Post-Appendicitis Pain: Complications and Recovery - Surgery

Right lower abdominal pain after appendicitis?

---

In mid-December last year, I experienced severe pain in my lower right abdomen and went to the emergency department at National Taiwan University Hospital.
Since I am a leukemia patient (three years post-transplant), the doctors were very cautious about my condition.
After performing an ultrasound, X-ray, and CT scan, they diagnosed me with acute appendicitis and quickly proceeded with emergency surgery.
My attending physician, Dr.
Tang Chi-Lu, advised me to rest for six months before resuming normal activities.
However, I felt that my recovery was progressing well, and by mid-February, I went cycling.
I rode my road bike from Sanchong to Bali without any issues, and upon returning home, I felt little discomfort in my lower right abdomen, leading me to believe that my incision had healed significantly.
At the end of February, I rode my mountain bike along the same route.
However, cycling on a mountain bike was more strenuous than on a road bike.
Shortly after returning home, I began to feel pain in my lower right abdomen.
I thought it might be due to not cycling for a while and possibly muscle soreness, but the pain was similar to what I experienced with appendicitis.
I quickly went back to the emergency department, where the surgeon suspected a muscle strain and prescribed anti-inflammatory medication.
However, for the next few months, any time I performed stretching exercises or engaged in activities that involved significant movement, I would experience a dull pain in my lower right abdomen.
This pain would subside after a few days, but if I used the muscles in that area again, the pain would return (there was no diarrhea, just abdominal pain).
If I did not take a break, the pain would worsen, and the area around the surgical site felt hard.
In April, I thought I could lift weights, but after doing so, the pain in my lower right abdomen intensified, prompting another visit to National Taiwan University Hospital.
The attending physician advised me not to lift weights again and prescribed more anti-inflammatory medication.
When I asked why my lower right abdomen continued to hurt, the doctor simply said it was because I hadn’t rested long enough and was too eager to ride my bike.
I also inquired about the hard lump at the surgical site, and the doctor explained that it was scar tissue that would eventually resolve.
By mid-June, I still experienced frequent dull pain at the surgical site, and the hard lump remained.
It had been over six months since my appendectomy, and during that time, I had avoided any strenuous activities or long walks up stairs.
However, things worsened after I attempted some light stretching exercises, as the surgical site began to swell, forming a yellowish-white blister-like lump that was soft to the touch and painful.
I returned to the emergency department, and after a CT scan, the doctor again prescribed anti-inflammatory medication.
Later, I consulted with a colorectal specialist, Dr.
Hsu Tzu-Chi, at Mackay Memorial Hospital.
He indicated that this was likely not an appendicitis issue since the appendix had already been removed.
He suggested that there might be an air pocket near the intestine.
I shared Dr.
Hsu's opinion with my attending physician, Dr.
Tang, who, after a physical examination, believed it was not an issue with the colon.
He thought that the pain was likely due to a bacterial infection resulting from improper care of the surgical site, possibly exacerbated by my cycling, which may have prevented complete healing.
There seems to be no consensus among the doctors: Mackay Memorial Hospital suspects an air pocket issue, the surgeons at National Taiwan University Hospital believe it is a bacterial infection, while Dr.
Tang thinks it is related to the surgical site.
I lean towards the idea that it is indeed an issue with the surgical site.
My greatest fear is that this pain in my lower right abdomen, stemming from a minor oversight, could persist indefinitely.
Currently, I have a hard lump at the surgical site, and performing stretching exercises or climbing stairs causes abdominal pain that improves after a few days, but if I continue, the pain worsens (there is no diarrhea).
Additionally, there is swelling at the surgical site and the presence of a blister.

What is your opinion on my lower right abdominal pain?

---

smallguy, 20~29 year old female. Ask Date: 2005/07/20