Appendicitis

Off-topic
1

We had a little health concern yesterday with Brad. Wednesday night Brad complained of stomach pain but went to bed. Thursday morning, he was up at 4:00 a.m. complaining of increasing stomach pain. By 8:00 a.m., he was on the floor writhing in pain with appendicitis-type symptoms. I got him to our family doctor who sent us for a CAT scan, and then to see a specialist. The symptoms dissipated slowly throughout the day but it was still most likely an appendicitis attack. By the time of the CAT scan, the CAT scan didn’t show any inflammation of the appendix to speak of and his white blood cell count was fine. He’s okay this morning except for some residual pain toward his right hip. We’re on guard now for a reoccurrance and will take it seriously if it reoccurs.

For years, doctors have been removing the appendix when a condition appears. Recently, I saw an article that said the where the appendix was once thought to be a useless organ, it now appears to have an important function, don’t remember off hand what that function was though. I talked to a friend yesterday who is into herbal and natural healing said that the three organs, appendix, gall bladder, and kidneys all work together, and when someone has the appendix removed, they will experience gall bladder problems a short distance down the road, which is then removed, then kidney problems later in life. Appendix problems are simply a matter of inflammation, she said, and we simply need to get the infection or inflammation out. It can be done through natural healing.

Thoughts or experiences? We haven’t dealt with appendicitis in our family before so this is all new to us.

Thanks.

2

Bruce, I have no experience with appendix problems. I’m glad that Brad is doing OK, and hope the problem does not reappear.

But I do know how to track down information.

Appendix may be safe haven for “good” bacteria
22 October 2007
Reuters News
© 2007 Reuters Limited

By Anthony J. Brown, MD

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Contrary to conventional wisdom, the appendix may not be useless after all. New research suggests that the structure helps beneficial bacteria survive and repopulate the colon after these organisms become depleted as a result of an infection or drug treatment.

Beneficial bacterial, also referred to as commensal bacteria, help maintain a proper balance in the intestine and may also kill dangerous microbes. For example, this is why patients frequently develop gastrointestinal problems during or after a course of antibiotics. Along with the pathogen causing the infection, the antibiotic may destroy commensal bacteria as well.

This report “proposes a novel and unique function for the human appendix, for which the appendix is well suited,” senior author Dr. William Parker, from Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina, told Reuters Health. “Importantly, the proposal explains clearly why the function is not evident in our industrialized culture.”

The researchers’ hypothesis appears in the online issue of the Journal of Theoretical Biology.

A series of experiments and observations, led Parker’s team to theorize that the appendix serves as a protected reservoir for commensal bacteria. After a bout of diarrhea that evacuates the microbial contents of the colon, the bacteria in the appendix can emerge to repopulate the intestine.

In industrialized societies with good sanitation, this function may not be important, he and his colleagues suggest.

Whether or not the appendix actually has this apparent beneficial effect should not change how appendicitis is treated, Parker said.

For patients and physicians alike, the message is that symptoms of appendicitis always need to be evaluated, he emphasized.

“Although the function of the organ may have been determined, it is most certainly not important in our culture, and if you try to hang on to it after it gets inflamed, it could be deadly.”

SOURCE: Journal of Theoretical Biology, October 8, 2007 online issue.

3

Glad Brad is OK. Hope the rest of your week and weekend is lower stress, I can imagine the anxiety when a child has a potentially life threatening condition.

4

Thanks, Raphael. That was a good read. I’m currently looking up more info as well.

Thanks to you and Steve for your concern.

The doctors say that the CAT scan also revealed what looked like a polyp inside the top of the colon. It was an area that blocked the dye from entering which they say typical of polyps. But they also said it could have been a piece of stool that was stuck and hadn’t passed yet. Another CAT scan down the road would confirm the case.

Yeah, Steve. Lots of things go through a dad’s mind in situations like this. Brad’s back at school this morning with a sore hip and a PE waiver.

5

Bruce-

I had my appendix removed 50 years ago. Last time I looked my gall bladder was still intact. By wary of advice from Raphael. He may be referring to the “other kind of” appendix in his line of work.

6

You’re the only one giving advice here, pal. And in a rather roundabout way, too.

And, Bruce, for the record, serious TMI. Do your kids know how much detail you provide about their lives?

7

Yep. They’re on board. About the bit of info to which I think you are referring, I felt necessary to include it to describe the overall situation.

8

Speaking as a non-medical professional: EWWW! :slight_smile:

9

Well said. :slight_smile:

10

I’m greatful your situation played out well, Bruce. I had a similar “attack”, likely caused by a concurrent stomach flu, and had no access to MRI, or even a competent doctor for that matter.

I went to the ER and after a couple hours wait, was given some Maalox or somesuch goop. Two hours later, with no improvement, they couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me, so they just knocked me out with Demerol and sent me home.

My poor roommate had to drag me back to his truck and put me back in bed. I don’t remember anything after the shot.

11

I don’t think there is even a reason to look. You’ve go so much Gall that it has to be there.

12

Appendicitis is an infection of the appendix which presumably occurres as a result of obstruction of the lumen or channel of the appendix. The diagnosis of appendicitis has for generations of surgeons been a clinical diagnosis based on the examination of the patient. There can be varying degrees of infalmmation and variable findings on CT scan. The final diagnosis leading to the decision to “take a look” always has and probably always will be made by way of clinical evaluation.
There is a maxim in surgery that says about 15-20 perscnt of appendicese that a good surgeon removes will be normal at pathological exam.
If a surgeon’s batting average is much better than that ----------he is waiting too long to operate and letting some percentage of his patients get sicker than they should have been allowed to get.
This has been and always will be a potentially deadly process if left untreated.
Dr. Walter Reed of army hospital fame, who discovered that yellow fever and incidentally malaria could be controlled by way of controlling mosquitoes in Cuba at around the turn of the century (ca. 1900) died of a ruptured appendix.

13

Ok! speaking from my point of veiw, i dont have an appendix anymore w00t. Really, it hurts like hell, you cant even walk or anything, you can bearly move. You can die from an apadicitus, it can explode. Sheesh, when your feeling like you will almost die, you kinda want it removed…

Edit: it ruptures, and then can release puss, which can poisen you or something or another…

thats in my point of veiw, and my experiences

14

and another thing, if you havent had one, your opinion on the subject isnt really to great of a thing, maybe from an herbal or natural stance it is, or from a person who may be an EMT (cant wait til next year ski patrol) or a doctor or surgean of some type

Edit: has anyone here even had one? (minus myself that is, i had mine removed for an apendicitus)

  • Graham
15

What a load of codswallop. Let’s see the natural healers at work when someone perforates their gangrenous appendix.

I’ve seen lot’s of appendicitis, and haven’t noticed any particularly strong link between that and kidney or gallbladder problems. Like to see where they get their link from.

Doesn’t sound like Brad had appendicitis. It usually get’s worse and declares itself, although they can occasionally grumble on for a while. We don’t usually CT scan people over here, especially young males. Lot’s of unnecessary radiation IMHO.

16

I asked Brad about it today (Saturday, and two days later). He said he can still feel it somewhat down toward his right hip and when he presses in and releases, it hurts more on the release. But on a pain scale of 1-10 with 10 being the worst, it’s about a 2. He is planning on playing in the soccer game tomorrow.

When he first started hurting Thursday morning (actually he complained of a sore stomach Wed. night), we said the typical thing, let’s just wait and see if it gets worse. I was going to take him to the doctor on Friday if it wasn’t any better. When he went down hard at 8:00 a.m. Thursday morning, I rushed him off to the doctor. If he has a reoccurrance, we won’t wait.

17

OT: Great word!

Codswallop.
Codswallop.

18

The appendix is made up of immune tissue. A study (I don’t remember the source off hand) following young children who had their appendixes removed indicated that they were more susceptible to infections than their peers who still had their appendixes. I don’t remember the risk being very great. From this study, and its cellular composition, it was hypothesised that the appendix has a function in the body’s immune system. What exactly it does is not well understood.

Inflammation can occur from a variety of causes. The appendix is part of the gut, and is exposed to all sorts of bugs and germs, some good and some bad. However, the abdominal cavity is separate from the inside of the gut, and is free of germs (good or bad). If the appendix ruptures, bugs from the gut enter the abdominal cavity. This is BAD, especially if surgery does not follow.

In a situation where appendicitis is a likely ( but unconfirmed) diagnoses, I would rather have my healthy appendix removed and deal with a slightly greater susceptibility to infection than deal with a burst appendix.

19

Had my appendix out, let’s see, 21 years ago? Gall bladder is fine. Kidneys are fine. There may be fine and all evolutionary reasons for the appendix to have stuck around at the population level, but one that’s going to burst is about to take down an individual. Evolution is all about trade offs, and at this point there’s no reason to risk death because for one reason or another we’ve kept that pocket of bile around.

Glad to hear your son is weathering this OK … don’t let anyone convince you not to respond in the traditional way of it inflames with risk of bursting!