Currently, I am laying in a hospital bed after going in for surgery for acute appendicitis. Good thing I can access TSP Forums on my IPhone
or I would be having a horrible time.
Wondering what your symptoms were like and how close they are textbook?While I had classic abdominal pain, I did not have any nausea.
My short story is, woke up at 1 AM with painful mid abdominal pains. within 20 minutes it moved to my lower right side of my abdomen. The pain level was 9 of 10. Wife drove me to hospital at 2 AM. By 3 AM I had a CT scan, that proved I had acute appendicitis. By noon I was in surgery for one hour. I was lucking that my appendix had not ruptured. Surgeon says I will be in the hospital for 24 hours for observation, no heavy lifting and staying at home for four days.
I must admire the wealth of knowledge scrubs wrote about abdominal plains. +1 scrubs for putting all that info together.
A common problem which may arise under any circumstances is acute abdominal pain. Knowing when such conditions may require a tums vs. evacuation to advanced medical care is essential.
Initial Evaluation of Abdominal Pain
Several things can help determine the probable cause of a patient's abdominal pains, knowing the abdominal anatomy is very important:
http://meded.ucsd.edu/clinicalmed/abdomen.htm
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Evaluation of the Right Lower Quadrant area and common causes of pain:
Appendicitis
The appendix is a small tube of tissue attached to the beginning of the colon. Appendicitis occurs when the tube becomes blocked and infection develops.
Appendicitis occurs in 7% of the US population.
Classic history of lack of appetite and periumbilical pain followed by nausea, right lower quadrant (RLQ) pain, and vomiting occurs in only 50% of cases. Migration of pain from the area around the belly button to the RLQ is the most accurate feature of the patient's history. Markle sign (or jump sign), pain elicited in RLQ when the standing patient drops from standing on toes to the heels with a jarring landing, was studied in 190 patients undergoing appendectomy and found to have a sensitivity of 74%. Duration of symptoms is less than 48 hours in approximately 80% of adults but tends to be longer in elderly persons and in those with a perforated appendix. Approximately 2% of patients report duration of pain in excess of 2 weeks.
Note: Acute non-perforated appendicitis can be treated successfully with antibiotics such as a combination of Cipro and Flagyl. This decision should be made with the consultation of a surgeon when available.
Emergency: Every case of potential appendicitis should be evaluated at a hospital (when available), septic shock and death can develop as a result of a perforated appendix.
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Final Thoughts:
In general, seek advanced medical care anytime abdominal pain is constant for more than 4-6 hours, or is accompanied by frequent or projectile vomiting (forceful), or fever. Even the most seasoned emergency department providers have difficulty with making an accurate diagnosis without advanced diagnostic testing.
If located in a remote location, "when in doubt, ship it out". 
