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Pitcher Uses iPhone to Self-diagnose Appendicitis

- By - Source : Tom's Guide US

San Diego Padres pitcher Tim Stauffer suffers a loss... of appendix.

San Diego Padres pitcher Tim Stauffer was unable to sleep in his hotel room early Tuesday morning because he was suffering from considerable abdominal pain.

Before calling and waking the team's head trainer, Todd Hutcheson, Stauffer checked WebMD on his iPhone and self-diagnosed himself what was ailing him.

"He had himself diagnosed," said Hutcheson. "He said, 'I think I have appendicitis.'"

With the quick diagnosis, went to St. Mary’s Hospital via taxi and within hours came out of surgery minus an appendix.

Stauffer is now on the disabled list and will be out for four weeks.

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mi1ez 05/14/2010 3:06 PM
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Disabled?

donaldduck 05/14/2010 3:09 PM
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mi1ez :
Disabled?


Probably Jobs thought that his use of the iPhone was unappropriated and "disabled" him from iTunes :D

samely 05/14/2010 3:12 PM
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Another story about Apple that could relate to any smartphone. Thanks, Marcus.

zoemayne 05/14/2010 3:15 PM
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android could of done it or google? theirs nothing magical about the iphone that any other computer cant do iphone just has more sheeple users. I hate these type of titles.... Are they ever gonna be headlines "Android saves man buried under rubble" no. It should be "Pitcher Uses Smart phone to Self-diagnose Appendicitis.

pooflinger1 05/14/2010 3:17 PM
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Let me ask this question... WHY DO WE CARE THAT HE USED HIS IPHONE? Why is that that anytime anyone uses some apple product to do something that MILLIONS of other products also do and did so before that particular product even existed, that we have the urge to report it as news? The way you have this worded it makes it sound like that if he had a droid or palm phone that he would not have been able to diagnose his condition. Congratulations another misleading horrible apple propaganda article Marcus.

What about the European president that "ran his country" from his ipad? Shit, how long has our president used a computer to conduct business while away? So why all the reporting on the common crap that apple products can do? Were the apple zombies not aware that the WebMD site was accessible through the iphone and this article is aimed to let people know that their almighty phone can view *gasp* a WEBSITE? Unless the iphone itself did the appendectomy, WE DON'T CARE. period. We want to know about new technologies, benchmarks, hardware, etc. That's why we come here.

house70 05/14/2010 3:26 PM
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The use of iphoney is irrelevant. Agree with all the above comments.

asiaprime 05/14/2010 3:28 PM
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zoemayne :
"Android saves man buried under rubble"



omg a robot saved a man!! I'd want to read that article!!
I didn't kno that robots were that advanced!! /sarcasm

I would have to guess why they don't use android for the title... I would've preferred your other title too.

cyprod 05/14/2010 3:31 PM
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Breaking News!!!

My roommate used his Iphone to find a near by pizza joint. Media doesn't see how such a feat could have been accomplished before Apple released their Iphone.

Marco925 05/14/2010 3:37 PM
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OMGZ it's like the son of god! All hail the mighty white apple!

bodine74 05/14/2010 3:43 PM
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I think this article should be commending WebMD, a utility available to anyone with the internets...

Anonymous 05/14/2010 3:46 PM
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jellico 05/14/2010 3:47 PM
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bodine74 :
I think this article should be commending WebMD, a utility available to anyone with the internets...


I was just going to say that very same thing. He could just as easily have diagnosed himself with an Android phone, or a laptop. The iphone is incidental here.

Camikazi 05/14/2010 3:55 PM
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What does this have to do with the iPhone? It should read, Pitcher Uses WebMD to Self-diagnose Appendicitis.

timobkg 05/14/2010 4:02 PM
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Ransom22 05/14/2010 4:13 PM
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@Camikazi Exactly. Kudos to WebMD for having the information and to Mr. Stauffer for having the where-with-all to look for it.

erdinger 05/14/2010 4:13 PM
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buckinbottoms 05/14/2010 4:34 PM
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keep it up Toms

Zingam 05/14/2010 4:38 PM
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I'd use my iPhone to checkup my ass.

dxwarlock 05/14/2010 4:39 PM
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Yet another misleading article about "so and so uses iphone to do something".

Or is all these articles about people using iPhones to do tasks meant to point out that people that buy apple products ARE smart enough to complete these tasks, and THAT'S the newsworthy part?

seriously...the title makes it sound like the iPhone worked as if it was one of the startrek medical scanners itself, finding the problem. Not that the guy got on the web and looked it up.

Next we will see "Doctor uses iPhone to save 100's of lives a week" because he uses the phone to take calls of emergency notices in the ER.
(not that any good doctor would trust AT&T signal on iPhone to such an important task)

igot1forya 05/14/2010 4:36 PM
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If you have pain, take a pain killer... if the pain persists or worsens, seek medical attention from your doctor or go to the emergency room... I'm not seeing where someone would need an iphone in this situation.

dman3k 05/14/2010 4:39 PM
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Err... I self-diagnose myself on WebMD.com all the time and it has nothing to do with the iPhone.

digiex 05/14/2010 4:39 PM
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I thought before reading the article that iPhone has a built in ultra sound. Any smartphone could have done it.

cyprod 05/14/2010 4:40 PM
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Sorry, but to the people defending this article, I don't think the criticism is that it's an Iphone article, it's more that this "news" boils down to somebody famous preformed a google search. Why isn't it news when I google search to find out what's causing my hemorrhoids to flair up? Because it isn't interesting, that's why. I even did it on my non-apple cell phone. Still not interesting.

bodine74 05/14/2010 4:44 PM
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erdinger :
Relax guys it was an iphone he used so the writer of the story is going to tell you that it was an Iphone. If he knows which specific devise it was why shouldn't he tell you? Don't you want your news to be as specific and presice as possible???I don't like apple products to but you guys have some problems



I don't care what device was used to access WebMD, the problem is that WebMD is NOT getting the press for potentially saving this man's life.

HalJordan 05/14/2010 4:52 PM
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If it were me I would have woke up the head trainer or team doctor. If you have those people in place to safe guard your health why not use them? Who cares if it turns out you just have gas? If I have a doctor on stand by, I am using that resource.

djg9205 05/14/2010 5:20 PM
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This is ridiculous. Thank the internet, thank WebMD, thank the guy for having the technical savvy to google "stomach hurts." But this has absolutely nothing to do with the iPhone.

This isn't the first story that's been reported like this either. I'm seeing this kind of story pop up on this site and others. Yes, the iPhone can give you access to the internet. So can many other devices. Laptops have done it for over YEARS now.

joebob2000 05/14/2010 5:29 PM
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Something like 70% of appendectomies are done unnecessarily, because of people who complain of persistent abdominal pain with no other obvious cause. Considering the risk of untreated appendicitis, ER doctors are very eager to rip it out (especially since it's good for the bottom line). If you want to know what's wrong with health care in the US, here is a place to start.

nsmetana 05/14/2010 5:32 PM
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Wooow, why is this even an article? All of us tech gurus know that if he used a "Nexus One" or "Motorola Droid" that this kind of article would never be written.

Good grief...

selits 05/14/2010 6:44 PM
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dxwarlock 05/14/2010 7:14 PM
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selits :
OMG I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY SAID HE USED AN IPHONE INSTEAD OF SAYING SMARTPHONE OR SOMETHING GENERIC... THIS IS AN OUTRAGE AND MY LIFE SUCKS SO MUCH THAT I HAVE TO CRY ABOUT IT!!!Seriously though, people cry to much about pointless stuff. I love my Padres!


If there wasnt one a week of "someone uses iPhone to do menial task..full story here" we wouldnt be upset.

even APPLE doesnt post such trivial thing about someone using a apple product to do things that anyone can do with the internet on thier new section.

pug_s 05/14/2010 9:05 PM
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4 weeks? When I had my appendix taken out, I was fine in less than a week.