Appendicitis: Symptoms and Treatment

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

01 Nov 2007 07:23 PM

Appendicitis -- whether you have an abscessed appendix or a burst appendix -- is a serious health emergency that requires surgery.

There are several "classic" symptoms of appendicitis that appear in most people:

• A dull pain near the belly button or in the upper abdomen. The pain becomes sharper as it moves towards the lower right side of the abdomen. This is often the first sign of a problem.
• Loss of appetite.
• Nausea and/or vomiting that begins shortly after the abdominal pain appears.
• Abdominal swelling.
• A fever between 99 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit.
• An inability to pass gas.

In addition to the classic symptoms, approximately half of all appendicitis patients experience other symptoms, like:

• A dull pain anywhere in the upper or lower abdomen, in the back, or near the rectum.
• A sharp pain anywhere in the upper or lower abdomen, in the back, or near the rectum.
• Painful urination.
• Vomiting before the abdominal pain appears.
• Severe stomach cramps.
• Constipation with gas.
• Diarrhea with gas.

If you have pain that matches these symptoms, you should call your doctor. Don't try to force yourself to eat or drink, and don't use any pain remedies, antacids, or laxatives. Please don't use a heating pad to relieve pain! Medications and heat can cause an inflamed appendix to rupture.

Surgery to remove the appendix -- called an appendectomy -- is the standard treatment for appendicitis. Medical professionals tend to err on the side of safety and remove the appendix even when appendicitis is only suspected. A rupture is far more dangerous than the appendectomy.

If you have an abscessed appendix, you may need an initial procedure to drain pus and fluid and a second procedure to take out the appendix itself. You will be given antibiotics before the procedure to fight infection and possible peritonitis. If you do have peritonitis, your abdomen will be irrigated and drained of pus.

Within twelve hours of surgery, you will be able to get up and move around.

There is no way to prevent appendicitis, but the problem is less common in people who eat a diet high in fiber, fruit, and vegetables.

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