Just got TWO bad phone calls

[tinroofrusted]

One from my brother- my dad has a burst appendix and has been taken to the hospital

And the other from my mother- my sister was taken to the emergency room for coughing up large amounts of blood.

Within 5 minutes of each other.

And all I hear is "Stay where you are, we'll call if you need to come."

And of course the roads are starting to get slick, and the snow is starting to fall.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR......

[lrprn]

Tin, waiting not knowing anything when your loved ones are gravely ill is the hardest thing ever!!

Trust that the hospital staff are doing everything possible to ensure they both will get better. Until you hear how they are doing, send positive thoughts and prayers their way and trust that your family that is with your father and sister will keep you informed.

Having been an ICU nurse for 20 years, I can say with some certainty that being there in person will not change what will happen. You'd just be sitting out in the waiting room not knowing anything. Best to wait it out at home until more news is available.

I'll be praying for your dad and sister. PM me if you want me to explain the medical stuff, ok? Here's a <hug> - hang in there!

[tinroofrusted]

Tin, waiting not knowing anything when your loved ones are gravely ill is the hardest thing ever!!

Trust that the hospital staff are doing everything possible to ensure they both will get better. Until you hear how they are doing, send positive thoughts and prayers their way and trust that your family that is with your father and sister will keep you informed.

Having been an ICU nurse for 20 years, I can say with some certainty that being there in person will not change what will happen. You'd just be sitting out in the waiting room not knowing anything. Best to wait it out at home until more news is available.

I'll be praying for your dad and sister. PM me if you want me to explain the medical stuff, ok? Here's a <hug> - hang in there!

I've actually worked as a Patient Care Tech in ER for some time per diem, so I am familiar with the protocol. Thank you for offering though.

My mother is an ER nurse too, and she called to let me know that my sister was brought in, so at least I know she's in good hands.

Dad on the other hand, I am worried about. He is 50, not in good health, and has already had a heart attack.

[WantToBeDebtFre]

That's so frustrating. I'm saying my prayers for your family.

[tinroofrusted]

Update:
My sister is out of the hospital already. Apparently she's had a cold with a nasty hacking cough and damaged her esophogus. They sent her home with some cooling drops, cough medicine, and a soothing spray. She has to see a lung specialist next week to make sure she didn't do any real damage.

Dad is currently in with the surgeon right now waiting on word for when his surgery will start.

[lrprn]

Good news so far for your sis and your dad then, Tin - that's great! Hope your dad's surgery is uneventful and he pulls through with flying colors.

[robivi3]

Wow, hope all the news is good in the end. Hope and prayers are with you.

[arkienurse]

Update:
My sister is out of the hospital already. Apparently she's had a cold with a nasty hacking cough and damaged her esophogus. They sent her home with some cooling drops, cough medicine, and a soothing spray. She has to see a lung specialist next week to make sure she didn't do any real damage.

Dad is currently in with the surgeon right now waiting on word for when his surgery will start.

Hope everything is going OK, especially with your dad. DH had a ruptured appy 13 years ago. It was a rough 2 weeks, including an asthma attack and a draining incision. The floor nurses still remembered us when I started nursing school a year later.

[Jenn]

Hope all is ok. Mine burst when I was 5 and my 16 year old aunt was babysitting us while my parents were out of town at my great grandmothers funeral-
It was ugly. I kept complaining that my tummy hurt, so she kept giving me pepto! hahahaha! But yea, I had to almost re-learn how to walk!~ I had the drainage tube as well. Its not so bad when your a kid, scary, but your mind doesnt go through all the possibilities that it does when your an adult. I would hate to have to go through that now.

[tinroofrusted]

Update:
Dad is ok too. He had surgery at 6:30 AM yesterday, and was home in time to eat dinner and scoot right off to bed.
He is just soo happy to be out of pain. The appedicts didn't rupture,thank God, but they said had he waited a few more days, he would have been in serious trouble.
He just said it hurts to laugh.

Thank GOD!! I had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

[arkienurse]

Update:
Dad is ok too. He had surgery at 6:30 AM yesterday, and was home in time to eat dinner and scoot right off to bed.
He is just soo happy to be out of pain. The appedicts didn't rupture,thank God, but they said had he waited a few more days, he would have been in serious trouble.
He just said it hurts to laugh.

Thank GOD!! I had a lot to be thankful for this Thanksgiving!

So glad it wasn't burst!!!! They are sooo sick when it ruptures, ben there, done that.
Were they able to do a laparoscopic removal? Those are so cool.

[robivi3]

I thought appendix hit early on. Arkie can you give some detail as to symptoms during the onset, etc... I didn't know people in their fifties and up were suceptible (hope that spelling is good).

GLAD it was not burst.

[lrprn]

Great news about your dad, Tin! Ruptured appys are usually so sick with peritonitis - glad your dad's was removed before that happened and that he got to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner to boot! What a blessing!

[arkienurse]

I thought appendix hit early on. Arkie can you give some detail as to symptoms during the onset, etc... I didn't know people in their fifties and up were suceptible (hope that spelling is good).

GLAD it was not burst.

Any age group is succeptible( don't know if mine is spelled right either). We tend to see younger people in my area, teens and young ( 30 ish or younger) adults, but anyone can get appendicitis. I looked up this online, as I dont want to inadvertently steer someone wrong:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000256.htm#Symptoms

The symptoms of appendicitis vary. It can be hard to diagnosis appendicitis in young children, the elderly, and women of childbearing age.

Typically, the first symptom is pain around your navel. The pain initially may be vague, but becomes increasingly sharp and severe. You may have reduced appetite, nausea, vomiting, and a low-grade fever.

As the inflammation in the appendix increases, the pain tends to move into your right lower abdomen and focuses directly above the appendix at a place called McBurney's point. (This would be low down on your right side)

If the appendix ruptures, the pain may lessen briefly and you may feel better.However, once peritonitis sets in, the pain worsens and you become sicker.

Abdominal pain may be worse when walking or coughing. You may prefer to lie still because sudden movement causes pain.(One of my coworkers used to work ER. She said if they suspected appendicitis, they would have the person stand up on their tip toes, and then go back down quickly. If that made it hurt worse, they were almost certain to have appendicitis)
Later symptoms include:
Fever
Loss of appetite
Nausea
Vomiting
Constipation
Diarrhea
Chills and shaking


Most doctors will call appendicitis the great pretender. It can be difficult to diagnose, and is often misdiagnosed. I have helped remove many a healthy looking appendix, because all the symptoms pointed to that, but in reality it wasn't causing the pain.

When DH's hit, we had gone out to eat at Long John Silvers. He thought it was indigestion from the grease, just generalized all over abdominal pain. I took him to the ER next morning. They diagnosed Hiatal Hernia, and gave him some really expensive meds that he only took one of. He kept hurting all day, and that next evening he started having chest pains. I thought he was having a heart attack and drove him back to the ER. About halfway there, he told me the pain had suddenly gone away, take him back home( this was when it ruptured I am sure). I refused, and by the time we finished the drive he was having chest pain again and sweating. They took him straight back and hooked up the monitors. The surgeon actually decided his gall bladder was acting up and needed to come out, after having a few days of iv antibiotic to get rid of some of the infection they thought was in his gallbladder. DH didn't have pain where it was supposed to be for apendix, his pain was where it was supposed to be for gallblader. Imagine my surprise when the surgeon came out and told us he had a ruptured appy. Seems his appendix was actually up behind his gallbladder, causing the pain to mimic GB pain. Leave it to my family to be different.

His pain started one evening, and it ruptured the next evening. This is NOT typical. Usually appendixes have been causing a low grade belly ache for several days before getting bad enough to make the patient seek attention.

[robivi3]

I am 48, copy/pasted and linked. Thank you, I consider this excellent info!

He's alive, in this case different may have saved him!