Im sending this to you, because when i went through it i had very little resources on the web to draw on, and at the time i found it quite emotionally taxing and hard, and felt quite alone… When i was 26 weeks pregnant i had some upper right quadrant abdominal pain, and i thought nothing of it! Round ligament pain perhaps? I didnt do anything, however about 24 hours later i was in agony, vomiting and writhing on my bathroom floor! My husband called the hospital and we went to A and E, where i was diagnosed with appendicitus, which occurs in roughly 0.1% of all pregnancies, and is the most common cause of surgery in pregnant women. The next morning i underwent an emergency surgery to remove the appendix, however due to the pregnancy i had to remain awake, during what is major stomach surgery – it involves an 8 inch incision, and then removing your large and small intestine in order to find the inflammed appendix, which could rupture at any time! I was awake the whole time, and baby was kicking all the way through! There is a high risk of preterm labour also, so after the operation i spent 10 days in ICU being monitored. During this time, i remained on an an epidural for pain relief (however in terms of pain medication i was given less than an average appendix removal op!) Also i had terrible pain because of excess air within my stomach after the operation… but was able to have my stitches removed about a week after the operation, and was back on my feet (although slowly!) by 2 weeks! The biggest ongoing problem is the stretching of the scar tissue as my pregnancy continued to progress. It was initially very neat and tidy (i was lucky enough to have no infection) but has become quite lumpy and raised as i’ve got bigger … however i hope it will return to normal after the birth! I just wanted to post my story as proof that everything can go ok in an appendix removal during pregnancy! Im currently 36 weeks and baby looks fine! Thanks!
Updated here.
January 12th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
Thank you for your post! Your belly is gorgeous!! and that scar looks really cool actually! Its almost too perfect to be real.
January 12th, 2009 at 4:29 pm
I think it’s excellent that you posted this story. I honestly didn’t know that an appendicitus was common during pregnancies. You look terrific and the scar isn’t so bad.
January 12th, 2009 at 5:29 pm
OMG that has got to be the sweetest looking scar! Especially on the beautiful belly! How cool..lol!
January 12th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
wow! how scary! i’m proud of you for being so brave & enduring your surgery while conscious. i can imagine how nervous you must have been. i’m weird, i like your scar. i have one too, from a surgery on my spine 10 years before my pregnancy & i had no idea how the tissue would react to stretching. i have some stretch marks, but that was to be expected. yours looks great & you’ll always have an exciting story to tell. congratulations on the baby & on a successful surgery.
January 12th, 2009 at 8:58 pm
Your scar is AWESOME. Coolest pregnant belly ever.
January 13th, 2009 at 12:26 am
Thank you so much! What a wonderful and thoughtful service to us to post your story. Your positivity is a blessing! I am sure you were quite stressed and afraid but it is all ok now! How frightening indeed to undergo that kind of surgery, even asleep! Let alone awake! I am so glad mother and baby are OK! Good luck with your delivery and enjoy motherhood for the blessing it truly is!!!
January 13th, 2009 at 10:33 am
I think you look great & your scar is awesome! LOVE it!
January 13th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
I have to agree with most of the posters here. In terms of scars, you totally won the lottery. That one is awesome! I would be totally pleased to have a scar like that, way cooler than most people’s body modifications.
January 17th, 2009 at 8:27 pm
That is a cool scar! If I had one like that, I wouldn’t mind showing it off! You look amazing and I hope the rest your pregnancy goes well.
January 19th, 2009 at 1:18 pm
I agree that scar is perfect! and your baby bump is one of the most perfect ones I seen..
January 19th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Oh and that happened to my best friend she was the first in our hospital to get it done..
February 20th, 2009 at 3:37 pm
Happened to me when I was 20 weeks but mine ruptured and I got put under and had three little scars that are going away now slowly. I have a healthy one year old now and she is perfect nothing wrong. The pain I had that night it ruptured and the pain after the surgery was worse then my contractions and my c-section though.Sounds like you had it a lot worse then me probably cause you were further along. Good luck little ones really are a blessing.
March 11th, 2009 at 7:34 pm
I’m actually not a mother and don’t plan on being one anytime soon, but I LOVE this site, and I just wamted to tell you that your scar looks WICKED cool. Like, it looks like something I would consider getting tattooed on me. Wear it proudly!
March 19th, 2009 at 4:54 pm
thanks for your posting this info. my wife is 15 weeks pregnant with her first baby. we just returned from the E.R. she has been experiancing pain in her lower ab. the E.R. doc. did the usual test and labs and expressed his concern that it could be an appendix issue, he wants us back in the E.R. in the morning to do the labs again to see if her whit cell count is higher then we will go from there i guess. uor biggest concern is he said he didnt want to do a cat scan right away bc of the radiation the put out. is there other options for diagniosis.
August 1st, 2009 at 3:33 pm
I find that scar very very sexy!
October 14th, 2009 at 10:49 pm
Just curious as to why the scar is on the left side? I had appendicitis while preg too and have to get it removed in a few weeks and it’s on the right side
November 25th, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Hi,
I’m so glad that yours worked out.
My wife was 30 weeks along and started to feel sever pain. We took her in several times and they kept blowing us off.
Her apendics burst and we lost the baby and almost her. She is still not out of the woods but she is much better then a couple of days ago.
If your having any kind of pain pleas ehave it checked out and don’t let them blow you off. Good luck
March 11th, 2010 at 6:44 am
Sorry to take so long to get back to all the lovely comments! I hope to send an update on how the scar is now pretty soon. After I lose the baby weight!
Katie – the scar is on the right side because I took a photo using my built in camera on my mac, and the photos always come out back to front! In real life its on my right side too.
Additionally, If anyone wishes to contact me directly about this story, please feel free to email me at Fionakida@yahoo.com
May 31st, 2010 at 8:00 am
I had the same thing happen to me at 35 weeks pregnant! My scar however is horizontal instead of vertical. Had major abdominal pain – went into hospital, and it took them 24 hours to decide that it was appendicitus. Because I was so far along, and all my internal organs were squished up, even with ultrasounds etc, they couldn’t be sure. They performed the operation with me under general anesthesia, and subsequently I had very little pain meds (Tylenol!), but me and my baby daughter made it. She was born 4 weeks later at 39 weeks.
August 1st, 2010 at 5:29 am
Thank you for this post.
Really good to get some info from other mums-to-be who have been through this scary experience.
I had an appendicitis at 30 weeks pregnant (4 weeks ago) and found the whole thing scary and overwhelming, and I was not awake during surgery like you (wow, terrifying!!)
Just wondered what the docs have suggested for your birth options (and those of the other ladies here who have had similar experiences)?
My midwife is encouraging me to have a natural birth, but baby is due in less than 6 weeks and I am still fighting a secondary infection, so quite nervous I will not physically be well enough to deliver naturally.
Any advice would be appreciated!!
August 1st, 2010 at 10:36 pm
IT WAS NICE OF YOU TO SHARE THE INFORMATION …ALL THAT MATTERS IS THE NEW LIFE YOU ARE GIVING BIRTH TOO . SCAR IS REALLY INSIGNEFICANT COMPARED TO THAT .
August 29th, 2010 at 6:31 am
Thank you so much for sharing the information. I had my appendix out 2 weeks ago at 15 weeks pregnant. I only had paracetemol (tylenol) after the operation, but it was so emotionally overwhelming and scary. I was so glad to find that others have come through this experience with healthy happy little ones. For me the anaesthetic didn’t work properly for the first few minutes, so I was paralysed, but consious of everything that was going on! Thankfully I blacked out then!! Naturally my only worries are about the baby, but am still planning a natural homebirth for this my 3rd baby.
November 10th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
MY MOTHER HAD HER APPENDIX REMOVED WHEN SHE WAS CARRRYING ME THAT WAS IN 1945 SHE WAS 12 WEEKS SHE NEVER SPOKE ABOUT IT AND I DID NOT KNOW IT WAS A COMMON OPERATION THE DOCTORS MUST HAVE BEEN GOOD BACK THEN IT HAPPENED IN LONDON BEFORE THEY HAD THE NHS NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE SHE WOULD HAVE NOT BEEN TREATED SO WELL NOW WITH MRSA ETC BACK THEN HOSPITALS WEERE CLEAN
November 23rd, 2010 at 2:49 am
Heloo thanks alot this made me and my wife better now we are still in the hospital buti am not sure she has a twins and dr is so. Razy he said the baby will die so he just gave her pain killers and she in the 28 th weeks
i hope we can find another good dr who can help us
I just wanted to thank u
December 15th, 2010 at 12:43 am
Thank you for this info. My daughter is in hospital at the mo and in much pain because of the appendicitis which the doctors are still debating on…as there is so much fluid around it they cannot tell………….so its good to hear someone else’s story that everything went fine and the baby is and mother are well…….Praise the Lord! God is indeed Good!
December 15th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
My daughter is 28wks pregnant and in so much pain they are now looking at removing her appendix thaks for your story it is good to hear a happy end when you are worried.
January 12th, 2011 at 7:54 am
i am reading this and was relief to find that appendix operation was normal during pregnancy. i had one with my first pregnancy, i was in my 7 month pregnancy when the operation took place. now my first daugther is 4 yrs old and is working to have a second one. find it a bit difficult to conceive this time. am so afraid the effect of appendix operation last time is causing this problem. worried.
May 19th, 2011 at 8:00 am
i was operated when i was 15weeks pregnant,but i was taken for counselling that i might loose my baby since it was early pregnancy,at first the doctors thought i had eptopic pregrancy,so i had to go for scanning my baby was playing inside the womb thats when i was diagonised with appendix in pregnancy.i was so scared as my tummy have to grow every month but with god making everything possible i didnt feel any pain when my tummy was growing and during labour pains i was also scared thinking that the baby will affect my operation since it was new,but i delivered a baby bouncing boy normally.he is now 10 months and fit.i was also scared thinking my baby will be deformed somehow but he is normal.GOD IS GREAT GUYS
June 11th, 2011 at 5:12 pm
This story is absolutely amazing, and one which I think TSOAM should be doing more to promote. So glad it ended well, and the mother in this story sounds so positive. I loved reading the updated version too. Amazing.
July 2nd, 2011 at 4:50 pm
My niece is 5 months pregnant and her appendix had ruptured 3 days prior to a dr finally figuring out what was going on. Yesterday they were able to get in and clean her out, the baby made it through the surgery. My niece is doing very well as of right now but still in critical condition. The Dr’s have told us that the baby has over an 80% chance of not making it. I wish I had known more about this in pregnancy.
July 14th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
i had my appentice remove also.iam seven months pregantand iam okay so is my baby
July 25th, 2011 at 8:52 am
these days i am a bit nervous, cos my wife who is in her eight month pregnancy is also in a state of light pain at times.(appendix had been confirmed) earlier we had once approached to a hospital but the doc reminded us that the operation can’t be done now(it was then 4th month running). And truly during such a time your story gave me a bit strength but also at the same time making me a little nervous. This is the first time i am into becoming a father.
August 1st, 2011 at 12:37 am
my daughter is just 11 weeks pregnant today and yesterday she had her appendix removed.She had just thought she was constipated and was in great pain for two days prior to being diagnosed,i think alarm bells started to ring when she started to vomit and a sky high temperature developed.WE are just hoping that all is ok with the baby as she had quite a lot of pain relief including morphine,but as she was asking for food this morning so i think she is getting there.
August 1st, 2011 at 12:41 am
It is a sad state of affairs when we as grannys and mums have to go onto the internet to find answers to our questions as noone is ever available to talk to about these matters,thank god i came across this website,it has given me so much positive information.
August 24th, 2011 at 3:23 am
My appendix burst at 29 wks had surgery and
Then went through 14 hrs of contractions before
Drs got things under control then got two infections
And digestive system packed up! After 2 wks in
Hospital lot of drugs and two more lots of contractions
I went home I am now 35 wks and feel pretty fit
Just dreading giving birth as had csection last
Time but drs don’t recommend another scar on
My tummy!
Apparently birth hurts less than burst appendix
Let’s hope so!
October 30th, 2011 at 6:02 pm
They believe this is what’s wrong with my wife who is 18 weeks pregnant. What’s different b/w our story and everyone elses is that she is carrying 2 girls…does any have any info on the effect the surgey will have on twins? Please any little bit would be appreciated.
December 18th, 2011 at 9:21 pm
Thank you for posting this I thought I was the only one I have 3 small scars nothing cool looking like that mine just look nasty. Im so terrified about the risk of miscarriage and now have a high risk pregnancy.
January 19th, 2012 at 8:00 am
I also had my appendix removed during pregnancy my experience with the hospital was awful though. After I came round from the operation they had moved me on to a different ward. They had also lost my notes, so when I kept demanding they check my babys heart beat they was trying to convince me it was the anaesthetic talking. No one believe me I was 23 weeks pregnant as well. It was only until my family came to visit me later on in the day that they believe I was pregnant, I was petrified. Then several weeks after that I was diagnosed with gall stones. I was induced then at 38 weeks and gave birth to a healthy 9lb 15 oz baby girl . Took them several weeks after that though to remove my gall bladder.