The appendix is a pouch-like structure about 5 cm long that extends from the large intestine. Inflammation of the appendix, also known as appendicitis, is more common in young people between the ages of 10 and 30. Diagnosing appendicitis symptoms can be difficult in children under 10 and women under 50 because their appendices are smaller, still growing, or temporarily displaced. Inflammation of the appendix is caused when the opening to the cecum becomes blocked by feces, cancer, infection, or foreign matter. People with appendicitis need surgery to remove the appendix. It is considered an emergency and patients must identify symptoms as quickly as possible and receive immediate treatment.

Check Symptoms Yourself

Be aware of the common symptoms of appendicitis. Dull pain originating around the navel and moving to the right lower abdomen is the most common symptom. Some symptoms are less common. If you have several symptoms, it’s time to contact your doctor or go to the hospital. After you find yourself having these symptoms, contact your doctor or go to the hospital as soon as possible. Delaying treatment can lead to a perforated appendix, which can be life-threatening. Symptoms usually last 12 to 18 hours, sometimes as long as a week, but become severe quickly thereafter. Symptoms include:

• Decreased appetite.
• Stomach problems such as nausea, diarrhea, and constipation, especially if accompanied by frequent vomiting.
• If you have a fever and the body temperature is 40 degrees Celsius or above, you must seek medical attention immediately. If your body temperature is 38 degrees Celsius and you have other symptoms, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible. A mild fever of 37 degrees Celsius is also one of the symptoms.
• Chills and shivering.
• Back pain.
• Can not fart.
• Feeling an urgent need to have a bowel movement but being unable to pass it smoothly.

In most adults, the appendix is located in the lower right abdomen, 1/3 from the navel to the hip bone. However, the appendix can become displaced in pregnant women.

• Symptoms of appendicitis in adults can worsen within 4 to 48 hours, and if appendicitis is diagnosed, it will be treated as an emergency.

If the pain in the abdomen (especially the right lower quadrant) is too painful and cannot be touched, it is best to go to the emergency room immediately. The lower abdomen may feel tender when you press it.

• Watch for rebound tenderness. If you feel a sharp pain when you press your lower right abdomen and then quickly raise your hand, you may have appendicitis and you must seek medical attention immediately.

Pay attention to whether the abdomen is firm. When pressing on the abdomen, do your fingers dig into the organs slightly? Or is your abdomen unusually hard? If it’s the latter, you may have bloating, which is also a symptom of appendicitis.

• If you have abdominal pain but are not accompanied by symptoms such as nausea or loss of appetite, it may not be appendicitis. Many times, abdominal pain does not require an emergency visit. However, if abdominal pain lasts for more than 3 days, if you have any questions, you may wish to contact or see a doctor.

If you experience severe pain when walking upright, you may have appendicitis and need to go to the emergency room immediately. Additionally, lying on your side and curling up in a fetal position can relieve pain.

• Pay attention to whether the pain is worse when you shake your body or cough.

The pain may be higher in pregnant women because the uterus pushes up on the appendix. As for children under 2 years old, the pain is usually lower and accompanied by vomiting and abdominal distension. Toddlers with an infected appendix may sometimes be unable to eat, appear extremely sleepy, and may not eat even their favorite snacks.

• As for older children, appendicitis pain is similar to adults, starting in the belly button and then moving to the right lower abdomen. Lying down does not relieve the pain, but the pain worsens whenever the child moves.
• A child with a perforated appendix will develop a high fever.

Receive Treatment

Do not self-medicate before seeing a doctor. If you feel symptoms of appendicitis developing in your body, don’t let your condition get worse while you’re in the emergency room waiting for treatment. While waiting for treatment, you should pay attention to:

• Don’t take laxatives or painkillers. Laxatives can further irritate your intestines, and pain relievers can make it harder to monitor severe abdominal pain.
• Don’t take antacids. They can worsen the pain associated with appendicitis.
• Do not use a heating pad to avoid perforation of the inflamed appendix.
• Do not eat or drink before undergoing the examination. Otherwise, these substances may be easily inhaled into the trachea and lungs during the operation, causing aspiration pneumonia.

If you’re almost sure you have appendicitis, don’t call your doctor to make an appointment. Schedule an appointment for a later time. You must go to the hospital as soon as possible. A perforated appendix can be life-threatening if you don’t receive any treatment.

• Bring a few things you’ll need for the night, like clean pajamas and a toothbrush. If you do get appendicitis, you’ll have to have surgery and stay in the hospital overnight.

While in the emergency room, describe the symptoms in detail. Be prepared to be triaged and tell the triage nurse that you suspect you have appendicitis. They will arrange the order in which patients receive treatment based on urgency. If a patient comes to the emergency room with a severe head injury, you have to wait.

• Even if you have to wait, don’t panic. It’s always safer to wait in the hospital than at home. If you have a perforated appendix while you’re in the waiting room, they can quickly operate on you. Be patient and redirect your attention away from the pain.

Find out what tests your doctor will do. When you see your doctor, you’ll need to describe your symptoms again. Carefully describe the gastrointestinal problem (such as constipation or vomiting) and tell your doctor approximately when you first noticed the pain. Your doctor will check for signs of appendicitis.

• Be prepared to be poked with the doctor’s finger. Your doctor will press firmly on your lower abdomen to check for peritonitis, an infection caused by appendicitis. If you have peritonitis, your abdominal muscles will spasm when you press on your abdomen. The doctor may also do a quick rectal exam.

Be prepared for additional inspections. Your doctor will also order lab and imaging tests to officially diagnose appendicitis. You may have to undergo the following tests:

• Blood test — Checks for a high white blood cell count (can detect signs of infection even if you don’t have a low-grade fever). Blood tests can also detect electrolyte imbalances and dehydration (both of which can cause pain). Doctors may also help women take a pregnancy test to rule out this possibility.
• Urine test — to check for infection in the urinary tract or kidney stones, both of which can sometimes cause abdominal pain.
• Ultrasound — An ultrasound is used to scan the abdomen to see if the appendix is blocked, perforated, or enlarged, or if there is another reason for the abdominal pain. Ultrasound is the safest radiological imaging test and is often the imaging test of choice.
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) — Scans internal organs in more detail without using X-rays. The MRI machine has a small space and may cause mild claustrophobia. Many doctors will first inject patients with a small amount of sedative to help relieve anxiety. The signs it scans are similar to those of ultrasound, but at a closer distance and in finer detail.
• Computed tomography (CT scan) — uses X-rays and computer technology to create images. The doctor will ask you to drink the developer. If you don’t spit it out, you’ll be able to lie down on the exam table and get scanned. The entire process is quick and doesn’t cause the claustrophobia that an MRI machine can. Images can also show the same signs of inflammation, perforation, or blockage of the appendix. This is the most common test doctors do.

Your doctor will decide whether you need an appendectomy. The only treatment for appendicitis is to remove it surgically. Most doctors prefer a laparoscopic appendectomy, which leaves less scarring than an open appendectomy.

• If your doctor thinks you don’t need surgery, he or she may send you home for 12 to 24 hours. During this time, you cannot take antibiotics, painkillers, or laxatives. If the condition worsens, contact your doctor immediately. Do not wait for symptoms to subside on their own. You may need to return to your doctor with a urine sample. When you come back for the check-up, remember not to eat or drink beforehand to avoid complications later in the surgery.

Modern appendectomies leave only a small wound, have minimal or no complications, and patients can quickly return to their normal lives. However, it is surgery after all and you need to take good care of yourself. After surgery, follow these steps to help your body recover:

• Make the transition to solid foods gradually. Since my digestive tract has just been operated on, I cannot eat or drink until 24 hours later. Your doctor or nurse will tell you when you can eat small amounts of liquids and when you can start eating solid foods, step by step, and don’t mix things up. Eventually, you can resume your normal diet.
• Don’t be too tired on the first day after surgery. Take the opportunity to rest and allow your body to recover. In the next few days, try to do light activities and exercise, and your body will slowly recover through exercise.
• If you have any questions, please contact your doctor. If you experience pain, vomiting, dizziness, fever, diarrhea, bloody urine or stools, constipation, discharge, or swelling from the wound, please contact your doctor immediately. In short, if you have other symptoms of appendicitis after removing the appendix, please notify your doctor.

Tips

• There is another disease called appendiceal colic. Severe abdominal cramping is caused by the appendix spasming or shrinking, possibly because it is blocked, or has a tumor, scar tissue, or a foreign object. Surgeons have traditionally not accepted that the appendix can be “colic.” Colic pain can last for a while, may be intermittent and difficult to diagnose, but may eventually lead to acute appendicitis.
• If you suspect you have appendicitis, don’t delay and seek medical advice immediately. A perforated appendix can be fatal. If you go to the emergency room and are sent away without treatment, and your symptoms worsen later, you must come back for a checkup. Many times, symptoms will evolve until you need surgery to remove them.
• If left untreated, the patient may have to use a colostomy bag for several months or a lifetime.