Severe abdominal pain post appendectomy
Really seeking for any possible explanation as my er/ surgeon cannot figure this out. I’m M21 had my appendix out about 2-3 months ago. About 3 weeks post op I started having a sharp pain right around the area of the appendix. It eventually cleared and I thought nothing of it. A week or so later it came back. The troubling thing to me is that as of recently it’s actually shifted and right now sits mid torso slightly above my belly button to the left. It’s been coming and going but I can’t take the pain much longer. It’s debilitating and prevents me from standing up straight/ bending. It is always in close proximity to a laparoscopic site. I’m thinking it’s either scared tissue or something abdominal wall related. I cannot use those muscles that’s an instant trigger for pain. When fully exhaling sometimes I’ll feel a click or snap sometimes followed by temporary relief to an extent. Eating does not make it worse if anything it’s slightly better. The er sent me home with laxatives as their only explanation was a stool build up. It worked to an extent but came back quick and feels far off. My assumption would be stool clear out just relives slight pressure in the area. This localized pain was NEVER a problem with my UC prior to surgery.
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Hi @david6g, and welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect! Pain becoming intolerable following months after surgery is definitely not pleasant and I imagine totally unexpected.
You mention possible scar tissue or stool buildup. Also, that you were not having this problem prior to surgery. These do sound reasonable. You reference UC. I assuming this means you have Ulcerative Colitis and it sounds like this is not related.
As you wait for others to comment I thought I’d provide information about scar tissue you may find helpful. Here is an article explaining various types, causes and ways to find relief:
- VeryWellHealth How To Ease Scar Tissue Pain
https://www.verywellhealth.com/scar-tissue-pain-8657009
I also went to the home page and searched for “scar tissue following abdominal surgery” and found discussions you may find helpful:
- Mayo Clinic Connect discussion about Scar Tissue Following Abdominal Surgery
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/discussions/
Have you had a chance to call your surgeons office for their thoughts?
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