Has anyone experienced abdominal pains after having their appendix removed?
Posted , 52 users are following.
Hi,
I had my appendix removed November 2012, and ever since then I've experienced abdominal pains, more often than not as bad as the pain was before surgery.
I'd never had abdominal pains before and it came in really quickly. I was experiencing pain for about a week before it got so bad I couldn't eat, sleep, and hardly walk. I went to a&e, the doctor seemed as though he was doubting the amount of pain I was in, until he pressed on the right side of my stomach and I burst into tears. I had surgery the next day, and spent 3 days in hospital after (only because I couldn't pass urine/bowel movement, apparently they can't let you out until you do).
After recovering from surgery, I used to only get pain every now and then. But over the past 6 months, the pain has been getting a lot worse and constant.
I've been to see my doctor, who thinks I now have IBS. They haven't done any tests at the moment to rule anything else out, they've just tried me on tables that are to treat IBS, with no effect.
I'm going to demand some tests are done just to make sure there isn't an underlying cause.
The thing that really makes me think if it's something to do with my appendix, is when I'm lead down, the right side of my stomach hurts like someone is pushing down as far as they can go.
I just want to know if anyone else has experienced similar pain after having their appendix removed and if so, have you found the cause?
My friend had the same surgery a few weeks before me, and has been diagnosed with IBS (they have rules everything else out). I don't know if this is a common thing in patients after this surgery.
Thanks for any help!
7 likes, 106 replies
jal92846 Becky-Louise
Posted
First of all, this answer totally depends on my individual experience so I notice that this is not an objective fact.
I'm a software engineer and I live in California. I'm having similar symptoms. I got an appendix surgery at Feb 2015. But the pain like sting on the right lower side of belly didn't disappear.
I visited the hospital several times which I had got the surgery. But currently every result is normal. CT is normal, blood & pee test are normal. They said they don't know the reason of my pain.
However, I was convinced that I'm still have an inflammation. So I ate a lot of ibuprofen until recent days(NSAID like ibuprofen is very bad for stomach. so antacid is necessarily). And I've cut to drink milk. I'm asian and in my experience milk is very bad for my intestine(I know white people could be different becuase they have enough digestive enzymes for milk). Anyway really it reduced my pain but the problem is that it's not removed completely.
I've researched and researched again day by day because there is no way to confirm the reason of my pain. Because even doctors said they don't know.
Suddenly and finally, one thing I realized is this. My waist. I have an intervertebral disc. I realized it causes the pain too. One of the most important thing is that it's not 100% reason of the pain. I'm convinced I had also inflammation. Since I could reduce the pain a lot with an ibuprofen. Intervertebral disc is just the other reason of the pain.
You know, organic structure near appendix is very complex. In the case of man, it's connect to even testis as well as Intervertebral. So there could be a lot of reason about the pain.
After all I started very light exercise(basically exercise is very bad for Intervertebral disc. it's true. it makes worse) like 'very light' stretching and really it reduced the rest of the pain. And I'm reducing ibuprofen gradually and I don't feel any worse by reducing it.
So the key is this. Try to find the reason in various way.
Krish1710 Becky-Louise
Posted
Hi Becky,
Good day
i have similar problems since the doctor removed my appendix,
like you said occasionally have the pain too,
it come if i cunsume lack of water,
first day day i can feel the sign,second day more painful and the third day its killing,
so my solution is to drink as much of continously in 5 mins nterval and the pain slowly subcide in 2hrs,
you may try this it might work for you as well
Thanks and God bless
Krish1710
Posted
hi Becky
I mean lots of water
Jennie1984 Becky-Louise
Posted
I just had my appendix taking out on may 25,2016. I have the same pain your talking about for almost a week now and I can't sleep the pain is worse if I try to get up off my bed or try to go use the bathroom now it's got worse I can't even walk have the time, can't sit a certain way or move because the pain is unbelievable 😠😠😠 I cry at night because the pain is unbelievable to move. I have 4 kids that I took say on the go with and some day I have to cancel the plan because the pian want let me do anything. I have the boysame that have soccer practice and games, and daughter has dance lessons and I can't even drive theme there activities of the pain want go away. I called the doctor and he told me that it will take time for the pain to go away but I don't see the pain going away any time soon, Ivery had 3 c-section and the pain is not like the pain I have now with my appendix taking out. This pain is more then my having 3 c-section I had. It's even hard to walk though grocery store or any store without crying cus the pain is unreal to move without stop every so often so the pain can go away
Gladys_Tina Becky-Louise
Posted
Thanks for sharing am now encouraged. My appendix was removed May 2014, since the last one year l have been having serious pain on my right side of the abdomen. I was abit scared but now l feel better since seems all who have gone through this surgery we are experiencing the same pain. I have been managin the pain with buscopan plus
Gladys_Tina Becky-Louise
Posted
pat81257 Becky-Louise
Posted
pat1257
HI Becky-Louisa.
I too suffer severe right sided pain since my appendectomy, at the same time
my assending bowel was removed due to perintonitus. The surgery was done in September 2008. Even now eight years later the pain can be quite bad at times causing back pain.
I have had ultrasound scans, MRI and an Xray which has revealed nothing at all.
The specialists are unable to find a reason.
I am intolerant to gluton, wheat, dairy, mushrooms, shell fish, pork also sugar substitutes. (beware of Malitol which can be found in some suger free sweets like humbugs that causes explosive diarrear very painfull, I ended up in AE after eating some).
I do try to eat healthly and juice every day using dark green cale, celery, carrot, apple any fruit. I eat mostly chicken, turkey, all veggies, salads ( organic from our garden) eggs, and alternate them
I also make and drink every morning my own probiotic called Kefir (made from from kefir grains with cows milk or almong milk etc; you can find the infomation on the net) I like it and drink it because it's Lactose free and good for me. I drink plenty about 4 litrs of water a day and one cup of ground black coffee, no alcohol at all.
I am a great believer in the saying "you are what you eat"
I exersize (walking) every day for at least an hour
All my recent blood and urine tests are very good
I think my pain is caused by the surgery itself, so I try to live with it
?
Hope this helps
LL1984 Becky-Louise
Posted
I had my appendix out may2nd and I'm still having pains similar to before, and just after the surgery. I told my doctor at my two follow up appointments, but they kept saying it was just part of the healing process. It's still happening 3 months later, off and on, and still very tender on the right side when pressed. I was told by a dr. That the sutures may not be dissolving...I don't know why it's causing pains, and why no one seems to be addressing it. I literally just googled it to see if it was common and saw your post. Maybe it is just part of the healing process, but at times the pain is so sharp and similar that I too can't help but be concerned.
Yvonne72736 LL1984
Posted
Morning LL, Your story is almost the same as mine. I had my appendectomy just under a month before you.(Laporoscopic). I too have the pain you describe and the GP's all saying the same thing to me also. I too still feel anxious that something else is going on in there although when you read all the reports on this website it seems to be very common. I am grateful to your saying one doctor said that it might be the sutures not dissolving, as this resonates because even on my outside scars the stitches took weeks to dissolve. I suppose inflamation is a factor too, we tend to dismiss appendectomy as a nothing operation especially when done laporoscopically as the scars outside are so little therefore we forget that it's actually a major operation and everyone takes different times to heal. I have IBS and get really bad pain over my tummy as well (as that stinging/cutting pain and soreness) over the appendix site, especially just after eating and before going to the loo. Since have my operation in April I've also had really bad lower back pain as well, which my Osteopath is convinced is connected to the appendectomy too. All in all I feel the same as you, that no-one seems to be addressing the pains, it's extremely frustrating. I don't know if you are in the U.K. but where I live the surgeon just discharges you after the op, so I have no way of asking him what's going on, other than asking to be referred and going through the system again! It's frustrating. But having said that, reading the reports on here it seems that this pain etc is possibly par for the course after this operation, which seems doubly frustrating, to have expected the problem to be sorted and now to realise maybe it's just another thing we have to live with.
I TOTALLY sympathise with you LL.
Hugs Yvonne
LL1984 Yvonne72736
Posted
Hello Yvonne,
Thank you for sharing; though I'm very sorry to hear that you've been in pain, it is nice to know that we are not alone.
I too had my surgery done Laparoscopically, and the outside sutures took longer than expected to heal.
I've had a history of gastro-intestinal issues and inflammatory responses ( through out my body) before the surgery, and after read numerous posts on this forum it seems to be extremely common.
I've noticed that really paying attention to my diet and taking supplements have helped. The more alkaline I eat, the better. I also always strive to drink enough water, but noticed if I slack at all now, my body really lets me know!
I live in the US, but our situations all together sound all to similar. I am determined to bring up the issues to any doctor I see that it remotely applies to, not just the surgeon.
Please update me with any finding you may have, and I wish you continued healing and good health! Hugging back, LL
Yvonne72736 LL1984
Posted
Hello LL, thank you for replying so quickly. All you mention about inflammatory issues and gastro-intestinal issues definitely rings a bell with my situation as well. I seem to get allergic responses to a lot of things, quite a few drugs and am dairy/wheat-intolerant, I don't seem to do well with red meat either and do my best not to have too much. But cooking gets a bit more difficult as my husband doesn't do well with chicken so it means doing 2 different meals otherwise it's vegetarian with turkey thrown in the mix, and fish when I can persuade him to eat that.?? I've lost 17lbs since April. Trying really hard to keep eating little and more often, but seeming difficult to put any back on. I have M.E. so am hampered by having low energy and the flu' type symptoms that go alongside that.
I was really interested to read that your stitches seemed to take a good while to dissolve the same as me. I noticed that happen before with previous operations I've had. And also that I appear to get an exaggerated pain response, although I believe that is common with M.E. sufferers. I too try to drink a lot of water, and take Evening Primrose for inflammation and Milk Thistle herb extract.
I will most certainly report back if I find out anything more, and very much appreciate your input, somehow it does help when you meet someone suffering similarly, especially 3 or 4 months after the operation. There does seem to be a concensus indicating that the docto's really are baffled......but then having had M.E. for over 30years I should be used to that outcome! ??
Many thanks LL, have good Sunday (in spite of limitations),
Hugs Yvonne
angela66969 Becky-Louise
Posted
Hi Becky, I've just had my appendix and a Lymph gland removed and was sent home the same day, when I got home I started having really bad pains, I put up with it for two days but then I had to call my Dr. I spoke to him over the phone and he prescribed some antibiotics as he thought I had a bladder infection, I took them for the 5 day's as prescribed but the pain didnt go away so was sent back to the hospital where I saw my specialist he sent me for a scan and a probe, after the results came back as ok so was sent home, when I got home I started with terrible pains in on my right side, this was the day before yesterday and I am still in terrible pain and when it comes on I cannot walk or move, I have been in tears most of the time as the pain is unbearable, now I don't know what to do cos I've already been told there's no bleeding inside and nothing looked untoward, I feel terrible and scared because no one should have to
angela66969
Posted
cassandra_65803 Becky-Louise
Posted
Hey Becky my name is Cassandra and I have had my appendix removed when I was 13 and I am now 19 and I have had the same pain what you have been experiencing and I have been back and forward to the doctors and they still don't know what it is, I have had loads of trouble with my stomach to, if you know what it is please tell me I really need to know the pain I have been experiencing had been their for 7 years now nearly 8
dinesh06422 Becky-Louise
Posted
i am also expirienced the same problem becky.
my appendicectamy was done on 9 aug ,2016 after that i have fever with 102degrees for 2weeks as five days once. after that i got back pain for one week.after one week giddiness[on and off] also started with back pain and also with headache upto three days. after that i recovered from that. AND now from 2weeks i have a ABDOMINAL PAIN but doctors say that you didn't have any problems but my pain was continuing what i was do for that.