couple of days tells me you are a LUCKY man in spite of the pain. We'll be thinking of you in our prayers.

[Gregg]

I think Moe of the Three Stooges had a physical type of cure for abdominal pain but I'm not so sure it actually works in the real world.

Tom, I haven't actually had the kind of physical problem you have encountered. I know this probably seems like it is taking forever for you. I wish you a quick end to your discomfort. Keep in mind you have many friends here who will give you encouragement. Like Cecil said, I'm glad they caught it as soon as they did before it became a more serious problem.

[PIT CART]

Thats crazy,on November 10th I woke up early Friday morning with real bad stomach pain.I waited 12 hours to go in to the emergency room that was to long but the pain was terrible.They did some blood work and a catscan and found my appendix was about to burst and possibly leaking.So at 11:00 PM on a saturday they were preping my for surgury.I woke up around 1:00 AM and could not beleave how much better I felt without the stomach pain.My surgury was done with a scope also I am sure that is less painful in the long run.I left the hospital at 10:00am on sunday. It took me untill Wednday untill I was't popin vicatin every chance I got.So my healing process went well,I am still off work untill Dec 10th.So hang in there mine was not as bad as yours I could not imagine having that stomach pain for 3 days.Get well soon.I will pray for you also.
Kevin Psurny

[Bill Gardner]

Tom, When I was a kid... my younger brothers appendix ruptured... it did take some time for him to fully heal. Please remember that I was a kid and I may not know all the details...

As for abdominal pain... I've had 5 surgeries around my abdomen... You will have pain. Some areas are worse than others... If you haven't already... You really need to discuss this concern with your doctor...

Take care and goodluck!

Did you find all your old chewed gum that you'd swallowed, and the coins that you'd swallowed or was my mother lying to me all that time?

Tom,

About a month and half ago I had a similiar situation. I had a severe abdominal pain. The pain got worse the next day, almost like contractions every 20 minutes. The worst pain I have ever felt. I finally went to the ER. They ran a CT Scan and some X-rays. They found an obstruction in my small intestine. The CT Scan showed areas around my appendix. They had another doctor check out the area and found that actually my appendix was fine but my illium (part of intestine) was inflammed. Which was causing the severe pain. I spent 4 days in the hospital running tests and getting a colonoscopy. Being tied up in the hospital definitely was a horrible experience for me with such an active lifestyle. It was hard to sleep with an IV and nurses coming in all the time, not being able to really move for 4 days. It was very depressing as well. I was in so much pain and depressed about being tied down..
I found out that I may have Crohn's Disease, which is where your small and large intestine can't break down a lot of foods. Your system isn't able to absorb things such as Calcium and Zinc.
I was stirred in the direction of a Doctor who had problems such as before. He was diagnosed with Crohn's and Ulcertive Colitius (SP?). He went through tests, medicine and such before he found a diet that suited him.
The Book is called "The Maker's Diet" - by Jordan Rubin.
Most of the information could be benificial to anyone about having a healthy digestive system or really just educating yourself about what foods to look for at the store. I learned things like (not drinking anything while you eat a meal - reason being the digestive system needs the correct time to digest the nutrients, while drinking washes some through without being absorbed)..
I have changed my diet to certain things. I am not completely following the diet, but have cut back or eliminated food that causes problems when digesting. I took all of this for granted and I was glad I educated myself about it.

Glad things are going well for you now, Tom.

Tyler Shoemaker
www.tylershoemakerracing.com

[Danny Burton]

Whoa, a real medical thread here, all the best for you guys, Tyler, Kevin, and Tom. Crohn's Disease is nothing to mess with.

While I've been blessed to avoid any such maladies, I'm married to someone who hasn't been so lucky.

One of her many surgeries was about 3 years ago, an appendix that had blown an engine, I guess. Christmas Eve it was and her friend's husband came over to take her to our ER, as I was at work. The surgery was successful and we spent that Christmas in the hospital room. I kept telling her that at least we were together.

I should also mention that Columbus had 26 inches of snow that Christmas Eve. It was one of the 2 worst days I've ever had at my job. All of the porch sitters who think the job is easy were nowhere to be seen that day.

She survived it, though the recovery was no fun.

So Tom, hang in there, buddy. And take care of yourself. Hope to see you in '08 at a race track somewhere in our great state.