Strange Pain?

SatanIsMyMotor

Since yesterday I've been having what would best be described as a sharp pain in my lower right abdomen. The pain is intermitant (intervals vary between a few seconds upwards to 10 minutes) but when they occur they are definitely intense albeit very short.
Having said that, I'm able to go about my day as normal. I'm here at work being productive and I don't feel sick at all.

The pain is right where my appendix is so I'm a little concerned that that could be the issue. Having said that, my understanding is that an infected appendix is also usually accompanied with a fever and/or intense nausea. For a long time now I've also been having a stomach issue that has been causing me some discomfort. I had it checked out because we thought it might be a hernia but the doctor's best guess was that I had a bit of a torn muscle on my abdominal wall. I'm not really sure if this pain is related to the new pain but the fact that they're so different in nature (dull Vs. sharp) leads me to believe they're not.

I'm not asking for medical advice here. If the pain doesn't subside soon I'll probably go get checked out. I just want to know if anyone here has had an appendicitus (sp?) and whether or not the pain I'm describing sounds familiar.

mightyspacepope

If the pain is REALLY sharp, it's possible that it could be a kidney stone. I had something similar to what you're describing and that's what it turned out to be.

Gork

I just had my appendix out at the end of Februrary, so the area sounds about right. Does it hurt when you press on the area? Have you vomitted at all? I was pretty much unable to keep anything down, even water. The nausea was so bad that I was throwing up constantly, even when there was nothing left in my stomach.

Also, I was not able to be productive when the pain began, but that's not indicative, because yours might intensify.

SatanIsMyMotor

Gork, there's no pain when I press on the area. That's actually one of the big reasons I was thinking it's probably not related to my appendix. No nausea either, although I was intensely sick (almost exactly what you described) about 2 weeks ago. I doubt the two symptoms would come so far apart.

Spacepope - kidney stone crossed my mind too. I pray to god that isn't what it is.

Sentry

Check your pants. They say the vast majority of abdominal pain is caused by people who wear their pants too tight.

Trust me... you'll know when it's your appendix. I knew when I had it and I was only like, 13 years old. It will be a constant pain, like being stabbed with a knife. Also, for those wondering, a bottle of Pepto will NOT stop appendicitis... despite what my parents might think.

Theungry

SatanIsMyMotor wrote:

I had it checked out because we thought it might be a hernia but the doctor's best guess was that I had a bit of a torn muscle on my abdominal wall.

A tear in the muscle of your abdominal wall IS a hernia.

Also, I had a good friend develop appendicitis, and he did not experience nausea or fever. We actually thought he was just really constipated or something.

He even had sex with his girlfriend after the initial symptoms!

Later it escalted, and we realized he was in need of the ER, and rushed him off.

Symptoms may vary, and if you have sharp pain in the apendix area at all, it is wise to have it checked out sooner than tomorrow.

One test you can perform is to lie flat and push in gently but firmly on the abdomen in the area in question. Usually with appendicitis you'll experience an increased pain when the pressure is released. Don't go overboard this way, because you can do more damage if you are too rough.

Brizian

I'm not a doctor or anything, but in my experience with kidney stones (and I've had waaay too much experience in that area for someone my age), it would be insanely painful, and you would not be able to go about your day as normal.

Drink lots of water and check your urine for blood. In the case of kidney stones, it's usually fairly visible.
If it is a kidney stone, and it starts to move, it will cause your ureter to vibrate. Your body's natural response to this is projectile vomiting.

Also, kidney stones tend to bring UTIs with them. So, you know, if it burns when you piss, that may also be a sign.

MurphysParadox

If it is a kidney stone, you can get those vibrated to nothingness with ultrasonics and not go through pain described as the closest a male can get to giving birth.

Brizian

I was ineligible to get them pulverized (though I hear that comes with it's own set of pain), because my stones were too small. In any case, the act of passing them was not too painful for me. Nowhere near when they were scraping up my insides and causing infections, anyways.

mightyspacepope

Brizian wrote: »

I'm not a doctor or anything, but in my experience with kidney stones (and I've had waaay too much experience in that area for someone my age), it would be insanely painful, and you would not be able to go about your day as normal.

Drink lots of water and check your urine for blood. In the case of kidney stones, it's usually fairly visible.
If it is a kidney stone, and it starts to move, it will cause your ureter to vibrate. Your body's natural response to this is projectile vomiting.

Also, kidney stones tend to bring UTIs with them. So, you know, if it burns when you piss, that may also be a sign.

I've had some experience with them too, which is why I'm throwing it out there. For me, the stones kept on traveling, then getting stuck. When they were moving, that's when they hurt like a bitch. When they got stuck, it didn't even affect me. If you're getting random periods of REALLY sharp pains, it's a possibility. I dealt with the pain for about 3 days, thinking it was just really bad random gas pains before I got the sense to go see the doc. Either way, you said you would be checking with your doc if the pain persists, so good luck with everything.

Jasconius

SatanIsMyMotor wrote: »

Since yesterday I've been having what would best be described as a sharp pain in my lower right abdomen. The pain is intermitant (intervals vary between a few seconds upwards to 10 minutes) but when they occur they are definitely intense albeit very short.
Having said that, I'm able to go about my day as normal. I'm here at work being productive and I don't feel sick at all.

The pain is right where my appendix is so I'm a little concerned that that could be the issue. Having said that, my understanding is that an infected appendix is also usually accompanied with a fever and/or intense nausea.

I had appendicitis about 9 months ago and it was not accompanied by any nausea or fever, my case was acute and it started out as a general pain in my intestinal area and then as time progressed (over night) it began to focus itself in the lower right. My only symptom was pain.

If you go to a doctor the only thing they are going to do is poke you right in your lower right abdomen to see if it hurts then order a 4 figure test to verify for surgery.

Do the same thing to yourself, just take three or four fingers and press firmly (don't jab!) around that area. If it hurts, you probably need to get tested.

If it does hurt you probably don't want to delay, untreated appendicitis is typically fatal.