A Windsor man is warning others — particularly men — not to ignore severe pain after his own attempt to “tough it out” led to a 10-day hospital stay. Steve Brown said he began experiencing abdominal pain on Aug. 21 after playing baseball and pickleball with his 12-year-old daughter. He initially suspected a pulled muscle, food poisoning or a kidney stone and waited for the pain to pass. “I’d rather be comfortable in my own home rather than sitting in the ER,” Brown recalled. “I said, ‘Well, I’m going to just kind of tough it out at home.’” By Sunday morning, he could no longer take it. “I dropped to the ground. I was having a hard time breathing and I basically was lying in the fetal position on the floor,” Brown said. “I honestly felt like I was going to die.” At the hospital, testing revealed his appendix had ruptured. Brown said infection had spread through his abdomen, surrounding his bowels and one of his kidneys. His bowels later stopped functioning, requiring intravenous feeding and a tube to remove the contents of his stomach. Even after surgery, Brown said his doctor warned him he was not yet out of danger. “She’s seen people with less not make it,” he said. “You start thinking about, ‘I have a 12-year-old daughter and family and friends.’ A lot of stuff goes through your head.” What Brown said could have been a brief hospital visit became a 10-day stay. Nearly three weeks later, he said he was still experiencing pain, taking antibiotics and facing further tests. Dr. Ian Mazzetti, an intensive-care and internal-medicine specialist and Windsor Regional Hospital’s vice-president of medicine, research and academics, said appendicitis is a common diagnosis that can affect children and adults. Pain may begin in one area of the abdomen before moving to the lower-right side. If the appendix ruptures, that pain can spread across the abdomen. High fever, a racing heart, very low blood pressure or feeling as though you may faint can indicate a more serious emergency, Mazzetti said. “If the pain is not getting better, you’re never wrong to seek medical attention,” he said. “You would rather be told or find out that it’s OK.” Mazzetti said people can contact a family doctor, walk-in clinic or virtual-care provider for advice, but red-flag symptoms should be assessed in an emergency department. Brown said his reluctance to seek help was largely driven by an instinct to “be manly,” while concern about enduring a long emergency-room wait also contributed to his decision to stay home. Mazzetti acknowledged those concerns, saying the hospital is working to reduce wait times. “If you’re worried about it, come in,” he said. Dr. Mehdi Aloosh, Windsor-Essex’s medical officer of health, said people generally know their bodies best and should not delay seeking advice when symptoms are severe, worsening, persistent or interfering with daily life. “It is not uncommon for people to initially attribute symptoms to a less serious condition and hope they will improve on their own,” Aloosh said in an email. Those unsure about their symptoms can contact a health-care provider or use Health811 or Urgent Care Ontario as a first step from home. Brown hopes others will learn from his experience. “Don’t make the mistakes I did,” he said. “Don’t self-diagnose. Don’t wait. Get in there.”
