With ‘razor-blade-level pain’ in his stomach, he turned to Elon Musk’s AI after failed ER visit — it detected a serious issue that doctors missed
Listening to your instincts and checking again, whether with doctors or AI, can be life-saving. Severe stomach pain described as "razor-blade-level" changed one man’s life and highlighted an unusual role for artificial intelligence in emergency care. Shared on December 4, 2025, the Reddit post came from a 49-year-old under the handle u/Tykjen, who turned to Elon Musk’s AI tool, Grok, after an initial ER visit failed to find the cause. The AI identified warning signs doctors had missed, pointing toward a serious appendix issue that was later confirmed and treated just in time.
How a late-night conversation with Grok got me to demand the CT scan that saved my life from a ruptured appendix (December 2025)
byu/Tykjen ingrok
According to the post, the ordeal began with nonstop pain lasting nearly 24 hours. He said lying flat was impossible, and the only slight comfort came from sitting on the floor with his knees drawn in. There was no fever, no bleeding, and no outward signs of illness that would indicate a serious issue. However, the man decided to get the pain checked. During his first ER visit, the doctor examined his abdomen and noted that it felt soft with no clear warning signs. He was then given Somac, an acid-blocking medication, and sent home shortly after. But the pain stayed intense, leaving him worried and drained. "Pain never dropped below an 8/10," he expressed.
Back home, still in distress, he opened a year-long chat he had kept with Grok. He carefully described how the pain felt and how it behaved. The chatbot quickly warned of a perforated ulcer or an atypical form of appendicitis. It explained the "exact red-flag pattern I was describing" and suggested he return to the hospital and request a CT scan. Taking the advice seriously, he went back to the ER with the copied symptoms and told the staff, “This is what I’m experiencing, this is why I think it’s serious, I want a CT.”
Doctors approved the scan, which showed his appendix was badly inflamed and close to rupturing. He underwent a six-hour laparoscopic procedure, and the appendix was removed before it became fatal. After waking up, he said the pain was completely gone and joked about laughing under anesthesia. He also shared a photo of himself smiling in a hospital room, with an IV drip attached. He went on to express gratitude toward the AI, stating, "I’m alive and healed because an AI recognized the pattern when the first exam missed it." He ended the post by urging others to act if they are in severe pain, even if it means “googling symptoms at 3 a.m.” after already being sent home once.
Many internet users also came to the comment section to share similar experiences and wished him a speedy recovery. u/Calaeno-16 wrote, "Glad you're doing okay. My wife and I had a similar situation, and AI use (admittedly Gemini, not Grok, but I did 'simulate' the discussion with Grok later, and it came to the same conclusion) helped us get a 'second opinion' and advocate for ourselves. We got additional testing based on Gemini's logic that helped uncover a much larger issue than the doctors diagnosed." u/-Ra-Vespillo expressed, "Wow, that is wild. I’m very glad you’re okay." u/dr-charlie-foxtrot recounted, "I use ChatGPT, and had two instances where its advice helped me in an ER situation. Both were cardiac-related."