CAMELOT FANTASIES

General, I recently saw an interview of Nadal somewhere, where he said that beside the appendicitis that his back was still hurting him.  Appendicitis, back problems, and yet he was still playing.  And Roger came out and said that he didn't understand some of Rafa's recent decisions and that Rafa looked very weak at Basel.  Neither do I.  It can't be about money. He's got gobs of it, unless he has been gambling it away playing poker.  You've followed Rafa about as much as anyone, what's up with him?

Respectfully,
masterclass

I got this from TTW. They have an extensive Nadal thread over there and keep tabs on his every move. The information is in date order.

Rafa would have had the surgery straight after Shanghai, but his doctors said that he cannot have the surgery before the antibiotics have gone totally out of his system. So that's why the delay, and that's why playing in Basel. That explains it all.

It was not that he was after money. The antibiotics made it impossible to go to the surgery.

¤¤ Rafa was very lucky not to have to undergo surgery in China. He has been told by doctors that very few times a case like his is stopped with antibiotic. It's 100% certain he has to undergo surgery. The time for it depends on the recovery time needed. For him the highest priority is not to interfere with the next season, thus surgery date will be chosen with this in mind as priority and then, if possible, to miss as less as possible in this season; but he has stressed what his priority is: starting 2015 fit and ready. ¤¤

Rafa went to the doctor(s) in Barcelona before he went home to Mallorca. They confirmed the diagnosis from Shanghai and that the inflammation has been controlled by the treatment he received there.

They said he's progressing satisfactorily and is currently showing no symptoms so they'll continue the treatment for 4-5 days and depending on his progress will make therapeutic decisions then.

So...sounds like no word on surgery for a few days yet.

Rafa health update
Dr.Cotorro said on October 9, 2014 [Translated by Genny SS]:
Quote:
"Rafa's suffered a case of appendicitis that has stopped thanks to the antibiotic treatment"
"It's true that this [process] will end up in surgery, as we've been able to confirm today"
"Rafa feels good and I think each day he's going to feel better"
"Right now we're interested in having this under control. Main thing isn't playing, but seeing how Rafa evolves"
"In this kind of cases, proper thing to do is to wait till process stabilizes. Then, when possible, a programmed surgery"
"Rafa's appendicular process hasn't had the typical medical picture [symptoms] of appendicitis"
"From now on we'll be following his evolution. Let's see how he is after 4-5 days with antibiotics, then we'll decide"
Alternatives to emergency surgery

In some cases, appendicitis can lead to the development of a lump on the appendix called an 'appendix mass'. This lump, consisting of appendix and fatty tissue, is an attempt by the body to deal with the problem and heal itself.

If an appendix mass is found during an examination, your doctors may decide it is not necessary to operate immediately. Instead, you will be given a course of antibiotics and an appointment will be made for an appendectomy a few weeks later, when the mass has settled.

Another possible alternative to immediate surgery is the use of antibiotics to treat appendicitis. However, studies have looked into whether antibiotics could be an alternative to surgery and as yet there is not enough clear evidence to suggest this is the case.

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Appendi...Treatment.aspx
This is in line with what Dr Cottoro said:

Dr.Cotorro said on October 9, 2014 [Translated by Genny SS]:
Quote:
"In this kind of cases, proper thing to do is to wait till process stabilizes. Then, when possible, a programmed surgery"
"Rafa's appendicular process hasn't had the typical medical picture [symptoms] of appendicitis"

"From now on we'll be following his evolution. Let's see how he is after 4-5 days with antibiotics, then we'll decide"
Then I really hope that you are not a practicing medic. Recent research shows that appendicitis can be treated with antibiotics.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/a...s-201204114588

It is always better to have planned surgery rather than emergency surgery, which I believe is what Rafa's doctors have said.

No, appendicitis is not a severe inflammation, it is simply inflammation. And he didn't play with an inflamed appendix. The IV antibiotic treatment got rid of the inflammation. He probably shouldn't have played because his body had been severely weakened by the infection, the aggressive medications, and the bed rest and lack of food for three days but everyone should really douse the hair on fire flames. He wasn't near death.