Appendix Removal - Not sure what to do - any advice please
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi, started getting pains in lower right abdomen about five months ago. It feels more like a sore lump and I thought it might just be a muscle to start with.. Some days I barely notice it, some days it feels sore and sometimes it comes on much worst, with pain running round the top of my hip and in to my lower back (at one stage I actually wondered if it was a hip problem but an x-ray shows this as ok). When it comes on bad, I have found that walking can often relieve the symptoms. Decided to see a private consultant/surgeon. Recently had ultrasound and abdominal/pelvic CT. The ultrasound did not show anything. The CT scan showed a few small stones in the gall bladder which the consultant dismissed. The scan also showed my appendix to be slightly shorter than expected, very slightly enlarged but hazy on the scan. White blood cell count and all other bloods normal (except low B12). The consultant said that the scan had not shown any other reasons for the pain. Clinically the appendix does not appear to be infected however the haze on the CT could indicate a problem and possible reason for the pain. He said that he did not feel any further tests were required and that he could remove the appendix in the hope that this would stop the pain, but he could not guarantee this would be the case. He has sent me away to see how the pain goes and to think about it for a few weeks and then to let him know if I want to to go ahead with the removal.
I really would be most grateful for views or advice from anybody who has been in a similar position. Should I be seeking further advice or does it sound feasible that appendix could be the cause. Many thanks.
0 likes, 5 replies
marie83693
Posted
Sorry, I should add that this relates to my male partner aged 54
moon53540 marie83693
Posted
Ask for you CT scan results and go to another radiologist for a second opinion
pippa58442 marie83693
Posted
Seek further advice since your specialist cannot guarantee that an appendectomy would stop the pain.
pippa58442 marie83693
Posted
A hazy scan could also mean that the scan itself was unclear.
marie83693
Posted
Thank you for the replies.
It was not the whole scan that was hazy. He said that the appendix was slightly shorter than usual, it was very slightly enlarged and that the area of the appendix itself was hazy which could indicate a problem although there was no sign of fighting an infection as white blood cells were fine. He concluded, whilst there is not a clinical diagnosis of a problem with the appendix, there is nothing else visible on the scans so we could remove the appendix just in case it is the cause of the pain.
The pain feels like a sore lump in the lower left area of the abdomen. When it comes on bad if feels like the pain is going up all around the top of the right hip and round in to the back. Some days is is barely there and others it comes on bad. Going for a walk tends to ease the pain.
Thanks