My 77 year old husband became very ill a week ago with weakness, pain on left side (no right side pain) and diarhhea. His blood pressure dropped from 116/68 to 68/40. In the er room his infection rate was 21,000. After twelve hours in the er without diagnosis, a c-t scan was done and it revealed inflammation where the appendix should be (on the right side.) emergency surgery was performed and the inflammation showed gangrene but the appendix was not where it is intended to be, but instead on the left side, behind his colon, folded like a butterfly, and ruptured. He was very near death at the time of surgery. He is recovering very well in the hospital. His surgeon said he had operated on several people whose appendix were not where is is supposed to be and therefore the pain they cause is not on the right. Apparently, this causes nurses and doctors to overlook the possibility of that left side pain can be caused by the appendix...So don't rule out appendix when being ill with lower left side pain. There is a medical term associated with this, but I can't remember what the surgeon told me.