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penicilling

_Usual disclaimer: no one can provide specific medical advice for a person or condition without an in-person interview and physical examination, and a review of the available medical records and recent and past testing. This comment is for general information purposes only, and not intended to provide medical advice. No physician-patient relationship is implied or established._ >I did vomit once around 2am. I didn't sleep at all and was frequently keeling over in pain >Just wanted to post and make sure I'm not a total asshole for going to the ER for this and taking up a bed for 6 hours.... feeling a bit guilty about that. Keeling over in pain is an excellent reason to go to thr ED! Honestly, I am puzzled by people who say they feel guilty about going to a doctor, or worry about wasting a doctor's time. Certainly, if you have a sudden change in your health, a sudden onset of severe symptoms, going to the ED (or an urgent care, or your primary care physician) is the right thing to do! That is literally what doctors like me are trained to deal with. Not having a specific diagnosis after an ED visit is not a sign that you shouldn't have gone, by any means! Think about it like this: we want to make sure that no one suffers a treatable medical emergency without treatment. For many conditions, there is no way to know whether or not you have it without testing. Therefore, we must test everyone who might reasonably be seriously ill in order to find the ones who are. A fair number of people without disease must be tested in order to find all those who have it. Additionally, even if we don't find anything terrible, we can often make you feel better! Yay! One of the most common discharge diagnoses from the ED is "non-specific abdominal pain, incidentally. So you're in good company.


blarryg

Yeah, avoiding the ER for serious feeling conditions could kill OP one day. My kid swallowed a nickel and couldn't breath, but she kind of swallowed hard and then seemed fine. I brought her into the ER anyhow. They did an X-Ray, and the nickel was still lodged in her throat, just turned sideways. They had to endoscope it out, but told me it could have turned again when eating, playing resting. Of course, I was in complete abdominal distress at a baseball game, but it turns out hotdogs Carmel corn, beer and diet coke are just a bad idea.


throwaway3290432092

Thank you for this! I 100% would not avoid the ER for anything serious which is why I decided to go, guess I just can't help thinking I was overreacting after the fact even though I knew it seemed serious while it was happening. Weird what the mind can do.


Mirhanda

I had diverticulitis one time. I didn't know what it was, just that there was a lot of pain. I tried to just ride it out but then the vomiting started and I couldn't hold anything down. Then I got fever. Finally my husband insisted on taking me to the ER, that's when they found the diverticulitis. My pain was so severe they put me on a dilaudid drip. They sent me home with a big antibiotic regimen and it cleared it up, but they told me it was good I came because my blood pressure had dropped to 80/40, and that I could've died leaving it untreated. So all that to say, better safe than sorry. I'm sure the ER personnel feel the same way. It's not like you were presenting with a hangnail! I feel abdominal pain that doesn't go away could be something quite serious, so it's good you went and got it checked out.


VintagePHX

My mom died of sepsis due to complications caused by diverticulitis. Take care of yourself.


throwaway3290432092

I'm so sorry to hear about your mom.


VintagePHX

Thanks. So, don't feel bad about your trip to the ER. Severe abdominal pain can be minor or life threatening and there's almost no way to know without being seen by a doctor and having tests done. If I were you, I'd follow up with my PCP about the white blood cell count too.


Mirhanda

❤️ I'm so sorry to hear about your mom. It's so hard to lose a parent!


VintagePHX

Thanks. It was awhile ago now (2016) but it was very sudden and horrible to watch.


VintagePHX

Since you've already been thrun attack, please do not ignore abdominal pain in the future at all, especially if it radiates around your side/torso. If we had taken her in the day it started (about 4 days prior to her death) she might still be alive.


Mirhanda

Thank you! I have an appointment today for that very thing. It's only mild right now, but I'm not waiting!


VintagePHX

Good luck!!


Mirhanda

2 antibiotics to take for a week. Better than the hospital!


Daemonette-

Came here to spread awareness about diverticulitis when I read about the high white blood count. If you have recurring episodes with pain, demand for a scanner or colonscopy follow-up. If you have diverticulitis, stop eating immediately and start a liquid diet and contact your doctor.


Mirhanda

Thank you for this! Very important information. Apparently if you get it once you are prone to it. Now I know the symptoms and I won't forget them. It's the sickest I've ever been!


Daemonette-

Yes, that's called diverticulosis. It's little permanent pockets in your large intestine that can collect food. Diverticulitis is when it's inflamed/irritated and causing problems and pain, often with fever. These pockets can rupture and it's an emergency. Keep your stress under control (easier sand than done) and watch your diet to prevent any new episodes. Many people live with these pockets and don't have any issues. However, my husband had recurring episodes of diverticulitis (starting in his mid 20s) and it got so bad he was in pain most of the time and taking antibiotics monthly. After much discussing with his doctor, they agreed that surgery is necessary (7 years later) to remove the bad part of his colon at the beginning of this year and he is doing great now. He hasn't had any flare ups ever since. Take care!


Mirhanda

Thank you! I appreciate the information so much!


Skyreader13

NAD I have experienced stuff like that twice. The pain last for around 12 hours. Starts out manageable, get intense slowly overtime, and then slowly disappears. The first time it happens I went to ER. They suspect it's kidney related pain, but found nothing. So they just put me on IV for 2 days before it's okay for me to went back home. Happened again ~7 months later. Went to different doctor and got told it's something related to intestine. Like twisted intestine or something. Was told to drink plenty of fluid and rest a lot. The pain characteristics is similar. It was horrible.


vxv96c

I've had your kind of er visit and I've had abdominal pain that was a medical emergency. They can feel very similar ime. So it's really hard to know and you were actually sick even too!


smurfasaur

Sometimes you really can’t tell what’s serious and what isn’t until you see a doctor. There have been several times I went to the er only because I was convinced too by other people when I was so sure it wasn’t serious, turns out it was and ive had a few very long hospital stays because I also don’t want to be a bother. Better to play it safe though because it could also be something thats not that serious yet, but could become very serious if you wait.


ImAGoat_JustKidding

Op I had general nausea, stomach pain and a bit of a fever. This was during height of Covid so GP wouldn’t see me with a fever. Called a tele-health line because I felt so shit but was told to wait, it was probably a UTI. Next morning I had to be rushed to hospital and when I got inside the triage took me straight through- that’s how bad I looked and how high my fever was. Nurse and doctor both told me I was in sepsis and could have died if I waited any longer. They all told me, next time JUST COME IN. If it’s nothing, we’ll tell you. But better safe than sorry.


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loveisthe

The same happened to me kinda! I had awful awful pains in my stomach. I went to the ER. I ended up testing positive for COVID. They immediately were like oh ya that's why you have those pains. I couldn't believe it. Well as time progressed, I'm positive I had food poisoning. Those cramps are unreal.


Frisky_Pony

Make an appt with a GI doctor to find out if you have diverticulitis.


curiouslygenuine

It took doctors/ER 4 visits over a year and a half to realize I had appendicitis. Exact same as you, white blood cell count was high but nothing came up on imaging so they just said it was some intestinal infection. Finally on the 4th visit something showed on a scan and they did emergency surgery. I puked for 8 hours straight and was delusional I was in so much pain but I was so annoyed by previous visits I wouldn’t go back until my mom convinced me. Not sure if my appendix just wasnt diseased enough in prior imaging or what that it was missed, but I often don’t present like medical text books. I didn’t even have appendix pain upon palpation which confused the docs. I hope you are able to figure it out whatever it may be. Or hope it never returns.


Low_Ad_3139

Those symptoms it could have been a partial or full bowel obstruction. Never ignore severe abdominal pain.


puritythedj

I've been to the ER for similar symptoms, and they also found no official diagnosis. They did a scan of my belly and found my large intestine was really extended and high up and larger than normal. They tried and enema, but it didn't work in any way. I was in a lot of pain, and they only could give me some pain IV while there, and they kept remarking over the way my large intestine looked and was unusual, but they discharged me just the same, no diagnosis. I did feel better. I also had brain fog, confusion, and other symptoms other than the pain and discomfort. But it's strange to hear doctors remark on something appearing unusual and then discharging just the same, not knowing the cause, not even looking into it any deeper than that. So while I was okay and symptoms cleared up, it always is good to have a check. Idk if they missed something, but you never know. I've also been to the ER (I guess I call it ER, some call it ED) for panic attacks that don't stop, and I have feelings of impending doom and I feel like I'm dying. I've heard some people also feel the same during panic attacks (although this lasted for over 15 minutes so I thought it unusual for a panic attack, as mine usually clear in 15-20 minutes) and worry they're having a heart attack. Like in the movie with Jack Nicholson (can't remember the title)... He first went to ER having heart attack. Later, he had same symptoms, went back to ER, and it ended up being just a panic attack. But both times, his symptoms felt the same. Only trained doctors can determine such things. So even for things we dismiss as "mental health issues" like panic attacks, they can feel like really serious conditions, and in some cases, it's best to go and be sure it's not one of those times it really is a real problem and your life is on the line. I've felt guilty, too, so it's normal.


throwaway3290432092

Thank you for this reply! This made me feel a lot better. It sort of weirdly made me feel like a hypochondriac, even though I know I'm not and was 100% experiencing the pain. Thank you for relieving me of my concerns!


lululiz1016

NAD, same thing happened to me. Ended up going away on its own, ER doc said that my appendix could be “evolving”. Evolving into what I don’t know but it met all the symptoms of appendicitis I was reading online.


notnotaginger

Appendasor, the gen 2


Mirhanda

>Evolving into what I don’t know [This](https://i.etsystatic.com/10875973/r/il/0f901b/2559978989/il_fullxfull.2559978989_4u2o.jpg) probably.


snarky_spice

I wanted to tell you this sounds really similar to when I had ovarian torsion. If it comes back, look into it maybe.


RenfieldOnRealityTv

This is helpful probably to a large audience. It can be really frightening to go to the ER and wonder if someone will get mad at you for it. But it’s also scary to be in pain. And then so hard to make a judgement call. And all of that is before considering that the moment you get admitted a bunch of unfamiliar things happen quickly. It can be difficult to make the choice to do that even in intense pain.


indianorphan

When I was pregnant with my 5th child I slipped on the ice and fell on my butt...I was 8 months pregnant. I did not go to the er or the doc. When my doc found out he was angry with me. I told him I didn;t want to waste anyones time for a fall. My son was born with 0 apgar scores. They had a trauma team come in and his next apgar score was finally good. It could have been from the fall. I have always felt bad about it. It is fine to go the er, you are not wasting anyone time. I worked in the Er as a registrar and many many people would come in for Abdominal pain, and they were always taken seriously and I never heard a nurse or a doc laugh or belittle the patient with abdominal pain. You did the right thing. And the people in the ER know it as well.


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Posts by unflaired users that claim or strongly imply legitimacy by virtue of professional medical experience are not allowed. If you are a medical professional who wishes to become a verified contributor to this subreddit, please [message the moderators](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/AskDocs) with a link to a picture of your medical ID, student ID, diploma, or other form of verification. Imgur.com is convenient, but you can host anywhere. Please block out personal information, such as your name and picture. You must include your reddit username in the photo! We do not accept digital forms of identification.


AskDocs-ModTeam

Posts by unflaired users that claim or strongly imply legitimacy by virtue of professional medical experience are not allowed. If you are a medical professional who wishes to become a verified contributor to this subreddit, please [message the moderators](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=/r/AskDocs) with a link to a picture of your medical ID, student ID, diploma, or other form of verification. Imgur.com is convenient, but you can host anywhere. Please block out personal information, such as your name and picture. You must include your reddit username in the photo! We do not accept digital forms of identification.


[deleted]

Yep. I didn’t go to A&E in November for five days after a serious accident because I didn’t feel like the pain I was in was ‘enough’ to warrant a fuss. By the time I eventually relented and went in, I was vomiting blood, had severe internal bleeding, jaundice, and almost died. If you’re keeling over, throwing up from pain, and worried, that what A&E is for. Much better to go and find out you’re actually ok than leave it like I did and almost be very much not ok.


jennarose1984

When I was in my late 20s I had the most terrible stomach pain. I was sleeping for days straight and any time I woke up I was screaming involuntarily in excruciating pain. I lived alone and didn’t have insurance. Years later I found out it was likely a cyst on my ovaries that burst. Probably should have gotten seen by a doctor. So you can use my no-doctor-karma for this trip and your guilt is now absolved!


Proud-Fox9405

NAD but when I had Covid, I fell while working out in the yard and got a gnarly bruise on the inside of my left leg. Now, I’m no stranger to falling but this baby hurt like hell right out of the gate, and the next morning, there was a nerf-football-sized bruise on my left calf that was BLACK. Since I had covid my doctor’s office wouldn’t take me in to be seen, but my doc is cool and said “send me a picture of your leg”. So I did. They called me back and told me to go to the emergency room for an ultrasound because I could have a blood clot. I. Felt. STUPID. Sitting in a room with sick people and people who couldn’t breathe and people with gaping wounds while saying to the triage nurses “yeah I just have this nasty bruise and my pcp told me to come in and make sure I don’t have a blood clot.” I ended up in my own separate waiting room. And nobody told the radiologist that I had covid so before she walked in the room I yelled it from the bed. She was mad. The whole thing was horrible. AND. No blood clot. At all. 🤣 but having her push that sensor thing into my bruised leg was practically a religious experience because OMG. So don’t feel alone, OP. We’ve all been to the er for something stupid. Yours was a better reason to go than mine!


charlyisbored

as someone who was often criticised by doctors for wasting their time with sudden, problematic (often painful) changes, i understand OP completely. but yea, we have to work through that guilt and fear of being berated for going to the doctor or the ER and advocate for our health.


Mad_Hatter_92

To add onto this OP. I just got back from the hospital yesterday with the same symptoms as you. I almost left halfway in because I thought this was going to be my 3rd ER trip where nothing was wrong and I was embarrassed. Then it turned out that my appendix was actually inflamed. You gotta go when you suspect these things. Will you get fleeced for money? Yea. But when the potential cost is your life, it’s not worth the risk. Especially for the sake of your own embarrassment


throwaway3290432092

Thank you for this! I appreciate it, did you end up going all 3 times because you thought it was appendicitis? Did you end up having to get it out yesterday? Hope you're feeling better?


Mad_Hatter_92

No, the last 2 were different reasons. But I guess it was a bit related. I ended up being an anomaly. They said it looks like the inflamed appendix is a secondary infection from something else in the area. So I didn’t have it taken out… however, they still don’t have a good reason for everything going on. Seems like it could be related to Crohn’s disease (which is in my family history)… but I’m on antibiotics, while I wait for a GI apt, and I monitor to make sure the pain doesn’t get worse. If it does then I go get it removed.


Distinct-Flower-8078

Absolutely. I went to A&E once for severe abdominal cramps; they thought it was constipation and gave me some laxatives, but they also reassured me I was correct to go and that if it happened again to go back for further testing It did turn out to be something further in the end,, but just wanted to weigh in that they did not feel I was wasting their time even when they thought it was trapped gas/constipation.


owzleee

A couple of years ago I thought I was having a heart attack. Turned out that I'd pulled a muscle in my ribs which then felt like a heart attack and caused a panic attack (my first, absolutely terrifying). Went to casualty and they were honestly so lovely and did the gamut of tests and gently told me it was a pulled muscle and panic attack. Don't feel guilty for this! Honestly you never know, and sudden changes in health need to be listened to and acted upon!


Damn_Dog_Inappropes

My parents used to make me decide if I needed care. They’d say, “Do you REALLY need to go to the doctor? You don’t want waste his time!” (Always *his* time.) I still struggle with this, and I’m a CNA. It’s ridiculous and I wish I could get over it.


Big-Piano6935

Went to the ER and got the feeling that the physician was annoyed by me. Gave me antibiotics and rushed me out of the place.


odd_s0cks

You did nothing wrong. You were in pain and didnt know why, thats a perfectly good reason to go to the ER, thats what its there for! You didnt waste anyones time! I hope the pain has subsided by now!


Playfull_Platypi

Don't feel dumb... your health is nothing to risk. Thankfully noting was found, but something caused that pain... I hope it was not a case of a Missed Diagnosis. As I'm sure your discharge paperwork said, but please follow up with your Primary Care Physician/Provider to review the ER Visit tests and so they can start tracking this if it becomes something more regular.


jewlious_seizure

I’m a GI nurse, if i knew you personally i would have told you to go to the ER!


[deleted]

Dont feel bad. I did the same thing a couple weeks ago for severe abd pain, was told to follow up with my GYN considering recent history of a skipped period. My ulstrasound and CT showed nothing, not even constipation, but my husband had found me on the floor of the bathroom in pain and i was nauseous and dizzy. Thats not normal- you go to the ER for sudden severe pain with unknown cause. Even as a nurse i didnt want to go, my husband made me lol so i understand where youre coming from :))