Ask500

sorry to be so personal, but...

Dear Doctors,

We are desperate for help. Our 87-year-old father has been in severe, excruciating abdominal pain for over 3 weeks now. He was taken into the emergency ward at that time & then admitted; tests were performed…colonoscopy, hida scans, ultra sounds, x-rays, endoscopies, blood, urine, etc. And nothing has been determined or diagnosed.

He is now at home and is still experiencing the unbelievable pain that we try to manage with vicodin (to no avail) as prescribed by the doctor, along with some antibiotics (doxycycline). We are now trying acupuncture & peppermint oil capsules. Some doctors now think it is muscular and skeletal. One doctor now feels it is a bacterium affecting the Ileum. We do not know where to turn. In this short span of time, he has gone from being pretty much self-sufficient to homebound & near incapacitated.

His initial pain was in the lower right abdomen. It is now from side to side across his abdomen. He describes it as not deep or internal, but just below the skin. The pain is constant, however, with any change in position, or use of abdominal muscles, e.g. - standing to sitting, coughing, sneezing etc, the pain becomes debilitating & he is unable to breath. What could possibly be wrong? He is suffering horribly & this 'illness' is quickly depleting his will to live. Any insight or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you so much for your expedient response.

Appendicitis sounds possible.

Take him back to Emergency.

I'm not a doctor.