Was your appendix removed?

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Was your appendix removed?

  • Yes I had my appendix removed

    Votes: 36 42.9%

  • No I still have my appendix

    Votes: 48 57.1%
  • Total voters
    84
C

Chuck2008

Joined
Dec 22, 2008
Messages
125
Wondering how many people with Crohns had their appendix removed at some point in their lives. Wouldnt that be interesting if it was everyone, since they don't know what the appendix does in our bodies? Just curious...
 
Crohn's is often mistaken for appendicitis -- there are probably a few hundred posters on this forum who went into the ER with severe right sided pain, got an appendectomy done only to find out that it wasn't their appendix, doc starts examining their bowels and sees inflammation. With that said, I don't believe not having an appendix is the cause of Crohn's since so many people still seem to have theirs when symptoms start.

On the other hand, here's an interesting article that now states that they have reason to believe it DOES serve a purpose -- it helps regulate good/bad bacteria. Makes me wonder if it's a bad idea for those who have bowel resections with IBD to have their appendix yanked since "the doc is in there anyway". http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21153898/ Then again, I'd worry that if you did leave it, if one could tell the difference between a flare and needing to have emergent surgery. :(
 
That was the first of a few surgeries and start of my major Crohns flare. Alot of people have had their appendix out, you'll see.
 
One-stop shopping for me on the operating table. Appendix, gall bladder and small bowel resection all at once.

I suspect a number of earlier appendix "false alarms" were actually Crohn's flares that ER doctors didn't follow through with.
 
Mine was whipped out at the tender age of 8. Given how difficult it is to diagnose Crohn's as well as understand the workings of the bowels, I have little faith in the assumption that the appendix is useless.
 
Had my Appendix removed because the doc was worried that the pain from it being inflamed could mimic the pain i get from flare ups.
 
Sounds like most had them removed during their Crohn's disease, I was just wondering if having it removed might increase the risk of developing Crohn's years later. I guess the poll squashes that theory. :)

Thanks for voting and the replies!
 
I still have mine, but...... according to my new GI I had some type of surgery in 04 because my old GI's notes says so. I still haven't found any scars on or around my stomach. Maybe they did it when they went up to take out my tonsils.
 
Mine was whipped out about 15 years ago after I came down with right sided pain, vomiting and the squits.... guess what... perfectly healthy appendix... they decided in the end it must have been a water infection... I am now convinced I had Crohn's all along...
 
Still have mine, havent had any problems with it. Im glad cause I think there has to be some reason it is there, we just know exactly what it is.
 
I have all my parts that I was born with...and thanks to CD I have extra parts in the form of perianal crohn's skin tags...I'd love to donate them to science, but my GI says they don't want them either...go figure.

:)
 
vshirey317 said:
On the other hand, here's an interesting article that now states that they have reason to believe it DOES serve a purpose -- it helps regulate good/bad bacteria. Makes me wonder if it's a bad idea for those who have bowel resections with IBD to have their appendix yanked since "the doc is in there anyway". http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21153898/ Then again, I'd worry that if you did leave it, if one could tell the difference between a flare and needing to have emergent surgery. :(
Click to expand...

This. I remember that study. They ever tell me to go in for a surgery, I'm telling them to leave it in unless it's an issue, science can't explain a lot, and this is part of that "lot"...

I still have mine, never caused issues and I have low pain comparative to the rest of the severity of my symptoms, so there was never any mistaking it (Urgency and frequency were off the charts though)...
 
If I ever need to get mine out I want to keep it. It would make a good conversation starter. What's that? Oh, that's just Fred, my appendix.
 
Appendectomy

My appendix ruptured and I got peritonitis and a bowel obstruction. Appendix was removed and a fistula developed resulting in removal of the lower small intestine. That was when the Crohn's first surfaced in 1969. It re-appeared later in the rectal area after a hemerhoidectomy.
 
Lost mine when they thought my pains were appendicitis. However, I do not believe that they yanked it for no good reason. It must have been inflammed along with my terminal ileum, and why not since there is no evidence of functionality. I can't imagine that they would say 'while I'm here I might aswell...'
 
themuse said:
Lost mine when they thought my pains were appendicitis. However, I do not believe that they yanked it for no good reason. It must have been inflammed along with my terminal ileum, and why not since there is no evidence of functionality. I can't imagine that they would say 'while I'm here I might aswell...'
Click to expand...

Do some research on it -- a LOT of doctors routinely take out the appendix if they're exploring the area anyway. It's not as uncommon as you may think.
 
i was 13 and had already had Crohns for i think 3 years when they took my appendix. Sure enough there was nothing wrong with it but my intestines were all twisted wrongly and were inflamed so they flushed out my system with a saline solution and 'straightened' out my intestines :)
 
I had my appendix removed while 7 mths pregnant. I kept having pains in my LRQ (wasn't diagnosed with Crohns yet) and thought it was nothing. Pains got worse, so we went to the emergency room. They put in immediately for surgery, and had nothing but problems at some point since then. Good news is I have a healthy 7 yr old who hopefully won't inhereit this disease.
 
I had mine removed about 5 years ago when I was 33. I had a hysterectomy due to a large fibroid tumor that was pressing on my kidneys. Apparently Crohnies are much more prone to early hysterectomies than other women. *sigh*
 
I had an "appendicitis" in 2001. Turns out it was an early flare of my ileum. 6 years later my intelligent GI doctor figured all of this out. Too bad I didn't know him in 2001. :(
 
Hello everyone,
I am a new member. My daughter had her appendix removed 4 weeks ago. They discovered granulomatous and due to her anemia and the pain continuing she is due to have a colonoscopy and an upper GI endoscopy. She has been given a 6 week liquid diet. She is pain free at the moment. She is almost 16 and the docs are certain it's Crohn's due to bloods etc. Any others who went through a similar thing. Many thanks.
 
I never had the granulomatous but I dealt with everything else you mentioned although my appendix was removed when I was 18 during my bowl resection.
 
I had my appendix out back around 1995-96?.....Was at work, kept having these lower right side pains - would come and go - they were NOT like my Crohns' pains.....I was actually bent over with them.....went home, still didn't go away - drove myself to the hospital nice and early in the am (like @5am!)......was seen - almost went through the roof when the Doc did the old press and release.......

Was in for surgery not long after - and was told it WAS my appendix - not too bad, but still inflamed some....when I contacted my GI doc later on I was kind of scolded for not calling him.....and of course the hospital I went to was NOT the one he practiced at!
 
When Roo was septic and they had no clue as to what was going on, they took her to theatre for a laparotomy and said they will remove her appendix to rule it out as a cause for her symptoms. Well the rest is history.....Ileal Crohn's, infarcted and perforated bowel, the appendix was very inflamed and came out with the rest of the bowel they took but there was no active disease in it.
 
I had to have mine taken out because they were taking out the part of your intestine that it is attached to. Cant very well leave it in there and not attached to anything can they !

The pathology report show it FULL of granuloma and pretty much destroyed.
 
First sugery I ever had when my disease started. Was never the problem....and even to this day when I go to the ER thats one of the first questions they ask me is if Ive had my appendix out?? Never the problem....Crohns all along, and 12 years to diagnosis..
 
I was diagnosed at 12 years old.I knew nothing about the intestines let alone what Crohn's or Ulcerative Colitis was.I had my first surgery at 13 so when they removed some of my small intestine and large intestine I never knew my appendix was removed.So when I was reading the reports I panicked when I seen that it was removed.I even yelled at the doctors on them removing it because I wasn't asked and didn't have a clue it was attached there.I sadly thought it was entirely different organ that I needed.What I have heard though is they are finding out the reason for your appendix is to help with your immune system and something about waste.I know that your intestines dispose waste but your appendix does something with it.
 
I still have my appendix but when I was about 12 went to the emergency room for severe stomach pain. Dr. wanted to keep me over night for observation. I freaked out and made my mom take me home. My mom still thinks that was the first flare of Crohn's.
 
I still have my appendix though by a very slim margin as I was all ready for the op then they decided to see how I was overnight as my symptoms had settled a bit and they investigated further and I was later diagnosed with Crohn's....
 
pasobuff said:
I almost went through the roof when the Doc did the old press and release.......
Click to expand...

What is that press and release thing about?

They love having a good old prod around when I go in... 'does it hurt when I press or when I release?' Arghh it just hurts the whole bloody time!!!!
 
What is that press and release thing about?
Click to expand...

Hi Christina,

It's mean't to be a classic sign of peritonitis (rebound pain). So when you press it doesn't hurt but when you release the pressure, the movement of the peritoneum causes pain. They mainly use it when looking for appendicitis.
 
Zalanicht said:
Had mine removed at the same time as my Crohn's ridden ileum.
Click to expand...

yes that is what I found odd about the poll. If you have your cecum removed they HAVE to take the appendix. You can't just leave it there. And that is most common operation for crohns as it is the most likely site of infection.
 
Mine was removed when I was 13. I had just come back from tramping (adventuring) in the Able Tasman National Park (very beautiful place) the next day I was in hospital and they were removing it. I was just lucky it didn't get bad when i was in the middle of nowhere, and that it waited till I got home. I had problems with it grumbling months earlier but that would not take it out as I could still walk. When I went back to the hospital I was not walking anywhere, so they took it out.
 
I still have mine. Over the years before I was diagnosed with Crohn's I was sometimes told I had 'grumbling appendix' because of where the pain focuses. And the press and release had me in terrible pain. I was always sent away with the advice 'let's see what happens over the next few days'. Thankfully it would settle. When I got the CD diagnosis I was sooo surprised to learn from Gastro-guy that the pain that had been reported so often as grumbling appendix was/is due to Crohn's!
 
appendix

Yes I had mine removed, that is how my Crohns started they thought it was my apendix. They soon realised it was somthing else when they opened me up, but they removed it anyway.How wrong can they be. Peggy
 

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